Project: Research and Development – Partnerships
Tierney is a PhD student in the Cell and Developmental Biology program at Vanderbilt University. For most of the last decade Tierney has been committed to bettering understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders. Originally from California, Tierney worked at UCSF as part of the Psychiatric Cell Mapping Initiative (PCMI) studying biological mechanisms of autism spectrum and Tourette’s disorder. This work inspired her to pursue her doctorate, where she continues to research rare neurodevelopmental disorders under the mentorship of Dr. Vivian Gama. Her dissertation is focused on mitochondrial encephalopathies, particularly those caused by mutations in mitochondrial dynamics genes such as DNM1L. Hoping to wrap up her PhD within the year, Tierney is exploring opportunities in the rare disease space which led her interest in OCNDS and involvement with the CSNK2A1 Foundation.