Monica M. Gaudier-Diaz, teaching assistant professor in psychology and neuroscience, has been named the interim director of Chancellor’s Science Scholars. Her term officially began on Sept. 1.
Chancellor’s Science Scholars is a program in the College of Arts and Sciences, now in its 11th year, that encourages talented students to explore their STEM interests at a world-class research university. As they engage in cutting-edge research, they also take part in professional development, leadership training and other programming, along the way becoming part of a tightknit learning community. The CSS Program is modeled after the nationally recognized Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Gaudier-Diaz, who joined the UNC-Chapel Hill faculty in July 2020, teaches introductory and advanced courses in neuroscience, including “Behavioral Endocrinology” and “Neuroimmunology.” She has received numerous grants and awards at Carolina to develop courses, including a summer online offering and two research and discovery courses, which are a required component of the new IDEAs in Action curriculum.
She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from The Ohio State University and her B.S. in biology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. She then joined the Seeding Postdoctoral Innovators in Research and Education program at UNC-Chapel Hill. This postdoctoral program aims to provide fellows with training in research, teaching and career development. As a SPIRE fellow, Professor Gaudier-Diaz worked in the Carolina Social Neuroscience and Health Laboratory and taught at North Carolina Central University.
As interim director of CSS, Gaudier-Diaz will oversee all aspects of the program, including Chancellors Science Scholars’ signature six-week summer EXCELerator, which provides incoming first-year students with a strong foundation of academic preparation and coursework even before they begin their first semester.