Allison (Allie) Taylor
PhD Candidate, Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-director, BrainFest 2022-2024
Blake Creighton
PhD Candidate, Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-director, BrainFest 2022-2024
To begin, tell us about the field you chose for your PhD work. What draws you to neuroscience, and what are its challenges?
Allie: I’m a neuroscience PhD student at Hopkins, and what I love most is how wide-ranging the field is. Neuroscience isn’t just about neurons or circuits; it’s about how we interact with the world and with each other. That sense of connection is what excites me. At the same time, the field has a real issue with diversity in higher education, especially in faculty positions. There are so many talented, up-and-coming scientists from diverse backgrounds who deserve opportunities, and the field needs to be more intentional about representation.
Blake: I’ve always been interested in the “why” behind human experience; sociology, philosophy, anthropology, all the ways we understand ourselves. Neuroscience feels like the scientific version of those questions. Studying the brain is like studying a work of art. But as much as I love digging into my research, I worry about how poorly science is communicated to the public. There’s a huge disconnect, and I think scientists need to do more to humanize what we do and make it accessible.
That is a great segue into your work with the Baltimore BrainFest.
(Note: Baltimore BrainFest, a Project Bridge program established in 2016, is a student-run, free, annual event for people of all ages to learn about the brain and science.)
First, how did you become involved in Brainfest?
Blake: By accident, honestly. BrainFest had been on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, so when we joined the program, no one even mentioned it during interviews.
Allie: Project Bridge was doing a lot of virtual outreach at the time, but BrainFest wasn’t practical to run online. It wasn’t until another graduate student, Anya Kim, the former director of Project Bridge, introduced us to the event’s history that we really understood what it meant to the community. After that, we spoke with former directors and decided to bring it back.
How did Brainfest go from your perspective?
Allie: Our goal was to host BrainFest in a community that has historically been underserved in STEM, so we chose the Liberty Rec & Tech Center in the Gwynn Oak neighborhood. We wanted families who lived nearby to feel like this event was meant for them.
Blake: What stuck with me, in particular, was a family that arrived a little bit confused as to what the event was. I caught them as they were leaving, and the dad had a big smile on his face. He said, “I didn’t even know about this. My wife brought me, but thank you for putting this on. This was great.” Just the turnaround from when he arrived, not knowing what it was, and then to see how much it brightened his day. You can’t beat that.
Switching gears: what are your passions in neuroscience, and what do you hope to study moving forward?
Allie: My passion comes from a very personal place. I have Charcot‑Marie‑Tooth disease, an inherited peripheral neuropathy that gets progressively more limiting physically. It’s not life‑threatening, so I can still do research, but it’s something that affects me every day. Before coming to Hopkins, I studied CMT extensively, and my PhD work is giving me skills that will help me continue that research long‑term. I’m not drawn to therapeutic development—it feels a bit too close to home—but I do want to understand the mechanisms behind the disease.
Blake: For me, science is something I’d do even if no one paid me. I’m passionate about neurodevelopment—especially where it intersects with autism, schizophrenia, communication disorders, and hearing. These areas blend biology with real human experience, and I want to contribute both scientifically and socially. I care a lot about neurodiversity and how society views it, so research is one way I can help shift that narrative.
Last question: who or what inspires you, and what do you enjoy outside the lab?
Blake: My hobbies revolve around food and movement. I love cooking dishes from places I’ve traveled, like Japan and the Philippines, which has meant a lot of sushi and Filipino food. Before that, I was cooking French and Italian dishes after a trip to Europe. I also garden, lift weights, swim, and rock climb.
Allie: My biggest inspiration is my mom. She also has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, but she’s a band director and spends long days on her feet teaching middle and high school students. Even as it becomes harder physically, she doesn’t want to stop because she loves her work so much. Watching her continue to do what she loves with so much passion and strength—that inspires me every day.
A few photos from BrainFest:
Eye Station
Touch Station
Hearing Station
Escape the Brain!
Baltimore Brainfest: It’s a Team Effort!
Photos by Heather Thomas, taken with permission.