Savannah Boyen

I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. From a young age, I volunteered with my local Parkinson’s (APDA) community, which sparked my long-standing interest in neuroscience and neurodegenerative disease research. 

 

I attended the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a B.S. in Neuroscience, and a Minor in Social and Behavioral Sciences.

 

During my undergraduate training and continuing into my first post-bacc position, I worked as a Research Assistant under Dr. Jennifer Donegan at Dell Medical School, studying neural circuits in the ventral hippocampus involved in psychiatric disease. I later completed a second post-bacc position at Trinity University as a Research Associate in Dr. Kimberley Phillips’ lab, where I studied processes underlying neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in the aging marmoset brain. 

 

My research interests focus on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, with particular emphasis on mitochondrial dysfunction and glial cell activation.

 

Outside the lab, I enjoy puzzling, running, reading, and spending time with my dog, family, and friends.