UW Brain Awareness Week Speakers Bureau

NCOG is continuing the University of Washington’s Brain Awareness Speakers Bureau! Neuroscientists at the University of Washington (UW) will speak about the exciting field of brain research. Teachers interested in having a neuroscientist visit (virtually or in-person) can request a speaker.

2026 Speakers

David Perkel, PhD (he/him)
Professor and Chair, UW Department of Biology

Topics: Brains, in particular bird brains; how birds learn to sing; how birds balance on two feet
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual or in-person
Website: https://perkelab.wixsite.com/mysite

Kali Esancy, PhD (she/her)
Postdoctoral Scholar, Dhaka Lab, UW Department of Biological Structure

Topics: General introduction to neuroscience, sensory systems, pain processing, science communication, graduate school experiences
Appropriate level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual only

Kurt Weaver, PhD (he/him)
Associate Professor, UW Department of Radiology, Co-Lead Mind, Brain and Behavior Course, UW School of Medicine’s basic instruction in neurology

Topics: Introduction to neuroscience, systems and clinical neuroscience, brain stimulation and neuroimaging technologies for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual or in-person
Website: https://depts.washington.edu/gridlab1/team-member/kurt-weaver-phd/

Scott Ransom, PhD (he/him)
Director, Innovation; UW Center for Neurotechnology

Topics: Neurotechnology; implanted medical devices; robotics; basics of neuroscience
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual or in-person presentation
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottransom/

Gillian Grennan (she/her)
PhD Student, UW Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Member of the Center of Neuroscience, Neuroendocrinology, and Clinical Translation Lab

Topics: How we learn/extinguish fears from watching others, how that changes with psychiatric disorder symptoms, fMRI in humans in healthy and clinical populations, computational modeling of fMRI data
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, or undergraduate audiences
Availability: Virtual or in-person presentation
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-grennan-84824a179

Elena Judd (she/her)
Graduate Student, UW Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Topics: General and systems neuroscience, career/academic guidance, science writing
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual or in-person presentation
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-judd-246097198/

Monica Tschang (she/her)
PhD Candidate, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Topics: gut-brain axis, psychiatric disorders, stress, neurotrauma, neuroanatomy/physiology, basic neuroscience concepts, science communication
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, undergraduate or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-tschang-873529209

Sydney Floryanzia(she/her)
Ph.D. Candidate, Chemical Engineering

Topics: Blood-Brain Barrier, Drug Delivery, Neurovasculature, Glia, Tissue Engineering
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, undergraduate or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual or in-person
Website: https://sdflorya.wixsite.com/website

Ekayana Sethi(she/her)
Neuroscience Graduate Student

Topics: How serotonin in the amygdala is important for waiting for a reward
Appropriate Level(s): Elementary school, middle school, high school, undergraduate or adult audiences
Availability: Virtual or in-person
Website: https://zweifellab.org/our-team