Moore awarded an NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00)

Congratulations to Ph.D. student Jordan Moore for recently receiving an National Institutes of Health (NIH) Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00). Moore works under the direction of Daniel Gallego-Perez, associate professor, BME. Moore’s research is entitled “Nanomedicine-Driven Strategies to Repair Peripheral Nerve Injuries.” His research uses electricity to controllably create passage in the cell membrane for nanoscale (very small) cargos to enter cells. Ultimately, these materials cause gene changes (activation or inhibition) capable of aiding the repair process following nerve injuries.

The purpose of the NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award is to support a defined pathway across career stages for outstanding graduate students who are from diverse backgrounds, including thosefrom groups that are underrepresented in neuroscience research. This two-phase award will facilitate completion of the doctoral dissertation and transition of talented graduate students to strong neuroscience research postdoctoral positions, and will provide career development opportunities relevant to their long-term career goal of becoming independent neuroscience researchers. For the F99/K00 award, individuals may receive up to 6 years combined support for both phases, which includes 1-2 years in the F99 fellowship phase and up to 4 years in the K00 career development phase.

Moore is a native of Springfield, Ohio and came to The Ohio State University in 2012 as an undergraduate transfer student. He received his B.S. in Applied Mathematics in 2015 and then worked with Dr. Gallego Perez as a volunteer and research before joining the PhD program in 2018. He is currently an Neuroscience Scholars Program Associate, Purdue Black Trailblazers in Engineering Fellow, NIH Blueprint D-SPAN Scholar and is past president of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Association.

When asked what he enjoys about the Gallego-Perez lab, Moore replied “there are two main things I enjoy about our lab. One being the cultural diversity and breadth of experiences and perspectives. Additionally, I enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of our work and the ability to interact with scientists from different fields.”

Moore plans to graduation in the Fall of 2022. After graduation Moore will enter the postdoctoral phase of his fellowship and join a lab to continue studying biomedical engineering and neurodevelopment. “Ultimately, I want to join as faculty at an R1 to grow a research program focused on developing gene and cell-based therapies for Cerebral Palsy and motor-neuron-related disorders.”