Zachary Koh ’26, a chemistry major with a neuroscience concentration through the Notre Dame College of Science and a bioengineering minor though the College of Engineering, is deeply involved in research at Notre Dame, participating in three different projects. In this Q&A, he discusses how he found these opportunities, his experience traveling abroad for the six-week Neuroscience program in London, shares advice for incoming students eager to pursue similar paths, and reflects on the lessons he has learned throughout his journey.

Why did you choose Notre Dame:

I knew I wanted to come to Notre Dame after my first Singapore club meetup. The alumni and current students spoke at length about the strong sense of community and how impactful that was in their personal journey. I remember distinctly how one alumni said: “These friends that you meet at ND will not only be your groomsmen; they will also be your pallbearers.” That struck a chord with me and I’ve never looked back since.

What are you researching?

I’m involved in three research projects here on campus! Two of them are with The Smith Lab; I am working on a computational biology project to map out how sensory axons connect with spinal circuits in zebrafish, and a developmental neurobiology project to study how sensory neurons become organized during nervous system construction. I am also working with Dr. Vural to train an AI model to mimic the symptoms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia to be able to diagnose them.

What was the process to get involved in undergraduate research?

For The Smith Lab, I started by looking up what each lab did in the neuroscience faculty. Dr. Smith’s research truly intrigued me, so I emailed him! Don’t be afraid to do this as professors are more than happy to have a chat with you, and can even direct you to other professors if they don’t have availability in their lab or may even suggest a better fit in another lab. Another way to get into research is through the professors you take classes with. That’s how I started working with Dr. Vural; my teammate and I wanted to turn our term paper for our “Physics of the Brain” class into a research project.

Why is this research important to you?

Neuroscience research is very fascinating as there is still so much to learn and discover in this field. Specifically, I am interested in prosthetics and man-made neural circuits—of how we can integrate the human nervous system and machinery seamlessly! Wouldn’t it be cool if one day we could have exact replacements, or even upgrades, of appendages?

How my researching funding works:

There are so many opportunities given to us undergrads. I work closely with Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) when it comes to writing proposals and applications for grants and fellowships. Additionally, I was given funding to continue my research over the summer through the College of Science Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (COS-SURF).

Studying abroad in London with the Neuroscience program:

I took two classes in London: “The Neuroscience of Love, Hate, and Human Relationships” and “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast: The Dynamics of Survivor.” These were two really interesting classes which actually complemented each other—studying the game theory behind solving problems logically, then learning why people don’t make logical decisions when their emotions are involved. My advice to anyone going abroad: fully embrace the experience. I was out of my comfort zone, not knowing a single person going into this trip. But now, we’re very close friends, meeting up every week for lunch. Make the most of it! Use weekends and holidays to travel to other parts of Europe and immerse yourself in different experiences and cultures.

What I love about doing research at Notre Dame:

I love research, and here at ND we’re surrounded by like minded people; it is never a competition with your peers and they too, want you to succeed. This collaborative research community is one that builds you up to prepare you for your future endeavors.

Learn More

• A Q&A with Neurosicence Major Maeve Mastri '26 on Undergraduate Research in Ireland
• Economics Major Abbey Donahue '25 on her Research of Poverty Solutions in Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities

• Understanding Mood Disorders: A Q&A with Jane Stallman '25 on Research in the Cognition and Emotion Lab