Manuella Oliveira Yassa, PhD

Dr. Manuella Oliveira Yassa is a neuroscience educator reimagining what public engagement in neuroscience can be. She serves as Director of Outreach and Education at the UC Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, where she designs, implements, and evaluates innovative programs that spark curiosity, promote equity, and cultivate the next generation of scientists. Her philosophy is rooted in a simple belief: science is a public good, and brain science belongs to everyone.

Manuella earned her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, conducting research in psychiatric neuroimaging and molecular neuropsychiatry. After graduation, she taught middle school science in the Baltimore City Public Schools, where she witnessed firsthand how access to meaningful science education can change students’ lives. That experience cemented her lifelong commitment to equity and inclusion in science.

She went on to complete a PhD in Social Ecology at UC Irvine, where her dissertation focused on using a social ecological systems framework to design and evaluate neuroscience education programs.

Beyond UC Irvine, Manuella is the Director of the USA Brain Bee, a nationwide competition that inspires and challenges teens to learn about the brain. She also leads national neuroscience education initiatives, building programs that are inclusive, research-driven, and designed for long-term impact.

Through her work, Manuella brings brain science to life with immersive experiences that reach beyond the lab — helping people of all ages see neuroscience not just as knowledge to learn, but as a tool to shape the future.