Zack Williams

Zack Williams is an MD/PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at Vanderbilt University, co-mentored by Tiffany Woynaroski (Hearing & Speech) and Carissa Cascio (Psychiatry). He is also an affiliate of the Vanderbilt University Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. His research focuses on the phenomenon of decreased sound tolerance in autistic people, which he hopes to better understand using a combination of self-report questionnaires, psychoacoustic tasks, and electrophysiologic measures. Additional areas of interest include the assessment and treatment of co-occurring mental health problems in autistic adults and the development of novel questionnaires to assess core and associated features of the autism phenotype.

Carleigh Pace-Tonna

Carleigh is a PhD student at the University of Toronto. Her research investigates flow, or “the zone,” a state of deep focus and immersion experienced across many activities, with a focus on how it occurs in autistic and ADHD populations. She also examines related experiences such as hyperfocus and monotropism, with a focus on what helps or hinders these states and how understanding them can support wellbeing and lead to more accessible, supportive school and work environments. Her other interests include the role of the environment in shaping attention, particularly how sensory aspects and task design can facilitate entry into these states, and whether environmental or task-based interventions can improve attention in neurodivergent groups, supporting greater autonomy in how and where they direct their focus.

Alex Newson

Alex (she/her) is a neurodivergent and disabled researcher, advocate, and educator who received her doctorate in special education from the University of Oregon. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher with Project TIDES at the University of Maine focusing on the intersection of STEM education and disability. Her current projects center on Autistic educator experiences of burnout, disabled and neurodivergent faculty and educator perspectives of inclusion, belonging, and accessibility in STEM, and training educators on ways to implement neurodiversity-affirming practices across educational settings. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Alex taught in private and public school settings in the Pacific Northwest as a certified Special Educator and educational assistant. As an educator and researcher, Alex hopes to bridge the gap in current educational systems to better empower practitioners to disrupt neuronormative expectations while holding systems accountable.

Melanie Gail

Dr. Melanie Wiley Gail (she/her/hers) earned an MD/PhD in Neurosciences from the Medical University of South Carolina. Her research focused on three non-invasive brain stimulation methods in clinical and animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders. (1) She investigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a treatment for depression in autistic adults. (2) She explored transcutaneous direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance learning in autistic teenagers seeking to improve their social skills. (3) For her dissertation, Dr. Gail led studies on non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to protect neonatal rats following hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Her next phase involves a pediatric residency and a fellowship in developmental-behavioral pediatrics. She aims to improve access to education, diagnosis, and services for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders through neuroaffirming and culturally sensitive clinical and research practices. In her community, Dr. Gail serves as a peer mentor to autistic adults and is the Vice Chair of the South Carolina Autism Society. Melanie enjoys growing succulents, creating macrame art, and training her service dog, Axon Hillock.