HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is investing in its neurogenomics research through the addition of faculty investigator Nick Cochran, PhD.
Cochran began at HudsonAlpha in 2015 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Myers lab. During his time at HudsonAlpha, Cochran has been a valuable contributor to the growth of the neurodegenerative disease research program. He led several projects that identified new gene candidates and risk variants in relevant genes involved in Alzheimer disease.
He also helped foster collaborations with international groups like the Research Dementia Latin America (ReDLat) consortium that aims to identify the unique genetic and socioeconomic/social determinants of health that drive Alzheimer disease and other dementias in Latin America.
Cochran’s lab will further his studies into the genetic basis of neurodegenerative disease, with an initial emphasis on Alzheimer disease and related dementias.
In 2020, Cochran was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute on Aging, which funds research on Alzheimer disease and related dementias. The NIH Pathway to Independence Awards help outstanding postdoctoral researchers transition from mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent faculty positions. During the first year of the award, Cochran completed training under the mentorship of Myers and HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Greg Cooper, PhD, in functional genomics, advanced statistics, and advanced data science.
Cochran was recently awarded the R00 portion of the grant, which will provide him with protected time to further his studies into the genetic basis of neurodegenerative disease. The grant, which provides Cochran $725,000 over 3-years, will help him establish his lab, along with support from the HudsonAlpha Foundation Memory and Mobility Program.
Cochran earned his PhD from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.