Sydney Bartman ’19 was an undergraduate and certified nursing assistant when she first became intrigued by Alzheimer’s disease. She noticed how differently the disease affected the patients in her care.

“I thought, what’s causing the heterogeneity of this disease?” she recalls.

The question led Bartman to pursue a doctorate in the University of Rhode Island (URI) Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program. She is now a graduate teaching assistant and researcher in the lab of Jaime Ross, URI assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences and Ryan research assistant professor of neuroscience, focused on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction—a disruption in cells’ energy supply—in Alzheimer’s disease and aging disorders. The lab also studies changes in gene expression in age-related diseases.

“Aging is a complex process,” says Bartman. “We are trying to pinpoint how some of these key processes are part of aging and disease pathology.”

Bartman, who received a Dean’s Fellowship for this academic year, presented her research at the annual Society for Neuroscience conference last fall.

“I love the collaborative aspect of research,” she says. “It’s exciting to see how one project can offer insight to another project.”

Although she isn’t sure yet whether her career will lead to academia or industry, she is driven by a passion for mentoring.

“I love watching students become hooked on research,” she says. “I want my work to make an impact on me, and I want my work to have an impact on the lives of others.”