SfN Travel Grant

Congratulations to our

2024 SfN Travel Grant Recipients! 

Adel Boudi, PhD

Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School

Abstract Title: Unveiling early oligodendrocyte lineage dysregulation in a neurodegenerative disease mouse model

From the recipient: "This travel grant is a greatly appreciated support that will enable me to present this exciting work, which we aim to publish soon. Delving into this project has opened my eyes to new aspects of brain function, and I hope my contribution will help spotlight the critical but often overlooked role of oligodendroglia in neurodegenerative diseases. The SfN is an ideal platform for such exchanges, and I am truly grateful for this opportunity!"

Kateryna Murlanova, PhD

SUNY, University at New York, Buffalo

Abstract Title: NPAS3-regulated astrocyte mitochondria bioenergetics is required for cognition

From the recipient: "I greatly appreciate Proteintech's support in enabling my attendance at SfN, a highly anticipated conference. My project requires a cross-disciplinary approach and the application of novel technologies. I believe that SfN 2024 will provide me with the best opportunity to expand my knowledge and expertise in cutting-edge neuroscience approaches."

About the Award

Proteintech is proud to support researchers by offering 2 x $1000 travel grants to attend the 2024 SfN annual meeting in our hometown of Chicago, IL. Each grant will cover up to $1,000 of expenses towards registration, airfare, and lodging expenses. Scroll down to meet our past winners!

View all FAQs

SfN Travel Grant Hall of Fame

2024 SfN Travel Grant Winners

Diana Acosta, PhD. Ohio State University

"There is a need to better understand the connection between changes in cholesterol and tau pathology to elucidate the underlying disease mechanism of tauopathies (diseases in which tau pathology plays a major role in disease onset and spread). To address this need, we utilize state-of-the-art techniques to characterize changes in phosphorylated and total tau levels, gene expression, and functional activity of human derived neural organoids. We additionally validate our findings in human post-mortem brain samples and with in-vitro assays. This award provides great support to attend SfN! I am excited to share our findings with the scientific community!"

Ishnoor Singh University of Toronto

"I am truly honored to receive this grant, and it will enable me to advance my research in exciting new ways. I look forward to sharing my findings at SFN this year and learning from the brilliant minds in the field. This support will not only enrich my scientific journey but also enable me to network with leading experts and gain invaluable insights that will propel my work to new heights. Thanks to Proteintech for the support!"

2021 SfN Travel Grant winners

Rajeshwari Chellappan,  University of Alabama at Birmingham

“It is such an honor to receive this award and thank you for the support. I feel grateful to have had a mentor such as Dr. Peter King. I would like to emphasize how my lab filled in during the pandemic hours and helped with the completion of this project. We eagerly await to see what this drug can accomplish in clinical scenarios.”

Ashley Keiser,  University of California, Irvine

"I am extremely honored and thankful for Proteintech's support of my work! Due to this support, I will be able to apply funds to further my studies and share my work virtually with a broad audience of neuroscientists from around the world, engage with the latest research and gain feedback; all of which will make me a stronger scientist. Thanks to Proteintech for this opportunity!"

2018 SfN Travel Grant winners

Mengyang Feng, Pennsylvania State University

It is well-documented that a poor diet and obesity are risk factors for psychiatric disorders such as depression. However, the mechanism has not been elucidated as of yet. Feng and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University used a high fat diet mouse model to investigate how obesity contributes to depression. They found that a high fat diet increases the ability of these neurons to fire, leading to depression-like brain activity. Their results suggest that anticonvulsants, already used for treatment of bipolar disorder, may be useful for overweight patients who do not respond well to first-line therapies.

“I appreciate the support of the award and I am delighted to share my research and network with neuroscientists all over the world,” said Feng, who will be presenting this work on November 5 (#323. 22).

Yuyan Chen, University of California – Los Angeles.

Despite the brain’s importance to survival, neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) have limited healing abilities after injury. However, peripheral neurons have high regenerative capacity. Cheng and colleagues analyzed regenerating peripheral neurons to identify the genetic program driving this process and compared this program to CNS neurons after injury. They found that the expression of the REST transcription factor in the CNS interferes with this program. Their data suggest that targeting this protein may be effective in limiting brain damage after injury.

 “I am excited to network and see cool science!” Cheng said. Cheng will this research (#476.21) on November 6.

2022 SfN Travel Grant Winners

Coralie Berthoux, Ph.D.  Albert Einstein College of Medicine

"I am very delighted and thankful for the support from Proteintech. This is a unique opportunity to share my recent research work at the 2022 SfN meeting and network with leading neuroscientists from around the world. I'll be presenting my work at the Nanosymposium "Signaling Mechanisms in Long-Term Plasticity II" on Nov. 16^th 2022. Beyond the monetary support, this award represents acknowledgment of my work on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity."

