Caterina Profaci, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Ardem Patapoutian’s lab, has been honored as one of five women selected for this year’s L’Oréal USA For Women in Science program for her contributions to STEM fields, as well as her efforts supporting future generations of scientists.

The program is part of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Fellowships program, which annually awards grants to postdoctoral scientists who have demonstrated contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and a commitment to serving as role models to younger generations. Since expanding to the U.S. more than 20 years ago, the program has awarded 105 postdoctoral scientists more than $5 million in grants. Applicants represent some of the nation’s leading academic institutions and laboratories.

Profaci studies mechanosensation, which is how cells can sense mechanical stimuli, such as touch. In particular, she studies how PIEZO1 ion channels in the brain’s blood vessels allow the vessels to sense and respond to the blood flowing through them. Part of her research also investigates the relationship between neural activity and blood flow. This work has the potential to reveal new therapeutic targets for protecting the brain in diseases where blood flow is altered.

Profaci is a co-founder of the website and podcast Stories of Women in Neuroscience (Stories of WiN), which highlights voices and stories of women throughout neuroscience and academia. The Stories of WiN team has interviewed more than 130 women about their careers and experiences as neuroscientists, increasing the visibility of women in the field and inspiring the next generation of neuroscientists.

She received her doctoral degree in Neurosciences from University of California, San Diego, and her master’s degree in Neurobiology and Behavior from Columbia University.