In fall 2026, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology will welcome two postdoctoral researchers committed to excellence, collaboration and interdisciplinary science. Although both researchers will focus on brain function, one will focus on cognitive control and fine spatial mapping of different brain regions by bridging the gap between ultra-high-field imaging, neuroscience, psychology, bioengineering and data science. The other will focus on fear learning and memory and will combine behavioral neuroscience, molecular biology and biomedical engineering to investigate a novel targeted drug therapy for trauma-related disorders.

The Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship Program has supported an annual cohort of researchers since its inception in 1991, established by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.

The institute has additionally supported one Beckman-Brown Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Fellow per year. Funded by the Arnold and Maybel Beckman Foundation since 2015, this opportunity honors Arnold Beckman and the institute’s founding director, Professor Emeritus Theodore “Ted” Brown, who passed away in March.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2026 recipients and their research.

Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellow

Ana Hoyos: Precision mapping of the prefrontal cortex and subcortex using 7 Tesla fMRI

Hoyos earned her Ph.D. in computer science and technology from Aalto University in Finland in 2024. She's currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at Illinois and conducts research at Beckman.

Cognitive control is a complex mechanism, directed by the brain, that processes sensory information, attention, memory, decision-making and carries out motor skills. Impaired cognitive control is a common but disruptive symptom caused by various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Cognitive control is thought to depend on interactions between different brain regions, primarily at the prefrontal cortex, or PFC, the core region believed to be the main integration center along with other subcortical systems.

While other high-level cognitive functions like language are generally restricted to specific brain networks, cognitive control activates at the borders between brain networks.

Using ultra-high-field 7 Tesla MRI technology, Hoyos’ research will resolve fine-scale connectivity patterns that are essential to understanding how the PFC and subcortical regions mediate cognitive control.

Hoyos will examine how distinct networks are interconnected in the PFC and how that organization supports dynamic cross-network communication. In addition, she will investigate if subcortical connectivity aligns with specific patches of high neural activity, borders and areas of overlap within the PFC that support cognitive control.

While most precision mapping of the PFC has been conducted using lower resolution 3 Tesla MRI scanners, the 7 Tesla MRI at the Carle Illinois Advanced Imaging Center will allow Hoyos to provide enhanced fine-scale precision mapping and a deeper understanding of cross-network integration and small brain structures involved in cognitive control.

Working with Brad Sutton, professor of bioengineering, and Yuhui Chai, a research scientist at the Beckman Institute, Hoyos gained valuable experience with the 7 Tesla MRI scanner and plans to continue collaborative work with Caterina Gratton and Jozien Goense, both professors of psychology. Goense also has an appointment in bioengineering.

“I'm excited about the chance to see brain organization at a level of detail that hasn't really been possible before. The prefrontal cortex is one of the most fascinating parts of the brain. It's central to how we plan, focus, make decisions, and pursue goals, yet many details of its’ fine-scale layout in individual people remain to be discovered,” Hoyos said.

Hoyos’ research will advance current models of cognitive control and ultimately influence early diagnosis and treatment for neurological and psychiatric disorders that impair cognitive control. Improvements from advanced PFC mapping will provide more accurate targets for neurostimulation and increase treatment effectiveness.

“What makes this especially meaningful is that cognitive control is disrupted in conditions like ADHD, Parkinson's disease and depression. By mapping individual brains more precisely, we can eventually help create tailored care for each person,” Hoyos said.

Beckman-Brown Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Fellow

Hugo Bayer: Investigating a novel, noninvasive method to eliminate traumatic memories in the prefrontal cortex

Bayer earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Texas A&M University in 2025. He currently holds a postdoctoral position in the Emotion and Memory Systems Laboratory, headed by Beckman Institute Director, Steve Maren, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Fear learning and memory research is critical to understanding and developing treatments for trauma-related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Unlike other neurological and psychiatric disorders, the treatments for PTSD often rely on cognitive-behavioral therapy such as exposure therapy or medication that only mitigate symptoms. While exposure therapy can be successful, it has a high rate of relapse, limiting its efficacy.

Exposure therapy takes advantage of a learning process called extinction, or fear extinction, that suppresses but does not erase the original fear memory. Within the brain, the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, or PFC, have been identified as key components in fear memory and extinction learning.

“The goal of fear learning and memory research is to develop strategies that promote long-lasting fear suppression,” Bayer said.

With this goal in mind, Bayer will use various cross-disciplinary techniques to investigate a novel, minimally invasive treatment inhibiting fear memories in animal models.

Adeno-associated viruses, or AAVs, can be injected into the brain to drive changes in gene expression. However, AAVs cause widespread gene expression throughout the brain rather than in one localized area. Pairing AAVs with another technique called focused ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening, or FUS-BBBO, can facilitate more localized drug delivery in the brain.

Additionally, recent research has shown that brain-derived neurotropic factor, or BDNF drugs, injected into the prefrontal cortex can mediate long-term fear suppression even in the absence of extinction learning that takes place during exposure therapy.

This indicates the potential to develop drug-focused therapeutic treatments for trauma related disorders for which there are no medications that currently treat the source of these disorders in the brain.

Bayer plans to investigate the use of AAVs, paired with FUS-BBBO, to target and deliver BDNF drugs to neurons in the PFC.

In a collaborative effort, Bayer will work with Michael Oelze, the Fredric G. and Elizabeth H. Nearing Scholar and a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Min Jang, a professor in bioengineering.

“I’m really looking forward to learning new techniques that will expand my previous research in a more translational direction,” Bayer said.

Combining cellular and molecular precision with noninvasive delivery, Bayer aims to advance current technologies and develop a translationally relevant therapeutic approach for PTSD and other similar trauma-related disorders.