The project will build upon her studies at Brown, where she concentrated in neuroscience and served as an undergraduate researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Morrow, whose work seeks to better understand the genetic factors that contribute to conditions on the autism spectrum.

“At Brown, I learned so much about how to become an independent researcher,” she said. “I’m looking forward to expanding upon these skills while in Spain — to continuing to learn how to formulate and test my own hypotheses and to employ new techniques in the lab.”

Srinivas’s Fulbright fellowship will also offer her an invaluable opportunity to live and work within a culture that she has been studying for nearly a decade, she said.

She began studying Spanish language as a middle schooler, but her interest in the language and culture of Spanish-speaking countries deepened when, as a high schooler, she had the opportunity to visit Costa Rica, Ecuador and Argentina with her family.

“It was the first time I had ever used Spanish outside of the classroom,” said the Broomfield, Colorado, native. “I just became enamored with the power of language, and the power of Spanish in particular.”

While at Brown, Srinivas deepened her understanding of the language and culture of Spanish-speaking countries, pursuing coursework in the Hispanic studies department while completing her neuroscience degree.

She said that spending a year in Spain as a Fulbright fellow will allow her to heighten her Spanish language skills while developing a nuanced appreciation for the country’s diverse culture — including in Barcelona, where as many people speak Catalan as they do Spanish.

“Being able to really immerse myself in the language will be an amazing opportunity,” Srinivas said. “And I’m really excited to learn more about Spanish culture from the community I’ll live in and from fellow Fulbrighters who are studying the humanities and arts.”

After completing her Fulbright, Srinivas plans to begin medical school. She said she looks forward to seeing firsthand the impact that scientific research has on patients — something she first witnessed when shadowing Morrow on his clinical rounds during her time at Brown.

“Getting to meet families who are affected by these conditions really helped me explore the questions: Why am I in the lab? Why am I studying these conditions? And what does my research mean to these patients and their families?” she said. “The impact of that experience is definitely what drives me to continue this research now.”