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The Civitan International Research Center (CIRC) for neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disorders requests proposals for $75,000/year for three years in pilot funds to foster interdisciplinary collaborations across more than one UAB Department and subsequent MPI grant applications.

The McNulty Award will fund interdisciplinary Clinical or Fundamental science research aimed at enhancing our understanding of typical and atypical brain development, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, neurodevelopmental disabilities and malformations, impaired cognitive development, or the effects of environmental toxins on brain development.


2026-2027 Awardees

Kirstie Cummings, Ph.D.

Kirstie Cummings, Ph.D.

Department of Neurobiology, Assistant Professor
HaoSheng Sun, Ph.D.

HaoSheng Sun, Ph.D.

Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, Assistant Professor


Past Awardees

  • 2025-2026

    Rachel Smith, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
    Electrical and Computer Engineering

    Scott Cruikshank, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Neurobiology

  • 2024-2025

    Caroline G. Richter, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Psychology

    S. Justin Thomas, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Neurobiology

    Sylvie Mrug, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Department of Psychology

  • 2023-2024

    Jeffrey Wickliffe, Ph.D.

    Professor, Chair
    Environmental Health Sciences

  • 2022-2023

    Summer Thyme, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Neurobiology

  • 2021-2022

    Brandon Rocque, M.D., FAANS

    Associate Professor
    Department of Neurosurgery

  • 2020-2021

    Matthew Alexander, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Pediatrics

  • 2019-2020

    Kristina Visscher, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Department of Neurobiology

  • 2018-2019

    Sarah O'Kelley, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Department of Psychology

  • 2017-2018

    Vladimir Parpura, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor
    Department of Neurobiology

  • 2016-2017

    Fred Biasini, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Department of Psychology

    Dr. Biasini passed away September 23, 2020. 

  • 2015-2016

    Michelle Olsen, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor, Virginia Tech
    Department Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology

  • 2014-2015

    Brian Sims, M.D., Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Department of Pediatrics

  • 2013-2014

    Adrianne Lahti, M.D.

    Professor
    Department of Psychiatry

  • 2012-2013

    Erik Roberson, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor 
    Department of Neurology

  • 2011-2012

    Rita Cowell, Ph.D.

    Professor
    Department of Neurology

  • 2010-2011

    Farah Lubin, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Department of Neurobiology

  • 2009-2010

    Linda Wadiche, Ph.D.

    Professor
    Depatment of Neurobiology

  • 2008-2009

    Rajesh Kana, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Department of Psychology

  • 2007-2008

    Candace Floyd, Ph.D.

    Director of Neural Injury Center
    University of Montana

  • 2006-2007

    Scott Wilson, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Department of Neurobiology

  • 2005-2006

    Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Ph.D.

    Professor
    Department of Neurobiology