NSB Doctoral Recipients

Dissertation: "Computational and Behavioral Investigations of Real-Time Models of Classical Conditioning"
Chair: John Moore

Positions: 1990-1994 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

1994-1999 Associate Dean, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.

Oct 2004-Aug 2007 Associate Director, NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts
E-Mail: djennings[at]niac.usra.edu

Sept 2007-present Program Director, Icosystem
E-Mail: diana[at]icosystem.com

Dissertation: "Conditioning to a Compound CS and the Observation of CS-Elicited Defensive Behavior in 1-Trial Simultaneous and Backward Conditioning Procedures Using Tone and Light CSs"
Chair: John J.B. Ayres

Position: 1993-1998 Department of Psychology, Condordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota

Dissertation: "Glucocorticoids and Agonistic Responding in Male Hamsters: A Behavioral Neuroanatomical and Neurochemical Analysis"
Chair: Jerrold Meyer

February 1991-June 1994 Postdoctural Fellowship, Toxicology Program, Duke University Medical Center, laboratory of Dr. Charles Nemeroff (Dept. of Psychiatry) and laboratory of Dr. Rochelle Schwartz (Dept. of Pharmacology).

January 1995-June 1999 Department of Sociology, Holoke Community College, Holyoke, Massachusetts. (taught Psychology courses (Introduction to Psychology, Personality, Human Development, Child Psychology, Human Sexuality, & Research Methods in Psychology).

1999-present Team Leader, Research, Osteoporosis Progressive Resistance Training (PRT) Exercise Program

DriveWell Leader, Safe Driving & Mobility course in Massachusetts
E-Mail: dhhixson[at]gmail.com

Dissertation: "Patch Departure Decisions of Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) Foraging in a Multiple Patch, Closed Economy System"
Chair: Alan Kamil

Positions: Sept 1991-Dec 31, 1994 Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Dissertation: "Effects of Pregnancy and Ovarian Steroids on Energy Balance in Syrian Hamsters"
Chair: George Wade

Positions: 1992-1993 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, National Research Council, National Institutes of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland

1993-1995 Student, Masters of Public Health Program, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland

Jan 2000-2007Statistician
August 2007-present Health Insurance Specialist, (Office of Clinical Standards and Quality, Quality Improvement Group, Division of Quality Improvement Policy for Acute Care) Baltimore, Maryland
E-Mails: Anita.Bhatia[at]cms.hhs.gov
ajbhatia[at]jhu.edu

Dissertation: "Expression of fos-like Proteins in Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GNRH) Neurons in Syrian Hamsters: Effects of Estrous Cycles and Metabolic Fuels"
Chair: George Wade

Positions: 1993-1997 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine

1997-1998 Clinical Research Coordinator, Departments of Patient Oriented Research and Cardiology, University of Vermont, College of Medicine

1998-Apr 2001 Research Faculty, Department of Neurology, University of Vermont, College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont

Apr 2001-? Residing in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Senior Regional Medical & Research Specialist, Urology/Sexual Medicine, Pfizer US Medical, Highland Park, Illinois
E-Mail: sandra.berriman[at]pfizer.com

Dissertation: "Progestin Receptor and Substance P Containing Neurons in the Ventrolateral Hypothalamus and their Efferents in Guinea Pigs"
Chair: Jeffrey Blaustein

Position: 1993-1995 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Physiology and Biophysics Dept, University of Washington, Seattle.

Dissertation: "The Development and Morphology of the Sexually Dimorphic Vasopressin System of the Rat Brain"
Chair: Geert De Vries

Positions: 1993-1996 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles.

