Dr. Aysegul Gunduz, associate professor and J. Crayton Pruitt Family Term Fellow, received the 2019 Graduate Education Diversity Champion Award from the UF Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives and Multicultural Association of Graduate Students.

The University of Florida Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives and Multicultural Association of Graduate Students recognizes faculty or staff members who have excelled in promoting diversity and inclusivity in the university environment through their positive interactions with others in graduate education.

The recipient will have demonstrated their dedication to diversity by one or more of the following: • Taking a leadership role in positive interactions between persons of different cultural backgrounds • A demonstrated commitment to inclusion of members of graduate education at the university from traditionally under-represented groups • Active involvement in organizations that foster diversity awareness • Created an inclusive and supportive environment for graduate students.

Gunduz and her team in the Brain Mapping Laboratory aim to translate neural biomarkers of disease into clinical diagnostic and the therapeutic systems to improve the quality of life of those suffering from neurological disorders. Working with patients who undergo surgical treatment allows her team to capture the electrical patterns of the human brain and the data is converted into a visual brain map. Gunduz and her team analyze the data to help patients with epilepsy, Tourette’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor.

Gunduz was nominated by Dr. Cherie Stabler, professor and associate chair for graduate studies and BME Ph.D. candidate, Olivia Lanier.