Three BYIs Named 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholars

Christina Kim, PhD (2023 BYI) was named a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar (HHMI) for her research on how the brain transforms transient cellular dynamics into long-lasting behavioral changes. To study this problem, Kim's Lab develops molecular technologies to record the activity history of living cells onto their own biological components.

Timothy Machado, PhD (2025 BYI) was named a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar (HHMI) for his research on how different brain regions work together to generate movement. Machado’s lab records large-scale neural activity across the mouse motor system during various behaviors. His lab builds computational models from these data, and test the models with targeted neural manipulations. Their work reveals how the brain produces context-specific motor commands and coordinates flexibly to control behavior.

Cristina Rodriguez, PhD (2024 BYI) was named a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar (HHMI) for her research developing advanced optical imaging technologies. Rodríguez’s lab creates advanced optical imaging tools—combining multiphoton microscopy with light-shaping methods like adaptive optics—to improve imaging depth, resolution, and speed. They use these technologies to visualize neuronal circuits in the living rodent spinal cord to understand how somatosensory information is processed, with broad applications across biology.