1996-1997 Technical Services Rep, Calbiochem/Novabiochem Corporation, San Diego, California

1997 Assistant Director / Feb-July 2003 Director, Research and Development, Maxia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Diego, California

October 2003-2006 Director of Pharmacology / Sept 2006-present Senior Director of Pharmacology, Arena Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, California
E-Mail: HAlShamma[at]arenapharm.com

Dissertation: "Longitudinal Study of the Social Aspects of Aging in Captive Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta).
Chair: Melinda Novak

Positions: University at Buffalo (The State University of New York) Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, New York
9/1992-4/1994 Research Assistant
4/1994-3/1997 Postdoctoral Research Associate
4/1997-2001 Research Scientist
Principal Investigator (2001) promoted to state positon as Senior Research Scientist (2005)

E-Mail: parks[at]ria.buffalo.edu
Homepage

Rick A. Bevins (May 1993)

Dissertation: "A Simple Model System for Studying Pavlovian Conditioning: One-trial Context Fear Conditioning"
Chair: John J.B. Ayres

Positions: 1993-1996 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington

1996-2001 Assistant Professor
2001-present Associate Professor & Vice Chair
Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Homepage
E-Mail: rbevins1[at]unl.edu

Thomas N. Ricciardi (Sept 1993)

Dissertation: "Neural Elements and Motor Patterns Underlying Egg Progression in the Cricket, Acheta Domesticus"
Chair: Gordon Wyse

Positions: 7/1993-9/1995 Senior Fellow, Neurological Surgery, University of Washington.

1/1996-11/1998 Database Developer and Consultant, Interactive Technology, Inc. Portland, Oregon.

1998-present Clinical Development, MedicaLogic, Inc., Hillsboro, Oregon.

tomr[at]teleport.com

Marc J. Tetel (Sept 1993)

Dissertation: "Intraneuronal Convergence of Environmental and Hormonal Stimuli Associated with Female Reproduction in Rats"
Chair: Jeffrey Blaustein

Positions: 1993-1998 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado

1998-2001 Assistant Professor, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

August 1, 2001-June 30, 2005 Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York

July 1, 2005-present Assistant Professor, Neuroscience Program, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Homepage

Frank W. Grasso (Feb 1994)

Dissertation: "PAN: A Model of Knowledge Representation in the Visual Cortex"
Chair: Nico Spinelli

Positions: 1994-1997 Research Associate
1997-2000 Senior Research Associate
2000-present Research Assistant Professor
Boston University Marine Program, Marine Biological Laboratory,
Woods Hole, Massachusetts

1999-2001 Visiting Assistant Professor,
2001-present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Biomimetic and Cognitive Robotics Lab, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
Homepage
E-Mail: fgrasso[at]brooklyn.cuny.edu

Hui-Yun Li (Feb 1994)

Dissertation: "Neural Mechanisms and Pathways Involved in Fuel Restriction-Induced Changes in Estrous Behavior in Syrian Hamsters"
Chair: Dr. George Wade

Positions: Jan 1994-Oct 1995 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Laboratory of Neuronal Structure and Function, Salk Institute, La Jolla, California.

Nov 1995-Aug 1997 Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Chang Gun University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

1997-2006Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan ROC

Sept 2006-present Associate Professor, Department of Natural Sciences, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon
E-Mail: hui-yun.li[at]oit.edu

Graeme W. Davis (May 1994)

Dissertation: "Synaptic Matching in the Cricket Cercal Sensory System"
Chair: Dr. Rod Murphey

Positions: 1994-1998 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley

1998-present Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco
Davis Webpage

Thomas P. Goodness (Sept 1994)

Dissertation: "The Neural Response of Prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster) to Conspecific Odors"
Chair: Dr. Geert de Vries

Positions: 9/1993-9/1996 Postdoctoral Fellow, Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Sept 1996-1999 Attended University of Kentucky College of Law, Lexington
Received "Juris Doctor" law degree May 1999.

March 2003-present Assistant Director, Intellectual Property Development & Technology Transfer Office, University of Kentucky, Lexington
E-Mail: goodness[at]uky.edu

Rocio Vegas (Feb 1995)

Dissertation: "Appetitive Classical Conditioning of the Swallowing Response in the Pigeon (Columba Livia): Effects of the CS-US and CS-UR Relations"
Chair: John Donahoe

Universidad Central de Venezuela, Faculty of Humanities and Education, Caracas, Venezuela, South America
1986-1996 Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Psychology

