Northwestern

Micaelly Alves, PhD Candidate  2025 Toffler Scholar | Neuroscience, Temple University Biography Micaelly Alves grew up between two worlds. Born in Philadelphia to a Brazilian family, she spent much of her childhood moving between the United States and Brazil, shifting languages, schools, and cultures as her parents searched for connection and belonging. Those early years,…

Wanhao Chi, PhD  2025 Toffler Scholar | Postdoctoral Researcher, Northwestern University Biography Wanhao Chi’s scientific curiosity began not in a classroom, but outdoors. She grew up in a small town on China’s east coast, where her grandparents’ home included a modest yard filled with trees and insects. As a child, Chi spent hours watching cicadas…

Prabesh Bhattarai, PhD  2024 Toffler Scholar | Associate Research Scientist, Columbia University Irving Medical Center Biography Prabesh Bhattarai’s journey into neuroscience began far from the laboratories and research centers where he now works. He was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. In this city, opportunity concentrates amid striking natural beauty and profound socioeconomic contrasts. His…

Tirth Patel, MD, PhD  2025 Toffler Scholar | Neurology Physician-Scientist, UCLA Biography From an early age, Tirth Patel learned how to sit quietly with curiosity. An only child growing up in western India, he spent long stretches immersed in books, sometimes so absorbed that his parents had to limit how long he could read at…

Tamar Gefen, PhD 2024 Toffler Scholar | Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Biography Deep curiosity about meaning, identity, and how people make sense of the world drove Tamar Gefen into neuroscience. As a young student, Gefen initially gravitated toward religion and philosophy, drawn to questions about belief,…

Elena Barbieri  Elena Barbieri earned the Toffler Scholar Award in 2023 at Northwestern University Biography Elena Barbieri was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in a small town just outside the city. Dr. Barbieri’s parents encouraged her to pursue her education, and she was the first person in her extended family to go to…