PhD student Beatriz Brandao took home the $1,000 first place award for Rice psychological sciences at the recent Texas Medical Center (TMC) Neuroscience Poster Session. On track to graduate in May 2027, Brandao’s research centers on cognitive and affective neuroscience and health psychology.
A native of Brazil, Brandao first came to the United States 10 years ago as an English student, with the goal of mastering the language to ultimately attend college in the U.S. Prior to moving to Houston with her husband, she attended UT Dallas to obtain bachelor's and master's degrees.
“I received my master's in applied cognition and neuroscience, and that's where I found my passion for research – particularly in human cognition and mental health,” said Brandao. She added, “That's when I applied to Rice to work with Dr. Bryan Denny, whose lab focuses on emotion regulation and the prevention of mental health issues.”
Brandao concentrates her research on women's health and how female hormones like progesterone and estrogen correlate with how women regulate emotions and remember emotional events. The TMC Neuroscience Poster Session provided Brandao the opportunity to share her work. Held in December, the TMC Neuroscience Poster Session is an initiative that brings together postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students from UTHealth, Baylor College of Medicine, and Rice University.
“You work very closely with other people in the field of neuroscience, but you may not actually know them,” said Brandao, “so the event was a great opportunity to learn about what other people are researching that may compliment your work.”
Brandao’s poster, Emotion Regulation Strategies Differentially Impact Memory in Hormonal Contraceptive Users, discussed research that was published last fall in Hormones and Behavior. The study compared the emotion regulation between women who used hormonal contraceptives and women who had naturally occurring menstrual cycles. The research revealed that women who used hormonal contraceptives were more effective at emotion regulation than women with naturally occurring menstrual cycles. Additionally, the women who took contraceptives remembered less negative details of photos they viewed than those who were not on contraceptives.
“Beatriz is an exceptional student and scholar, whose research is essential to gaining a better understanding of women’s hormonal health” said Bryan Denny, associate professor of psychological sciences and co-author of the study. He added, “We are so proud of her for receiving this well-deserved recognition from the Texas Medical Center.”
As for the future, Brandao plans to continue her research.
“I want to expand my research into woman's mental health, discovering how different hormonal shifts that women go through – such as menstrual cycles and menopause – affect the brain, and how we can address the issues that might come with those hormonal shifts,” said Brandao.
After graduation, Brandao hopes to secure a postdoctoral position, with the aim of pursuing a career in academia. She credits Rice for the opportunity to expand her research.
“In the lab, we approach very pertinent problems – such as mental health disorders and Alzheimer's disease risk – in unique ways, using cutting edge techniques and brain imaging,” Brandao said. She added, “The rich and innovative research coming out of Rice psychological sciences makes it an excellent program for students studying neuroscience.”