1996-present Associate Professor
1995-present Head of the Classical and Operant Conditioning Laboratory (Institute of Psychology)
2000-present Head of the Behavior Analysis Graduate Program
2001-present Head of the Neuroscience Department (School of Psychology).
2003-present Director of the Institute of Psychology
E-Mail: rvegas[at]reacciun.ve

Zheng Li (Feb 1996)

Dissertation: "GABAergic Organization in the Visual System of the Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens"
Chair: Dr. Katherine Fite

Positions: Nov. 1995-Feb. 1998 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

March 1998-May 1999 Research Fellow, Mental Health Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

June 1999-May 2001 Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Biology Department, Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan

June 2001 Senior Scientist, Dept of CNS Pharmacology, Pfizer Global Research and Development, Ann Arbor, Michigan
August 2007-present Principal Scientist, Neuroscience Discovery, Pfizer Global R & D, Groton, Connecticut
E-Mail: Zheng.Li3[at]pfizer.com

Lauren P. Shearman (Feb 1996)

Dissertation: Cocaine-Sensitive Monoamine Transporters in Rat Placenta Labeled with [125I]RTI-55 and [3H]Nisoxetine
Chair: Dr. Jerrold Meyer

Positions: Aug 1995-Jan 2000 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Pediatric Service, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

June 1999-Jan 2000 Postdoctoral positions at Mass General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.

Jan 2000-July 2000 Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Assistant Neurobiologist at Mass General Hospital.

July 2000-Dec 2003 Senior Research Biologist, Pharmacology Department, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey
Dec 2003-Dec 2005 Research Fellow, Pharmacology Department, Merck Research Laboratories
Dec 2005-March 2007 Research Fellow and Scientific Liaison, External Scientific Affairs, Merck Research Laboratories
March 2007-present Associate Director, Scientific Liaison, External Scientific Affairs, Merck & Co., Inc West Point, Pennsylvania
E-Mail: lauren_shearman[at]merck.com

Joanne C. Turcotte (May 1996)

Dissertation: "Projections From the Estrogen Receptor-Rich Region of the Hypothalamus to Other Estrogen-Receptor-Containing Sites in Female Guinea Pigs"
Chair: Dr. Jeffrey Blaustein

Positions: 1996-1999 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York

3/1999-2001Postdoctoral Research Fellow
2001-Sept 1, 2003 Assistant Research Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.

José E. Burgos (May 1996)

Dissertation: "Computational Explorations of the Evolution of Artificial Neural Networks in Pavlovian Environments"
Chair: Dr. John Donahoe

Positions: 1995-1998 Assistant Professor, Institute of Psychology, Universidad Central de Venezuela.

Nov. 1999-April 2004 Associate Professor and Researcher, School of Psychology and Graduate Studies, Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, Caracas, South America

April 2004-present Full Professor and Researcher, Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones en Comportamiento, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, MEXICO
E-Mail: jburgos[at]cucba.udg.mx

Andrew A. Hill (Sept 1996)

Dissertation: "Synaptic Dynamics and Neuronal Integration in the Cricket Cercal Sensory System"
Chair: Dr. Rodney Murphey

Positions: 1996-2001 Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology Department, Lab of Dr. Ronald Calabrese, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

March 2001-2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, Université Bordeaux 1, Laboratoire de Neurobiologie des Réseaux, (Lab-Dr. Pierre Meyrand), Talence, France

2004-Aug 31, 2007 Research Associate, Dept Organismal Biology & Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (Advisor: Jan M. Ramirez)

Sept 1, 2007-present Assistant Professor, Dept Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, (Lab: Rutgers) Newark, New Jersey
E-Mail: aavhill[at]yahoo.com

Christopher J. Tyler (Sept 1996)

Dissertation: The Retinofugal Projection in Rana Pipiens: I. The optic projection within the perichiasm and evidence for the realignment of the dual retinotopic organization. II. Morphological Organization of the optic nerve and tract. Chair: Dr. Katherine Fite

Positions: Aug 1994-July 1998 Research Fellow, Visual Sciences Department, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, England

Aug 1998-Sept. 2002 Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, Physiology Department, Laboratory of Dr. Christopher Leonard, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York

