Nisan Sele, a Ph.D. candidate at Emory University, has received IFER funding for her project, "Uncovering Mechanisms of Human Neuronal Maturation Through In Vitro and Ex Vivo Dissection of the Subplate." The development of the human cerebral cortex involves species-specific processes that differ significantly from rodents and non-human primates in size, complexity, and timing. Neuronal maturation—a series of developmental milestones that give neurons their functional properties—is particularly specialized in humans, and disruptions to this process can contribute to the circuit miswiring observed in neurodevelopmental disorders. Nisan's research focuses on the subplate, a transient brain structure populated by early-born neurons that mature unusually early and play a critical role in assembling the brain's first circuits. By combining rare human tissue samples with advanced brain organoid technology, she is investigating both the internal genetic programs and external signals that drive subplate neuron maturation. This work will generate the first comprehensive datasets of this key brain region while establishing new experimental models that avoid animal use entirely, laying the groundwork for more accurate, human-relevant neuroscience research.