Hometown: Bertram, Iowa
Faculty mentor: Marco Hefti, MD, assistant professor, Department of Pathology, Carver College of Medicine
Degree program and anticipated graduation date: PhD in neuroscience, December 2025

Mallory Shin studies how brain cells (neurons) process waste products and how the failure of specific cellular waste systems contributes to the development of neurodegenerative of diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. She is specifically interested in how neurons recycle tau, a protein that plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease. While the development of Alzheimer’s disease involves the buildup of specific proteins, what precedes the accumulation of these proteins is unknown. Shin hopes that her work will contribute to a viable story of how Alzheimer’s disease develops, eventually contributing to therapies to slow or stop disease progression.

Shin plans to continue conducting research in a postdoctoral position immediately after graduation. Eventually she hopes to run a research lab as an independent investigator, mentoring graduate students and continuing to ask new, exciting research questions.

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