Sept 2002-present Biology Teacher, Harrison High School, Harrison, New York. E-Mail: tylerc[at]email.harrisoncsd.org

Anna Dunaevsky (May 1997)

Dissertation: "The Role of Target Muscle Fibers in the Maintenance of the Frog Motor Nerve Terminals"
Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Connor

Positions: 1997-2001 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pathology, Columbia University, New York

Jan 2002-present Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
Homepage
E-Mail: anna_dunaevsky[at]brown.edu

Lei Zhou (May 1997)

Dissertation: "Programmed Cell Death and Central Nervous System (CNS) Midline Function in Drosophila Embryonic Development"
Chair: Dr. John Nambu

Position: Feb 199Nov 2000Postdoctoral Associate, Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Nov 2000-June 2007 Assistant Professor
July 1, 2007-present Associate Professor, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville
Homepage
E-Mail: leizhou[at]ufl.edu

Yuzhi Chen (Sept 1997)

Dissertation: "Simian Virus 40 Signaling Promotes Viral Entry to Caveolae and MAB Against MHC Class I Induces Adhesion of Fibroblasts to T Cells"
Chair: Dr. Leonard Norkin

Positions: 7/1997-2/1998 Postdoctoral Fellow, Departments of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Medicine, Channing Laboratory, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts

2/1998-11/2000Postdoctoral Fellow
12/2000-11/2003 Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
11/2003-present Assistant Professor, Dept of Geriatrics and Dept of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkasnas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
Homepage
E-mail: ChenYuzhi[at]uams.edu

Ping Jin (Feb 1998)

M.D. degree July 1991 Beijing Medical Univ.

Dissertation: "Neural Plasticity and its Molecular Mechanisms in Drosophila"
Chair: Dr. Rodney Murphey

Positions:October 1997-December 1999 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Volen Center for the Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

January 2000-December 2002 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penn.
une 2003-June 2004 Internship, Department of Psychiatry, Univ.Pennsylvania

July 2004 -July 2007 Anesthesia residency, Massachusetts General Hospital
July 2007-present Clinical Pain Fellow, MGM Pain Center, Massachusetts General Hospital (teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School), Boston, Massachusetts
E-Mail: pjin[at]partners.org

Horacio O. de la Iglesia (Feb 1998)

Dissertation: "Interactions Between the Circadian and Reproductive Systems of the Female Syrian Hamster"
Chair: Dr. Eric Bittman

Positions: Jan. 1998-June 30, 2003 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neurology Department, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Mass.

July 1, 2003-present Assistant Professor, University of Washington, Department of Biology, Seattle.
Homepage

Anthony P. Auger (May 1998)

Dissertation: "A Novel Pathway for Progestin Receptor Activation that Influences Both Neuronal Response and Behavior in Female Rats"
Chair: Dr. Jeffrey Blaustein

Positions: April 1998-August 2002 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland

August 2002-present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
HomePage

Janice E. McPhee (Sept 1998)

Dissertation: "Latently Inhibited Stimuli are Weakened in their Ability to Serve as Blockers and Second Order Reinforcers in Pavlovian Fear Conditioning"
Chair: Dr. John J. B. Ayres

Position: August 1998-October 12, 2004 Assistant Professor of Psychology, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft Myers, Florida

Residing in Evanston, Illinois
E-Mail: jemcphee[at]juno.com

Robert A. Mangels, Jr. Robert Mangels, (Sept 1998)

Dissertation: "Effect of Photoperiod on Steroid Receptors and Responsiveness to Sociosexual Stimuli in Female Syrian Hamsters"
Chair: J. Bradley Powers

Positions: Nov. 1997-Nov 30, 2006 Assistant Director, Northwestern University Institute for Neuroscience, Chicago, Illinois

December 1, 2006 Assistant Dean, Science & Engineering, Yale University Graduate School, New Haven, Connecticut
E-Mail: robert.harper-mangels[at]yale.edu

Suman Reddy (Sept 1998)

Dissertation: "Characterization of stalled, A Grooming Mutant that Interacts with Laminin"
Chair: Dr. Rodney Murphey

