Stephanie Grella, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, is uncovering the complexities of memory systems while supporting the next generation of neuroscientists at Loyola University Chicago. Her latest research will be presented in June 2025 at the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society in Tromsø, Norway. 

“Professor Grella’s fascinating research not only provides  insights into our understanding of memory systems but her overall approach to mentorship provides an invaluable, supportive environment for our students,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Her cutting-edge work is central to both the current success and the future of neuroscience education in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola.”

The Memory & Neuromodulatory Mechanisms (MNEME) Lab focuses on understanding how memories change over time and incorporate new information, with the team consisting of eight Loyola undergraduate researchers. Their research aims to identify brain circuits involved in psychiatric conditions, such as PTSD, where memory updating may be impaired, using mouse models of stress and anxiety. 

Additionally, the lab explores how drug-associated memories might serve a protective role against relapse. Both projects leverage cutting-edge technology that enables them to genetically tag and optogenetically reactivate specific memories.  

Grella was drawn to Loyola because of the University’s Neuroscience Program. “I was genuinely excited about the direction the program was headed, and I’ve found the students and faculty to be incredibly welcoming,” she said. 

Grella currently teaches a course on Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. She also serves as a faculty advisor and founder of two student-led organizations: the Loyola Learning and Memory Association (LLAMA), and the Loyola Women in Neuroscience Association (LWiN). This past year, she was also listed as a “Rising Star” for the Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy’s Alice B. Hayes Award for Advising and Mentoring. 

Grella has also supported a variety of trainee-focused initiatives, such as the “Memory Messabout Meeting,” a research conference designed to give trainees from Loyola and neighboring institutions a platform to present their work and build professional networks.  

“With support from an LUC-inspired microgrant and additional vendor sponsorship, we successfully launched this event and hope to make it an annual tradition,” Grella expressed. 

Grella also recently introduced a new seminar series, NeuroSparks, which highlights the scientific journeys of women in STEM in the format of luncheon-style talks that create space for open dialogue.  

“Looking ahead, we’re excited to host our first NeuroSparks Day, where students will be invited to present on any neuroscience topic they are passionate about - offering a stage to spark ideas, celebrate curiosity, and build confidence in public speaking,” she said. 

This past year, Grella has participated in numerous international conferences, including the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Optogenetics in Italy. Coming up, she will be presenting at the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS) in Norway, and the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP) in Toronto.  

In Chicago, she attended the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) alongside Loyola students – two of whom received Trainee Professional Development Awards. “I'm especially proud that several of my students have also been recognized with Outstanding Neuroscience Researcher Awards, Provost Fellowships, Mulcahay Awards, and William and June Pizzi Travel Awards,” Grella emphasized. 

For Grella, mentorship happens in many settings – from one-on-one training in her lab, journal clubs to classroom discussions, student clubs, and outreach events like the Brain Bee and URES. She is also a faculty mentor in CAS’ Undergraduate Summer Research Experience and works through the Dana Foundation with high school students to foster early interest in neuroscience.  

“I do my best to create an inclusive, supportive environment where students feel like part of a community,” Grella reflected. “I’m continually inspired by the students I work with.” 

Learn more about Grella, the MNEME Lab, and the Department of Psychology.  

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 13 schools and colleges. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments, 31 interdisciplinary programs, and 7 interdisciplinary centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of university-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the university’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21^st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”