Sheeva Azma
Biography
I am a neuroscientist, science writer, educator, and policy professional, working at the intersections of my interests and expertise. I earned my BS in Brain & Cognitive Sciences from MIT in 2005 and her MS in Neuroscience from Georgetown University Medical Center in 2013. From 2005-2008, I was a research assistant in the Radiology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital Martinos Center, where I scanned participants using multimodal imaging (MRI/EEG/MEG), recruited study participants, coordinated participant visits, created experimental paradigms, collected and analyzed behavioral and MRI/fMRI and MEG data, and helped write posters, grants, and manuscripts. As a graduate student and PhD candidate at Georgetown University from 2009-2013, I studied 1) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)'s effect on brain structure using both voxel-based morphometry (looking at gray matter) and diffusion tensor imaging (looking at white matter); and 2) adolescent decision-making as related to decision-making and family history of substance abuse. At Georgetown, I also served as an instructor for various college and graduate-level courses, and trained colleagues in MRI techniques I picked up along my training. I ventured into science writing in 2013, though by now, I have told science stories in many formats -- not just via the written word, but also via multimedia means including audio and video. I founded my own science communication company, Fancy Comma, LLC (www.fancycomma.com) in 2020. I interview experts on the Fancy Comma YouTube (youtube.com/@fancycomma), have helped produce an episode on PTSD in journalism for the Delve Podcast, and have also worked with Science Friday as both a neuroscientist and copyeditor.
Personal website: sheevaazma.com (use the "contact" page to get in touch with me)
Instagram: @SheevaAzma
Twitter/X: @SheevaAzma
Research Areas
As an independent neuroscience researcher working outside of academia, I seek to understand the human brain outside of a laboratory setting. I study: 1) under-examined impacts and novel methodologies that shed light on the neuroscience of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 2) the role of stress, trauma, and addiction in shaping brain development, structure, and function, especially in "real world" settings; 3) the potential for neuroscience to inform social, economic, policy, and other spheres.