Zachary (Zach) Strickland has earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Neuroscience, Biology, and Religion from Concordia College, a small liberal arts college in northwestern Minnesota. While an undergraduate, Zach worked in the labs of Drs. Jill Weimer and LJ Pilaz at Sanford Research where he studied mouse models of rare pediatric neurodegenerative diseases. Zach is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Sciences (Neuroscience Concentration) at the University of Florida in the lab of Dr. Jada Lewis. His research focuses on understanding factors that modulate the course of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease and other tauopathies in animal models. Outside of lab, Zach is active in UF’s Biomedical Research Graduate Student Organization, volunteers for PhD recruitment at UF, enjoys being outside, and mentors the next generation of scientists.