Welcome to the 2021 Grass Fellows

2019 Grass Fellow Laura Cocas in the Grass Lab at . Cocas is returning in 2021 as associate director of the Grass Lab. Credit: Melissa Coleman
2019 Grass Fellow Laura Cocas in the Grass Lab at . Cocas is returning in 2021 as associate director of the Grass Lab. Credit: Melissa Coleman

The Grass Fellowship program, which like all summer programs fell into the black hole of 2020, is back! Five Grass Fellows will arrive in May, while others have deferred until next year.

The Grass Fellows are early-career investigators who spend 14 weeks at pursuing a self-designed, independent research project in neuroscience.  provides full support for the fellows, who become part of the vibrant intellectual and social dynamic within the  scientific community while sharing space in the Grass Laboratory.

Welcome to :

 (University of California/Berkeley) is studying how animals detect mechanical force, and how these cues influence behavior. His research organism is the ctenophore M. leidyi.

 (University of Exeter) is studying the larva of the ascidian 侱DzԲ – an emerging system for neuroscience – to investigate the sensory systems and neuronal circuitries controlling behaviors driven by mechanical cues.

 (University of British Columbia) is one of the few investigators to study a crocodilian! His research explores the response of small mechanosensory organs in the jaw and teeth areas to natural stimuli.

 (University of Chicago) will use the squid giant axon to study the regulation of local protein synthesis within the axon.

 (Illinois State University) is investigating the role of multisensory integration in tick host-seeking behavior.

This year’s Grass Lab is directed by   of Claremont McKenna College; the associate director is  of Santa Clara University.

Grass Fellows T-shirt design The Grass Lab at , founded in 1951, has developed many cherished traditions over the years, including fantastic designs for annual lab T-shirt ....
Grass Fellows at Woods Hole July 4th Parade ...and, of course, representation in the annual Woods Hole July 4th Parade!