This interview is part of the “Neuroscience Scholars Program Fellows Spotlight” collection, in which current Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) fellows highlight their careers, achievements, and the importance of diverse perspectives in neuroscience. Read on to learn more about Andoni I. Asencor, a third-year PhD student at the University of California, San Francisco.
Can you share a little bit about your background?
I was born in Miami, Fl., to Jamaican and Spanish parents. I am the first in my family to pursue a graduate degree as well as the first scientist. I try to use my visibility as a neuroscientist to recruit more Caribbean-American students into neuroscience research and to highlight the work of other Caribbean-American scientists already in the field.
Describe your journey in neuroscience and current research.
I received my BA in neuroscience from Boston University in 2020. Prior to graduate school, I was a researcher in Nirupa Chaudhari's lab at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, where I used AAV-PHP.S to label the mouse geniculate ganglion [Asencor et al., 2022 eNeuro]. I am now in the neuroscience PhD program at the University of California, San Francisco, in Sam Pleasure's lab where I am investigating the role of the transcobalamin receptor in CNS health and maintenance.
Why do you think diversity is important in neuroscience?
The coexistence of diversity and belonging of all identities in neuroscience is crucial to the progression of both our scientific research and overall progression of our society. Scientific spaces must be diversified in order to achieve our common goals of pursuing excellent, widely-applicable scientific discoveries.
What inspired you to become a neuroscientist?
Prior to attending Boston University, I searched online for different fields of science and realized that neuroscience was far more all-encompassing than I initially thought. Everything is neuroscience: our ability to hear someone speaking without a tangible delay, our ability to continue standing without consciously thinking about it, and our ability to think and make decisions in our daily lives. I fell in love with neuroscience in undergrad and I haven't looked back since.
What drove you to apply for the NSP?
I ultimately hope to lead my own research team in academia. In order to achieve that, I know I will need to maintain strong, supportive mentors who will help me to be the strongest scientist, writer, and future mentor that I can be. I know that the NSP is a major step in that direction, and I am honored to join this vibrant group of neuroscientists.
About the Contributor
