A Rutgers professor studying the sense of touch and its role in movement, socialization and pain perception has been awarded a 2025 Sloan Research Fellowship.
Victoria Abraira, an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, was named one of 126 researchers drawn from a select group of 51 institutions in the U.S. and Canada. The award honors creative, innovative individuals who have the potential to become scientific leaders in a range of fields, including chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience and physics.
Abraira’s work explores a fundamental question in neuroscience: How do early-life touch experiences, such as a mother’s caress, help shape the developing brain for healthy emotional and social growth? Her research challenges long-held beliefs that touch signals simply travel to the brain. Instead, she has uncovered that these signals undergo processing in the spinal cord before reaching the brain.
“This fellowship is particularly meaningful because it acknowledges our lab’s innovative work in understanding one of our most overlooked but vital senses,” said Abraira, who was named a Rita Allen Foundation Scholar in 2023. “The recognition validates that we’re asking the right questions about how touch shapes our lives, from the way we move to how we connect with others.” To read the full story.