Mentor Areas
stress neurobiology; systems neuroscience; behavioral neuroscience
Description:
**Please note that the lab is currently full and will not be taking any additional undergraduates this Spring 2023**
The main goal of our lab is to understand why some individuals are prone to psychiatric and other illnesses after they are exposed to chronic stress while other individuals exposed to chronic stress do not develop illness- they are resilient. To understand how the brain controls resilience and vulnerability, we use animal models. We use modern neuroscience tools to look at neurochemicals and neural pathways to determine their role in resilience to stress. We examine behavioral (measures associated with anxiety and depression) and physiological (temperature, brain activity etc) endpoints. Undergraduate students participate in multiple stages of an experiment or set of experiments under the supervision of the PI and another senior member of the lab. Starting students will obtain experience with behavioral analyses, statistics, presentations. With experience, students will gain additional experience in designing and executing their own experiments. The lab is a welcoming and supportive environment that values student contributions and experiences.
Preferred Qualifications
Undergraduate students looking for independent study opportunities
Familiarity with experimental design and statistics.
Interest in systems/behavioral neuroscience
Reliable and hard working individual
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year, Junior
Project Academic Year
2023–2024
Volunteer
Yes
Paid
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.