Positions: Sept 1998-Dec 1999, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

Jan 2000-present, Associate Scientist, Cambria Biosciences, Bedford, Massachusetts

reddglove@mediaone.net

Catherine J. Auger (May 1999)

Dissertation: "The Role of Progestin Receptors in Arginine Vasopressin Cells in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and the Centromedial Amygdala of Rats and Mice" Chair: Dr. Geert de Vries

Positions: Feb. 1999-Dec. 2002 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Jan 1, 2003-August 2007 Assistant Scientist, Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
September 2007-present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
E-Mail: cauger@wisc.edu

Darlene H. Brunzell (May 1999)

Dissertation: "The Long-Term Effects of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure on Learning in Rats"
Chair: Dr. Jerrold Meyer

Positions: June 1999-January 31, 2000 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Dr. Jeansok Kim, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Feb 2000-Dec 2004 Postdoctoral Research Fellow
January 2005-2007 Associate Research Scientist (research faculty)
Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Dr. Marina R. Picciotto, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

September 17, 2007-present Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
E-Mail: dbrunzell[at]vcu.edu

Lucille M. Collins (May 1999)

Dissertation: "Neurotensin Gene Expression in a Rat Model of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure"
Chair: Dr. Jerrold Meyer

Positions: July 1999-Feb 2001, Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Klaus A. Miczek, Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts

EIC Holding, Inc.,Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies
March 2001 Educational Information Consultant
Associate Dean, Clinical Medicine
E-Mail: clinicalcoordinator[at]mua.edu

Anitha K. Panicker (September 1999)

Dissertation: "Neural Mechanisms Regulating Metabolic Fuel Deprivation-induced Infertility in Syrian Hamsters"
Chair: Dr. George Wade

Position: May-December 22, 2000, Research Associate, Dept of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Lab-Cort Pedersen, M.D.

January 2, 2001-present Postdoc, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Laboratory of Dr. Patricia Maness
E-Mail: anithapanicker[at]hotmail.com

June Seek Choi (September 1999)

Dissertation: "Classical Eyeblink Conditioning with Mixed Interstimulus Intervals: Temporal Integration of Response Topography and Neuronal Correlates"
Chair: Dr. John Moore

Positions: Feb. 1999-2002 Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

Feb. 2002-Feb 2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York. (Laboratory of Dr. Joseph LeDoux)

March 1, 2004-Feb. 28, 2007Assistant Professor
March 1, 2007-present Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
E-Mail: j-schoi[at]korea.ac.kr

Anthony S. Rauhut (September 1999)

Dissertation: "A Reanalysis of Cue-Competition Effects in Pavlovian Fear Conditioning in Rats: Implications for Neuronal Theories of Learning and Memory"
Chair: Dr. John J.B. Ayres

Positions: June 1999-2002 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington

July 1, 2002-present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Homepage

Constanza A. Villalba (February 2000)

Dissertation: "Neurochemical Control of Social Behavior in Male and Female Prairie Voles"
Chair: Dr. Geert J. de Vries

Positions: Nov. 1999-July 2004 Medical Writer, Publications Department, Massachusetts Medical Society,Waltham, Mass.
Sept. 2004-Dec. 2005 Senior Science Editor, Wired to Win
April 2005-present, Medical Writer, Health Dialog, Inc.
June 2006-present Freelance Science Writer, Nature Network Boston

Articles written by Connie:
1. Neuroscience and Behavior Celebrates its First Decade
2. Gender voles
3. Follow a Sip of Cabernet Sauvignon on a Trip Through the Physical Body
4. Life-force 401 The mind and methods of Prof. Lynn Margulis
5. Amorous rats, sleepy hamsters & Pumped-up Roosters (Neuroendocrinology at UMass)

Young-Ho Koh (May 2000)

Dissertation: "Synapse Assembly: Role of DLG in Synaptic Plasticity and its Regulation by Ca²⁺/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase II"
Chair: Dr. Vivian Budnik

Positions: July 2000-2005 Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. Barry Ganetzky, Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2005-present Assistant Professor, Ilsong Institute of Life Science, Hallym University, Republic of Korea
E-Mail: kohyh[at]hallym.ac.kr

