MBI Rising Stars: Benjamin Kidd

By Eli Golde

Benjamin Kidd, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of neuroscience, is the latest investigator to be featured in MBI Rising Stars, a video series highlighting up-and-coming neuroscience researchers at UF.

Working in the lab of Maurice Swanson, Ph.D., a professor of molecular genetics and microbiology, Kidd is investigating possible treatment pathways for myotonic dystrophy, a genetic disorder that is a form of muscular dystrophy and leads to progressive muscle wasting and weakness. His goal is to identify when the disease affects the brain so patients can receive therapeutics at the right time.

Kidd is the current recipient of the MBI/Center for Neurogenetics Graduate Fellowship. He says the grant has helped to fund his research and has allowed him to meet and learn from researchers at UF as well as other universities.

doctor Kidd looking under a microscope
doctor Kidd looking under a microscope
doctor Kidd looking under a microscope
doctor Kidd pointing to a computer screen displaying a scan
doctor Kidd talking with mentor, Maurice Swanson
doctor Kidd at the bench in the lab