Prestigious Fellowship Helps PhD Student Thrive
“I’ve always been fascinated by the brain and how it shapes who we are.”
That curiosity has guided Kelsey Glasper to national recognition as she works toward her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences.
Glasper is the first UT Health Sciences student to be selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), one of the most competitive honors for early-career scientists.
The five-year fellowship provides financial support and access to professional development opportunities, allowing Glasper to deepen her research and expand her impact in the field. The fellowship is awarded to exceptional graduate students in their first or second year of research-based master’s and doctoral programs.
“Knowing that only about 14% of over 14,000 applicants receive the award each year, it felt surreal to realize I was part of such a selective group,” Glasper said. “It was a rigorous process, but it allowed me to sharpen my research ideas and clarify my long-term vision as a scientist.”
Glasper is originally from the Memphis and North Mississippi area and a graduate of Rhodes College. She works with her mentor Max Fletcher, PhD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, in studying how the brain encodes sensory information, which is fundamental to understanding perception and cognition.
“I am interested in cholinergic signaling within the olfactory system, with a focus on the horizontal limb of the diagonal band (HDB). This region is key to modulating attention and sensory processing, and studying it allows me to explore how neural circuits influence behavior at both basic and complex levels,” she said. “I was particularly drawn to studying cholinergic systems because of their fundamental role in attention, memory, and learning.”
Glasper is drawn to this area of research because of the potential for discovery and its interdisciplinary nature. Her work integrates behavioral analysis, advanced imaging techniques, and robust data analytics, which she said keeps things both challenging and rewarding. She recently presented her research at the Association for Chemoreceptive Sciences (AChemS) conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.
According to Glasper, the GRFP will help her become a better student and researcher. She said it provides financial security so she can dedicate more time to developing her projects without the stress of securing external funding or balancing multiple responsibilities, allowing her to take on more ambitious research questions and explore creative approaches that may not have been possible otherwise.
“Being recognized by the NSF not only validates my work but also enhances my credibility as I move forward in the scientific community,” she said. “This award strengthens my ability to contribute to meaningful advancements in the field and helps me build the skills and connections I need to succeed both in academia and beyond.”
Glasper plans to graduate next summer and hopes to pursue a career in academia, with an emphasis on teaching, mentorship, and student development. That goal was reinforced last fall when she taught a cognitive neuroscience course as an adjunct professor at Christian Brothers University.
“I am particularly passionate about investing in the Memphis community through higher education,” she said, “providing mentorship, tutoring, and guidance to help students access and navigate opportunities in science that may not have always felt within reach.”