Overview

Laboratory Research

Welcome

The Byrd Alzheimer's Institute is dedicated to discovering the causes and cures of diseases affecting memory. Housed within the USF Health Neuroscience Institute, our scientists occupy nearly half of all available space in state-of-the-art, well-equipped laboratories. All labs receive grant funding through the National Institutes of Health or private foundations. The research teams are led by faculty from the Department of Molecular Medicine or the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, with lab members that includes both graduate and undergraduate students from USF. We invite you to explore these pages to learn more about our people, resources and accomplishments.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute research labs are not open for the public because of the sensitivity of the studies, potential exposure to hazardous substances, the security of data, and the safety of persons/property. This policy is in line with University regulations and applies to all research labs on campus. “Meet and greets” of the entire facility are offered several times a year, however, and guided tours of some labs are part of the experience.
Every lab has a Principal Investigator (PI) who leads the lab, much like a Coach leads a team or a CEO leads a company. Most labs, also have a lab manager who handles administrative duties. Then, there are post-doctoral researchers, research technicians, as well as graduate and undergraduate students involved in conducting experiments, collecting data, analyzing results, and writing papers for publishing their research findings.
There are multiple funding sources for the research conducted in our laboratories, but the most prestigious and preferred source is research grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH). USF Health also invests considerable funds in our labs, especially start-up costs for new investigators. Some labs also receive funding from the Veterans Affairs Research program, Florida Department of Health research program, and Private Foundations that support research. Finally, individually directed donations are a substantial source of funding to cover special needs such as purchasing advanced research instruments, develop new research projects to secure new NIH grants, graduate student stipends, and equipment upkeep, or travel to present our research at conferences.

If you are interested in supporting our research, please donate.

Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute

Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute

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Laboratory Research

Overview

Welcome

Frequently Asked Questions