Mélise Edwards
Welcome to my website! I am a 4th year PhD Candidate in the Evolutionary Genomics lab at UMass Amherst and the founder of MUSE Mentorship. I am interested in age-related cognitive decline and the role of hormones like estrogens in cognition and cell signaling.
What role do hormones like estrogen play in age-related cognitive decline? What underlies sex differences in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease? I study common marmosets as they naturally age as well as marmoset iPSCs to investigate the role of estradiol at the behavioral, cellular and molecular level.
Research
I am in the 4th year of my PhD program in the Neuroscience and Behavior program. To learn more about my research, click the button below.
Interviews
I am a rock-climber and have been a sponsored athlete for various outdoor companies for 6 years. To see media features, interviews and athletic mentions please click the button below.
Blog
To read some of my thoughts on science, animals in research, grant writing, Black and Native liberation globally and more please click the button below.
MUSE MENTORSHIP INC.
MUSE (Mentorship for Underrepresented STEM Enthusiasts) was created to provide both representation and mentorship to severely underrepresented populations in STEM fields, particularly Black &/or Native scholars who remain severely marginalized and underrepresented in North and South America. By combining representative mentorship, community, resources and financial support, we hope to improve the experience of severely underrepresented scholars in STEM fields.
To learn more about MUSE Mentorship, click the link below.
MUSE UPDATES
Announcing our first MUSE Scholarship for Black and/or Native undergraduate students, high school students applying to 2-year or 4-year colleges, or those applying to technical programs in STEM! This is part of our broader mission to support severely marginalized and underrepresented racial groups and their intersecting identities, especially those who have never received reparations from the US or other countries which were founded on trafficked Black Indigenous peoples’ labor, Native genocide and displacement. Visit our website for more information and to apply!
Mélise Edwards 