Grace Zhai nominated as Co-Director of the Center for Motor Neuron Disease (CMND)

Professor Rong Grace Zhai has been nominated as Co-Director of the Center for Motor Neuron Disease (CMND). The Jack Miller Professor for the Study of Neurological Diseases and Vice Chair for Research in Neurology will now collaborate with Paschalis Kratsios to lead the center dedicated to advancing research and understanding of ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

"I am honored to step into the role of Co-Director for the Center for Motor Neuron Disease. CMND has a remarkable tradition of advancing research, education, and care, and I am excited to build on this foundation to foster an environment where collaboration and innovation thrive, and to inspire the next generation of scientists and clinicians in our field."

Grace Zhai, PhD

Dr. Zhai is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in Drosophila genetics and human disease modeling—research that has enabled rapid in vivo functional and imaging analyses to uncover genetic and biochemical causes of rare and common neurological diseases. Her efforts have been instrumental in developing new therapeutic strategies to benefit patients with neurological disorders.

A Pew Scholar and the recipient of continuous extramural funding for the past 16 years, Dr. Zhai has published extensively in leading journals, including Cell, Nature, and Nature Genetics. Her groundbreaking discoveries have earned her numerous accolades, including the Snyder-Robinson Foundation Researcher of the Year Award and the Women in Academic Medicine Trailblazer Award.

She is best known for her landmark work on NMNAT (nicotinamide-nucleotide adenylyl transferase), which is an essential enzyme for the synthesis of NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and a critical cofactor in axonal degeneration in peripheral neuropathy. She also established a Drosophila model for another peripheral neuropathy caused by a deficiency in sorbitol dehydrogenase. For this condition, Dr. Zhai developed and patented a novel drug therapy that is currently in phase 3 clinical trial.

Dr. Zhai succeeds Dr. Raymond P. Roos, who retired in September 2025 after 49 years of dedicated service at the University of Chicago.