Yue Ma (May 2000)

Dissertation: "Characterization and Functional Analyses of Sox Genefish-hook in Drosophila Embryonic Development"
Chair: Dr. John Nambu

Positions: August 2000-August 2003 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison. (Laboratory of Dr. James A. Thomson)

2003-2006 Postdoc Fellow, University of Washington (Laboratory of Paul Bornsyein),

May 2006-present Professor, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing China P.R.
E-Mail: yuema[at]ibp.ac.cn

Jerry Russell Keath (September 2000)

Dissertation: "An Analysis of the Desensitization of PC12 Cells to ATP
Chair: Dr. Edward Westhead

Positions: September 1, 2000-December 2002 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurobiology, Pharmacology, and Physiology, The University of Chicago - Laboratory of Dr. Daniel McGehee

January 2003-present Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurobiology and Physiology Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Laboratory of Dr. Ravi Allada
E-Mail: jrkeath[at]yahoo.com

Stefan Tiefenbacher (February 2001)

Dissertation: "The Pathophysiology of Self-Injurious Behavior in Rhesus Macaques"
Chair: Dr. Melinda Novak

Positions: December 2000-August 2004 Research Fellow, New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, Mass.
Laboratory of Drs. Melinda Novak and Roger Spealman

September 2004-September 2005 Instructor/Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado.Laboratry of Mark Laudenslager

October 24, 2005-present Scientific Director of Coagulation, Esoterix, Inc., Englewood, Colorado
E-Mail: Stefan.Tiefenbacher[at]esoterix.com

Meredith Curran-Rauhut (May 2001)

Dissertation: The Role of Brainstem Noradrenergic Neurons in Communicating Steroid Hormone Signals to Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Neurons Chair: Sandra Petersen

Positions: February 1, 2001-January 2003 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Kentucky, Dept of Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology, Lexington
Mentor: Nada Porter

January 2003-May 2006 Adjunct Faculty, Departments of Biology and Psychology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
E-Mail: marauhut[at]yahoo.com

Skirmantas Janusonis (May 2001)

Dissertation: Anatomical and Functional Analysis of the Subdivisions of the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus in the Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)
Chair: Dr. Katherine Fite

Positions: June 2001-June 2006 Postdoctoral Associate/Fellow, Department of Neurobiology, Laboratory of Dr. Pasko Rakic, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

July 1, 2006-present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara.
Member of the UCSB Neuroscience Research Institute
E-Mail: janusonis[at]psych.ucsb.edu
Homepage

Tina Han (February 2002)

Dissertation: Sexual Differentiation of Arginine Vasopressin Expression in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and Medial Amygdala in Rats
Chair: Dr. Geert De Vries

Positions: February 2002-August 2005 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Laboratory of Dr. Sharon Amacher, University of California Berkeley.

March 2006-present Field Applications Specialist, Affymetrix, Inc. Santa Clara, California.
E-Mail: Tina_Han[at]affymetrix.com

Amy L. Bennett (May 2002)

Dissertation: An Investigation of the Mechanisms by Which Mating Stimulation Facilitates and Terminates Sexual Receptivity in Female Rats.
Chair: Dr. Jeffrey Blaustein

Position: August 2001-June 30, 2007 Assistant Professor, Division of Social Sciences, Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Michigan

September 2007-present Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology, Villa Julie College, Stevenson, Maryland
E-Mail: f-benna[at]mail.vjc.edu

Alison McReynolds (May 2002)

Dissertation: An in vivo Investigation of the Role of the 5-HT _1A Receptor in Brain Development.
Chair: Dr. Jerrold Meyer

Positions: Sept. 2001-Sept 2002, Adjunct Faculty, Psychology Department, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver, Colorado

CNS Medical Science Liaison, McNeil Consumer & Speciality Pharmaceuticals

July 2004-Sept 2007 Medical Science Liaison in CNS, UCB Pharmaceuticals
Sept 2007-present Professional Education Scientific Manager, Teva Neuroscience (field based position in Aurora, Colorado).
E-Mail alisonmcreynolds[at]msn.com

