India, May 16 -- Timothy Verstynen(opens in new window) has always been fascinated by how organisms explore their environments - from the human quest to map the surfaces of distant planets to the itty-bitty journeys of single-celled bacteria. And now, as the recipient of a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship, Verstynen will have an opportunity to dig into the science of exploration like never before.

"I was always a curious kid, and I'm a curious person, and I think that's a critical drive for exploration," said Verstynen, who is the interim director of the Carnegie Mellon University Neuroscience Institute(opens in new window). "In fact, all science is exploration. We're trying to discover new things about the world."

While on sabbatical from CM...