Global consortium launches AI tools to accelerate Alzheimer’s research, treatments
A global consortium co-founded by WashU Medicine and directed by neurologist Randall J. Bateman, MD, brings together members from academia, major pharmaceutical companies and philanthropic organizations. The consortium, C-BRAIN, is launching three open-source AI tools designed to accelerate Alzheimer’s research.
Dementia rising across Latino populations, multidecade study finds
A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Newcastle University in the U.K. finds that the share of adults living with dementia rose substantially across several Latin American and Caribbean sites over the past two decades.
Bursky Public Health names first FARM distinguished professors
Lora Iannotti and Feng Jiao have been installed as the inaugural Lauren and Lee Fixel Distinguished Professors at WashU, becoming the first faculty members to hold professorships associated with the university’s Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM), which aims to address global challenges at the intersection of agriculture, food systems and human health.
Washington People: Helina Woldekiros
WashU’s Helina Woldekiros is leading the first archaeological excavations of sites associated with the ancient Kaffa kingdom in highland Ethiopia. Her new research considers what ancient food webs teach us about the future of agriculture and the origins of coffee.
Gut bacteria linked to malnutrition may pass to younger generations
Working with collaborators at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh, WashU Medicine researchers show how a disease of the small intestine related to malnutrition can be passed from mother to offspring.
A one-of-a-kind first year: Inside WashU’s Ampersand Programs
Ampersand Programs immediately immerse first-year students in the very best of WashU, blending classroom study with experiential learning while fostering tight-knit cohorts and close connections with faculty.
Meet the WashU alumna exploring the science of attention
Psychological and brain sciences PhD graduate Merve Ileri-Tayar, a native of Cankiri, Turkey, earned the 2025 Dean’s Award for Graduate Research Excellence and was named a McDonnell International Scholar. She will continue her research on attention, cognitive control, and goal-directed behavior as she pursues a career in cognitive psychology.
WashU alumni, current student earn Fulbright awards
Nine recent WashU alumni and one current student received Fulbright awards to teach English or to conduct research abroad during the 2026-27 academic year. Established in 1946, the prestigious Fulbright program recognizes talented leaders and scholars and strives to increase global collaboration and fellowship.
Boundaries of agricultural fields worldwide now publicly available
Nearly half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture, according to the World Economic Forum. Now, for the first time, every agricultural field on Earth has a boundary on a map, thanks to a novel model designed to infer field boundaries all over the world.
New initiative launches to save primates, transform global conservation approaches
The Endangered Primate Information Collaboration (EPIC) will combine on-the-ground expertise and high-tech monitoring to observe and protect populations of diademed sifakas (“dancing lemurs”) in Madagascar as well as western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees across Africa’s Congo Basin.