Drawn to Trinity University by its nationally competitive men’s soccer program, Luke Chandler ’26, a recently graduated neuroscience major and chemistry minor from
Glasgow, Scotland, discovered a place where his passion for athletics and interest in the human brain could grow side by side.
Even before arriving on campus, Luke knew he wanted to study neuroscience, fascinated by the brain’s complexity. At Trinity, that curiosity deepened—particularly in understanding the mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease, which led him to the lab of Engineering Science Professor Dany Munoz-Pinto, Ph.D.
While Luke was helping the Tigers win on the soccer pitch, he was also making discoveries in the lab studying ferroptosis in human astrocytes and neural stem cells. Getting to conduct research as an undergraduate “is what separates Trinity for me as an undergrad program,” Luke says. Thanks to a $5,000 Trinity- funded Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and additional travel funds, Luke even had the opportunity to present his research at an annual science meeting in San Francisco in February.
“Take advantage of every opportunity—especially those outside your comfort zone. Some of the most meaningful growth happens through challenge.”
Balancing academics and varsity athletics can be a challenge, but Luke faced it head-on, accumulating both academic and athletic honors throughout his years at Trinity. Just before stoppage time in his college journey, Luke’s resilience and excellence on and off the field scored him a $10,000 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, making him one of five Trinity students to receive this honor in the 2025-26 academic year.
Backed by this scholarship, Luke will attend University College London this fall to pursue a master’s degree in neuroscience, after which he hopes to pursue his Ph.D. He credits Trinity’s rigorous academics, competitive athletics, and hands-on research opportunities with preparing him for this next step.
His advice to future Tigers: “Take advantage of every opportunity—especially those outside your comfort zone. Some of the most meaningful growth happens through challenge.”