Shabana Shaik, PhD
Assistant Research Professor
Room 6351
Dr. Shaik completed postdoctoral training in neuroscience at the University of Chicago. Her research investigates how metabolic, immune and molecular mechanisms influence brain aging and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Shaik studies how biological sex and early life stress influence brain health and neurological disease outcomes, with a particular focus on female brain health across hormonal transitions. Using a systems biology approach, her research seeks to define the bioenergetic and molecular mechanisms that support brain health across the lifespan.
Degrees
- PhD: Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- MSc: Biochemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Andhra Pradesh, India
Honors and Awards
Developmental grant from People Acting Now Discover Answers Foundation for investigating “Gut microbiome as a link between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease,” 2026
Developmental project grant from Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium and Arizona Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre for the proposal “Targeting Parthanatos to mitigate inflammatory responses via gut-brain axis in AD,” 2025
Travel award from Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, 2024
GI Research Foundation grant award to support “Characterization of serum metabolites in Alzheimer’s mice models with altered gut microbiome,” 2022
University of Chicago Biological Science Division-PDA Travel Award to attend Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, 2022
RNA conference award from US National Science Foundation to support training, innovation in RNA Science and bioinformatics, 2021
Best poster award for “Sex-specific changes in amyloidosis and neuro-immune modulation in response to alterations in the gut microbiome” presented at Society for Neuroscience-Chicago, 2021
Chicago exclusive IO + Neuroscience Grant Program, Nanostring Technologies, 2019
University of Chicago Biological Science Division, Career Advancement for Postdocs Award, 2019