Juli Jones (May 2002)

Dissertation: Neuroendocrine Bases of Nutritional Infertility in Syrian Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)
Chair: Dr. George Wade

Positions: Sept. 2002-Feb. 2006 Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School, Division of Endocrinology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Mentor: Joel Elmquist

February 2006-present National Research Council Fellow, Thermal
and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, Massachusetts
E-Mail: julidav[at]gmail.com

Susan L. Zup (May 2002)

Dissertation: The Role of Bcl-2 Family Members in Sexual Differentiation and Adult Neural Plasticity

Chair: Dr. Nancy Forger

Positions: Feb. 2002-Sept 2007 Postdoc, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Laboratories of Dr. Gloria Hoffman and Dr. Margaret McCarthy.
E-Mail: szup001[at]umaryland.edu

Beginning 2008, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Stephan Froggett (February 2003)

Dissertation: Endocytosis Dependent Critical Periods Mediated Proper Giant Fiber Escape Circuit Development in Drosophila melanogaster
Chair: Dr. Rod Murphey
Positions: August 2002-January 2003 Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Kathmandu University Medical School, New Baneswor, Kathmandu, Nepal.

September2003-September 2004 Postdoctoral Fellow,Janis Weeks lab, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene.
Steve's Webpage from Janis Weeks lab

January 2005-December 2006 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Division of Human Biology, Laboratory of Julie Overbaugh, Seattle, Washington
July 2005-September 2006 Senior Fellow/Visiting Professor, University of Nairobi, Kenyatte National Teaching Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Nairobi, Kenya.

September 2007-present AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA/OSTA/NTPMD, Washington, D.C.
E-Mail: Steve.Froggett[at]fas.usda.gov

Susan Kralian (September 2003)

Dissertation: Stabilization of the Frog Neuromuscular Junction: Terminal Schwann Cells and the Actin Cytoskeleton

Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Connor

Positions: August 13, 2003-May 15, 2004 Visiting Associate Professor, Biology Department, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, Montana

September 2005-present High School Teacher, New York City
E-Mail: Kralsusa[at]yahoo.com

Erich N. Ottem (February 2004)

Dissertation: Glutamatergic and GABAerigic Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Neurons
Chair: Dr. Sandra Petersen

Positions: Jan. 2004-Sept 2007 Postdoctoral Fellow, Michigan State University, Neuroscience Program, (Laboratory of Dr. Marc Breedlove and Cynthia Jordan), East Lansing, Michigan. Erich's Webpage

September 2007-present Assistant Professor, Exercise Science, Health and Physical Education Department, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
E-Mails: enottem[at]mtu.edu or ottemerich[at]hotmail.com

Princy S. Quadros (May 2004)

Dissertation: New Insights into Steroid Hormone Regulation of Progesterone Receptor Expression: Age, Sex and Region Predict Estradiol Action in the Rat Brain.
Chair: Dr. Christine Wagner

Position: Sept 2004-present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
E-Mail: pquadros[at]nsm.umass.edu

Heather A. Molenda-Figueira (February 2006)

Dissertation: Nuclear Receptor Coactivators Modulate Hormone-Dependent Gene Expression in Brain and Female Reproductive Behavior in Rats
Chair: Dr. Marc Tetel

Position: October 2005-present Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Laboratory of
Dr. Cheryl Sisk
E-Mail: figueir2[at]msu.edu

Robert J. Polewan (February 2006)

Dissertation: Physiological and Behavioral Studies of Rabbit Eyeblink Conditioning Under Temporal Uncertainty: Purkinje Cell Response and Compound Conditioning
Chair: Dr. John Moore

Positions: February 1, 2006-present Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Laboratory of Dr. John Moore
August 27, 2007-May 28, 2008 Visiting Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts
E-Mail: rpolewan[at]assumption.edu

Mat Davenport Matthew D. Davenport (May 2006)

Dissertation: Physiological Aspects of Chronic Stress in the Rhesus Monkey: Effects of Self-Injurious Behavior Chair: Dr. Melinda Novak

