Walsh selected for the T32 Molecular Biophysics Predoctoral Fellowship

Kevin J. Walsh, a graduate student in the Biophysics Program, was recently selected for the predoctoral fellowship by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 Molecular Biophysics Training Program (MBTP) committee. This fellowship is awarded to rising second-year graduate students that show great promise and whose research aligns with promoting quality research in the area of molecular biophysics. The fellowship is renewable for one year based on the engagement of the individual in the program and productivity of the research being completed.

Walsh is a second year graduate student in the Biophysics Program in Dr. Gunjan Agarwal's lab, associate professor, biomedical engineering. He received his B.S. in Astrophysics from Ohio University in May 2013 and then served in the U.S. Army as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer in Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, and 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Okinawa, Japan. He joined the Biophysics PhD Program at The Ohio State University in June 2017.

Walsh's research project aims to characterize the quality and quantity of abnormal iron deposits found in the brain tissue of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as the Alzheimer's Disease (AD). A major goal of the project is to exploit the magnetic behavior of iron to develop a biophysical, histo-magnetic approach to identify pathological iron in AD tissue. Computational simulations as well as experimental approaches involving histological stains, atomic force microscopy and analytical electron microscopy will be utilized to accomplish these goals. After obtaining his PhD, Walsh plans to pursue a career in a pharmaceutical or a scientific instruments company.

Congratulations Kevin!