Welcome to the 2025 Grass Fellows

Chain catsharks, one of the organisms that will be studied by a Grass Fellow in this year's cohort. Credit: Loretta Roberson

The Marine Biological Laboratory (小蓝视频) is pleased to welcome the 2025 Grass Fellows.

The Grass Fellowship program brings early-career investigators to the 小蓝视频 for 14 weeks to pursue 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 小蓝视频 scientific community while sharing space in the Grass Laboratory.

We're proud to announce the 2025 Grass Fellows:

Zeeshan Banday - University of Chicago
Multi-modal evaluation of mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) in nematocytes of jellyfish (Aurelia aurita)

Sam Chakrabarti - Max Delbruck Center
Sensation of pain in chain catsharks (Scyliorhinus retifer)

Alex Chen - Harvard University
The development and fusion of the ctenophore nerve net, towards understanding nervous system evolution

David Hildebrand - The Rockefeller University
Examining circuit mechanisms underlying face recognition in the northern paper wasp

Chris Hoffmann - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Establishing a behavioral and cellular toolkit for studying the environmental impact on the nervous system of sea slugs

Hannah Oberle - University of Michigan
Synaptic plasticity and microcircuitry of the shell inferior colliculus

Kyra Schapiro - Brandeis University
Exploring sensory-neural contributions to Molluscan shell pattern and production

Alex Yarger - Imperial College London
Multimodal adaptation of dragonfly flight control

This year鈥檚 Grass Lab is directed by of Denison University. The associate director is of the University of California, Berkeley.

A jellyfish on a black background
A moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), one of the organisms that will be studied by a Grass Fellow this year. Credit: Brad Gemmell
A translucent jellyfish on a black background
A comb jelly jellyfish, another organism that will be studied by a Grass Fellow this year. Credit: William E. Browne