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The Curci Scholars program was established at ���񱦵� in 2022 due to a generous gift from the . Among the foundation's many charitable activities, it initiated the program in 2021 at a few select universities in the U.S., with the program broadened to include ���񱦵� in 2022. It provides full scholarships and living expenses for the first two years of PhD programs for six students at each of the recipient universities who are pursuing PhDs in various life-science fields. The department is fortunate to have 3 Curci Scholars thus far in this nascent program. Read more about our recipients below.

2023 Curci Scholars

Coralie Phanord

Home Country: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

PhD Advisor: Roselinde Kaiser

I grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and moved to Long Island, New York, following the 2010 earthquake. In 2016, I graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Engineering. After three years as a software engineer in the virtual-reality industry in Los Angeles, I transitioned to the field of neuroscience and psychology. In 2019, I joined the Neural Plasticity and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory (NPNL) at the University of Southern California (USC) to develop virtual-reality neurofeedback-based games for stroke rehabilitation. Subsequently, I joined the Cognitive and Affective Laboratory (CAR Lab) at USC, where I worked with physiological data to study emotion regulation in individuals with a history of depression or suicidal ideation. Currently, I am a graduate student in the Research on Affective Disorders and Development Laboratory (RADD Lab) at ���񱦵�. My research focuses on using digital markers and physiological data to explore mood, stress, and emotion regulation.

What does it mean to be a Curci scholar?

Being awarded the Curci PhD Scholarship is highly meaningful to me. Beyond financial support, the Curci PhD Scholarship signifies recognition of my potential to contribute significantly to the field of Psychology and Neuroscience and support towards my research and academic goals. Receiving the Curci PhD Scholarship strengthens my confidence and dedication towards excelling in my research. Further, it alleviates the financial burden of my doctoral studies, enabling me to do my best.

2022 Curci Scholars

Sophie Breunig

Home Country: Germany

PhD Advisor: Andrew Grotzinger

I grew up in a small town in Germany where I completed my high school education and later moved to Konstanz in Germany to study psychology at the University of Konstanz. There I worked as a teaching assistant and a research assistant alongside my studies which really helped me shape my interests and develop a passion for research. I wanted to know more about how much of our behavior and especially our psychological health was determined by our biology as opposed to being the product of our environment. Following my undergraduate studies, my interest in how genetic variations translate into differences in behavior and how they manifest in individuals in diverse environments led me to pursue a research Master’s program called “Genes in Behaviour and Health” at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. This program has prepared me for a career in research and has given me the theoretical and practical tools to investigate the genetic and environmental influences on psychopathological phenotypes. Currently, I am a second-year PhD student in the Behavioral, Psychiatric, and Statistical Genetics program at ���񱦵� where I work in the lab of Dr. Andrew Grotzinger to learn more about the genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders as well as the genetic relationships among them. We hope that learning more about the biological pathways of psychiatric disorders and modifiable environmental effects that influence the expression will ultimately result in better treatment and prevention.

What does it mean to be a Curci scholar?

I feel honored to be a Curci scholar. Being on this scholarship has enabled me to focus on my research in graduate school. Being an international student prevents me from obtaining a lot of other sources of funding that support other students in my program. Because of the Curci fellowship, I am able to focus on my career goals and my research. Beyond the financial aspect, the Curci program, as well as CUs representatives of the Curci fellowship and the other students have made me feel at home here in Colorado from the moment I arrived. It is incredibly valuable to feel this sense of community with other students and have people to turn to who might have gone through the same visa issues, cultural shock, or whatever it is I am going through. The Curci representatives of ���񱦵� have made it a point to show us the area and plan fun activities for us, which has helped me adjust to life in a different country and in graduate school.

Emily Prévost

Home Country: United States

PhD Advisor: David Root

In my home state of Arizona, I attended Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, where I earned bachelor's degrees in biology and psychology. I volunteered in a canine science research lab and studied canine cognitive dysfunction and nutritional factors influencing dogs’ food preferences. I then received a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service to pursue a master’s degree in neurobiology at Ulm University in Ulm, Germany. My thesis work concerned navigational capabilities and sensory modalities in scorpions. I returned to the United States to work as laboratory technician under David Root at the ���񱦵�, where I maintained the breeding colony of transgenic mice, trained in modern neuroscience methods, and oversaw many aspects of lab management and research. I led a project to map the whole-brain neuronal connections to neurons in the brain’s reward center, the ventral tegmental area. In 2022, my role in the lab evolved as I joined the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program. My research projects all concern different neuronal subtypes in the ventral tegmental area and how they contribute to opioid addiction, cannabis use, and basic rewarding and aversive processes.

What does it mean to be a Curci scholar?

I am honored to be among the first cohort of Curci Scholars at the ���񱦵�. One day, I hope to start my own research lab and continue the important work of tackling the opioid epidemic. The support of the Curci Foundation has allowed me to pursue a career in neuroscience research and hopefully make this goal a reality.