Ian received his Bachelor of Science in Physiology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he was an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Dr. Michael Hylin. There, he investigated treatments that facilitate functional recovery following traumatic brain injury using a rat model. Following graduation, Ian moved to the University of Chicago as a technician in the laboratory of Dr. Gopal Thinakaran, where he explored the role of genes implicated in Alzheimer’s disease pathology using transgenic mouse models. Ian continued neurodegenerative disease research in the laboratory of Dr. Sam Sisodia at UChicago, where he contributed to published research that examines the sex-specific role of the gut-brain-axis in Alzheimer’s disease progression.
Ian started his Ph.D. in 2022 and joined the lab of Dr. Paschalis Kratsios. Ian now utilizes a worm model of C9ORF72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to address a long-standing question in the field: Why are motor neurons particularly susceptible to degeneration in ALS, while many non-motor neurons are spared? Ian is also an active member of the Center for Motor Neuron Disease’s outreach program which showcases science to high schoolers on Chicago’s southside.