Sean McCracken, a Neuroscience PhD candidate in the William’s Lab, has been selected as an award recipient for the 2024 NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP). This prestigious honor recognizes Sean’s exceptional research and scientific training, highlighting him as a rising star in the neuroscience community.
About the OSNAP Award
The Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP) aims to honor individuals conducting exceptional neuroscience research across the nation, showcasing their significant academic potential and scientific training. The OSNAP Award targets graduate students approaching the completion of their PhD and recent postdoctoral fellows actively engaged in neuroscience research.
The OSNAP program, sponsored by several institutes within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), aims to recognize and support outstanding neuroscience researchers across the nation.
Sean’s Research
Sean McCracken’s research focuses on the role of neuronal activity and calcium homeostasis in neurodegeneration. His thesis work has revealed diversity in Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC) calcium homeostasis related to survival following traumatic axon injury. Sean developed an innovative in-vivo two-photon imaging technique to assess biosensors within mouse RGCs, discovering a novel differential in RGC baseline calcium levels.
Congratulations to Sean McCracken on this well-deserved recognition! He will be honored at the OSNAP Symposium, where he will present his research at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, on November 7-8, 2024. We look forward to seeing the continued impact of your work on the field of neuroscience.