Margarita Hessel, Ph.D. Helmotz Zentrum, Munich 

""I am very grateful for the Proteintech travel grant that supports my travel to the Sfn. The Sfn meeting is a great opportunity to present my research to an international audience, receive feedback on my project, and establish new collaborations. I will be presenting a poster #223.17 on Sunday November 13, 4:00-5:00 pm. The success of my project required the strong involvement of several lab members, so I immensely appreciate the support of all the NAPS lab."  

2019 SFN Travel Grant winners

Jacob Mann,  University of Pittsburgh

Jacob Mann developed a mouse model for ALS and dementia that is optogenetically induced, allowing for more controlled study of neurodegeneration. Using this model, he and his colleagues found that the pathological potential of TDP43 and FUS to make toxic deposits is determined by whether they are unbound to RNA and if more RNA is added, the deposits can be eliminated.

Mann noted, “I am honored for the support of this travel award and am excited to share my work and exchange ideas with all the great scientists attending this meeting.”

Anthony Braun,  University of Minnesota

Aggregation of alpha-synuclein is a major cause of Parkinson’s Disease, and types of dementia. Anthony Braun and his colleagues developed a robust high-throughput cellular assay to test drugs that protect neurons from alpha-synuclein-induced death.

Braun said, “I am excited for the opportunity to attend SfN to share our exciting research and network with potential collaborators in neurodegeneration."

Travel Grant FAQS

1. Who can enter?

The travel grant is open to PhD students, lab managers, and post-docs based at universities or research institutions in the US, Canada, and Europe. Scientists from private companies are not eligible to enter the competition.

2. When is the entry deadline?

The deadline for all entries is posted above.

3. How do I enter?

By completing the entry form, including an abstract of current research.

4. How will the winners be picked?

Proteintech has assembled a group of academic peers to pick the winners based on which research abstracts they deem most interesting in the field of neuroscience research.

5. When will the winners be announced?

Information coming soon. Proteintech social media and via the Proteintech email newsletter. The winner will be emailed by a representative from Proteintech before this date.

6. What expenses can I be reimbursed for?

Proteintech Group will cover the cost of accommodation for the duration of SFN, your airfare to/from Chicago, IL, and a full delegate registration pass up to the value of $1,000.

8. How will I be reimbursed?

Once proof of payment for each expense has been received, Proteintech Group will issue a check to the winners for the total amount spent on the expenses covered.

9. When will I be reimbursed?

Proteintech Group will reimburse the winners within seven days of receiving proof of payment.

10. Can I be reimbursed if I have already paid for my travel, etc?

Yes. Proteintech Group can still cover the costs if you provide receipts of the itinerary you have already booked.

11. What is the total amount I can receive to cover my costs?

The travel awards provide up to $1,000 for each winner to cover expenses related to attending SfN 2024. This can include travel, accommodation, registration, or other travel-related costs. If the total expenses are less than $1,000, the remaining balance cannot be claimed.

12. Will the winners be required to do anything after the announcement?

By submitting an entry for the competition, all entrants agree to participate in all promotional opportunities, including, but not limited to, press releases, media interviews, advertisements, social media, videos, etc. For any further information, please email kier@ptglab.com.

Terms and conditions

1. Only applicants from Universities and Research Institutions are eligible to take part in this competition.
2. This award will cover only the cost of registration, accommodation, and transport to the SfN 2024 meeting, to a total value of $1,000 or equivalent currency. Any remaining balance available after these costs have been covered is not transferable and cannot be used for other expenses.
3. By taking part in the competition, you agree to take part in any marketing and PR activities that Proteintech deems necessary. These may include the following: An interview, featuring on the Proteintech blog/website, and associated press releases.
4. The deadline for entries is posted above. Any applications submitted after this date will not be eligible.
5. Applicants can only submit one entry. Any further entries will not be eligible. Applicants must complete the application form in full.
6. The applicant must be available to attend the SfN meeting in Chicago IL in-person between October 5-9, 2024. The travel grant applies only to the SfN 2024 meeting. The reimbursement cannot be used for any other meeting.
7. The winning applicants will receive this travel grant via reimbursement from Proteintech Group.
8. The recipient must provide receipts for their SfN registration, accommodation, and travel to receive reimbursement.   
9. The recipient will receive reimbursement within 7 days of proof of expense being obtained.
10. The reimbursement can only be paid to the individual or institution that originally paid for the travel expenses, registration, and accommodation.
11. The winners will be decided by the Proteintech scientific writing team and an assisting group of scientific peers. The winning entries will be the abstract deemed most interesting by the panel.
12. The decision on which applicants win is at the discretion of Proteintech Group and their decision is final.
13. This competition is not affiliated or sponsored by SfN in any way.