A UCF materials science researcher is poised to make an international impact on the next generation of scientists with her induction to an elite institution.
Assistant Professor Needa Brown was accepted into the Global Young Academy (GYA), an organization that gives early-career researchers a platform to collaborate on societal challenges at an international scale. The group limits its membership to just 200 at a time, selecting only about 40 new members each year to address everything from improved access for research findings to forging global partnerships for sustainable development.
Brown will serve a five-year term and focus her efforts on GYA’s Science Education and Outreach working group, which develops and shares best practices for engaging the next generation of scientists in schools and universities across the globe.
She says it was an honor to have been chosen, particularly since GYA caps its membership.
“GYA is geared towards bringing together select academic scholars who have the common goal of providing free and open science for all,” Brown says. “This aligns with my long-term goal as a faculty to mentor the next generation of scientists and create opportunities to share what we learn as a global community.”
Brown came to UCF in Fall 2024 as part of the Infectious Disease and Travel Health Initiative. She says she was drawn to the university for the opportunity to be a part of a top tier, R1 institution, and looked forward to building a lab within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering with a research focus on the intersection of materials, biology and immunology.
Her research group at the NanoBio Lab designs bio-nanomaterials for drug delivery, diagnostics and therapy that can be used to adapt and personalize immune responses to cancer and infectious diseases.
“Nanomaterial properties can be altered and designed to elicit disease-specific immune responses,” she says. “Shape, size, material and charge can all trigger slightly different responses within patients. If we can understand these responses, we can better design systems to activate those responses as an alternative therapy.”
As an educator, Brown has always been driven to give back to the research community by engaging future scientists. She hopes to leverage UCF’s STEM-based communities to help introduce K-12 students to materials science.
Now, as a member of GYA, she has the opportunity to broaden her vision to a trans-continental audience.
“I have always been passionate about mentoring and hope to take this opportunity to expand my mentorship network on the global scale, both as a mentor and a mentee,” she says. “GYA also has a strong foundation in shaping international policies as they relate to research. I hope to gain experience and be a contributing member to expand the impact of research from our labs to benefit the general public.”
- Written by Bel Huston