Ya'el Courtney

Ya'el is a fourth year PhD candidate in Neuroscience at Harvard University. She works with Dr. Maria Lehtinen, studying the role of cerebrospinal fluid and the choroid plexus in embryonic brain development. Ya'el applied for the NSF-GRFP as a senior undergraduate, and received an honorable mention. She applied again as a second year PhD candidate and was awarded the fellowship. Since then, she has also been awarded the HHMI Gilliam Fellowship. In addition to bench science, Ya'el is passionate about science education, writing, and mentorship. She works with several organizations as an application consultant as well as a scientific writer. She has worked with Cientifico Latino over several years as a GSMI mentor, a GSEC mentor, and now is ecstatic to help students applying to the NSF-GRFP hone their applications.