Position: August 2006-present Postdoc, Behavioral Biology, Harvard Medical School, New England Primate Research Center, Southborough, Mass.
E-Mail: Matthew_Davenport[at]hms.harvard.edu

Trisha K. Prunty (May 2006)

Dissertation: Comparison of Child (Home sapiens) and Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Search Strategies on Invisible Displacement Tasks
Chair: Dr. Melinda Novak
Position: August 15, 2006-present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Mount Olive College, Mount Olive, North Carolina
E-Mail: pprunty[at]moc.edu

Christina Metevier (May 2006)

Dissertation: Tool Using in Rhesus Monkeys and 36-Month-Old Children: Acquisition, Comprehension, and Individual Differences
Chair: Dr. Melinda Novak
Position: June 1, 2006-present Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Laboratory of Drs. Melinda Novak and Rachel Keen.
E-Mail: stina[at]nsm.umass.edu

Sarah C. Strand (September 2006)

Dissertation: Impact of Early Rearing Environment on the Behavior and Physiology of Juvenile and Adolescent Mother-Peer, Surrogate-Peer, and Peer-Only Reared Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
Chair: Dr. Melinda Novak
Position: September 1, 2006-present Staff Research Associate, California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California.
E-Mail: sstrand[at]ucdavis.edu

Brian J. Piper (February 2007)

Dissertation: Adolescent 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or Ecstasy) Exposure in Rats: Behavioral, Neurochemical, and Pharmocokinetic Activity
Chair: Dr. Jerrold Meyer

Positions: March 2007-March 2008 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Oregon, Lewis Center for Neuroimaging, Laboratory of Scott H. Frey, Eugene, Oregon
E-Mail: brpiper[at]uoregon.edu

March 2008 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Laboratory of Jacob Raber, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon

Jeremy Houser Jeremy D. Houser (February 2007)

B.S. Biological Psychology and Environmental Science, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia (May 2000)

Dissertation: The Invasion of Linyphia triangularis (Araneae Linyphiidae) in Maine: Ecological and Behavioral Interactions with Native Species
Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Jakob

Position: April 2007-present Teacher/Farmer/Grant Writer, The Farm Institute, Martha's Vineyard, Edgartown, Massachusetts
E-Mail: jeremy.houser[at]gmail.com

Christa D. Skow (February 2007)

Dissertation: Jumping Spiders and Aposematic Prey: The Role of Contextual Cues During Learned Avoidance
Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Jakob

Position: July 1, 2007-present Laboratory Instructorship, Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts

Melissa A. Birkett (September 2007)

Dissertation: Investigation of Serotonergic and GABA-ergic Interactions in Physiological and Behavioral Measures of Anxiety
Chairs: Drs. Jerrold Meyer and James Rowlett

Position: August 20, 2007 to present Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
E-Mail: Melissa.Birkett[at]nau.edu

Veronica Lopez (September 2007)

B.A. Psychology University of California, Berkeley, 1993

Dissertation: Transiently Expressed Progestin Receptors in the Perinatal Rat Isocortex
Chair: Dr. Christine Wagner

Position: September 2007-present Coordinator, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies and Instructor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
E-Mail: lopez[at]nsm.umass.edu

Angela N. Duke (September 2007)

Dissertation: GABA A Receptor Mechanisms in Benzodiazepine Physical Dependence and Tolerance

Chairs: Drs. James Rowlett and Jerrold Meyer

Position: September 2007-present Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Behavioral Biology, Harvard Medical School, New England Primate Research Center, Southborough, Mass.
E-Mail: angela_duke[at]hms.harvard.edu

Dena A. Jacob (February 2008)

Dissertation: The Role of Cell Death in the Development of a Sexually Dimorphic Neuromuscular System
Chair: Dr. Nancy Forger

E-Mail: denaj[at]nsm.umass.edu

Julie Laroche (February 2008)

Dissertation: Neuroendocrine Effects of Peripubertal Stress Exposure in the Female Mouse
Chair:: Dr. Jeffrey Blaustein

E-Mail: laroche_julie[at]hotmail.com