Lila Levinson is a Neuroscience PhD candidate working in the UW GRIDlab with Dr. Jeff Ojemann and Dr. Steve Perlmutter. Her research interests center around using direct electrical stimulation of the human cortex to change the state of the brain. She hopes to set a groundwork for electrical stimulation to harness and direct the underlying natural flexibility of the brain, promoting recovery after spinal cord injury and stroke. In addition to research, she ispassionate about science education and outreach, and about making academia, and STEM spaces in particular, safe and welcoming for anyone and everyone who wants to do science.