Skip to main content

Assistant Professor
UNC-Chapel Hill

Education and Training

University of British Columbia, BSc
University of British Columbia, PhD
NIH, Postdoc

Areas of Interest

Lipids are crucial molecules for life. They play important roles in building membranes, storing energy, and cell signaling. We are interested in how lipids move around both within cells and between cells, for example from astrocytes to neurons. The lab uses cutting-edge microscopy techniques including live-cell imaging, superresolution microscopy, and multispectral imaging. We use these approaches to understand how defects in lipid trafficking contribute to metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.

Awards and Honors

2016-21 NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award
2016 Fellows Award for Research Excellence, NIH
2014 Women Scientist Advisors Scholar Award, NIH
2010 Zoology Graduate Fellowship, UBC
2005-10 Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Trainee Award
2006-10 Canada Graduate Scholarship, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
2006-07 Killam Predoctoral Fellowship, UBC
2005-06 McLean Fraser Memorial Scholarship, UBC
2004-05 Right Honorable Don Mazankowski Scholarship, UBC
2001-05 Undergraduate Scholar Program Award, UBC


Cohen Sarah