Neuroscience and Behavior Program

 

 

     

 

 

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Faculty Members and Their Research Interests
 

The faculty are clustered according to five main themes:

1. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
2. Neuroendocrinology
3. Neural and Behavioral Development
4. Animal Behavior and Learning
5. Sensorimotor, Cognitive, and Computational Neuroscience

Faculty research descriptions, office phone number, e-mail address for each faculty member is listed below the five theme groups.

Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Michael Barresi
Eric Bittman
Jeffrey Blaustein
James Chambers
Daniel Chase
Elizabeth Connor
Geert de Vries

Gerald Downes
Nancy Forger
Adam Hall
Mary Harrington

Abigail Jensen
Rolf Karlstrom
Jerrold Meyer
John Nambu
Leonard Norkin
Sandra Petersen
James Rowlett
Lawrence Schwartz
Wei-Dong Yao
Thomas Zoeller

Zebrafish Ipsilateral Axon Mutants
Zebrafish Ipsilateral Axon Mutants
Adult-onset obesity in Nhlh2 knockout mice
Adult-onset Obesity in Nhlh2 Knockout Mice

 

Neuroendocrinology
                

John-Paul Baird
Eric Bittman
Jeffrey Blaustein

Barry Braun
Matt Davidson
Geert de Vries
Nancy Forger

Mary Harrington
Duncan Irschick
Agnès Lacreuse
Sandra Petersen
Sally Powers
Thomas Zoeller

Vasopressin innervation (yellow fibers) of a castrated (right) and intact gerbil (left)

Vasopressin Innervation (yellow fibers) of the Lateral Septum in an Intact (left side) vs. a Castrated (right side) Gerbil

 

Neural and Behavioral Development

Neil Berthier
Elliott Blass
Elizabeth Connor
Matt Davidson
Gerald Downes
Abigail Jensen

Rolf Karlstrom
Jerrold Meyer
John Nambu
Sally Powers
Rebecca Ready
Lawrence Schwartz
Lisa Scott

 

Visual and Motor Development in Human Infants

Animal Behavior and Learning

Andrew Barto
Kyle Cave
UnJa Hayes
Duncan Irschick
Elizabeth Jakob
Agnès Lacreuse
Melinda Novak
Sarah Partan
Jeffrey Podos
James Rowlett
Hava Siegelmann
John Stoffolano
Wei-Dong Yao

 

 
Parental Behavior of Prairie Voles
Local Jumping Spider, Phidippus princeps, Foraging on a Fall Day
Cognitive abilities of nonhuman primates
Cognitive Abilities of Nonhuman Primates

Sensorimotor, Cognitive, and Computational Neuroscience

Andrew Barto
Neil Berthier

Barry Braun
Kyle Cave
Matt Davidson
Gerald Downes
Joseph Hamill
Gary Kamen
UnJa Hayes
Jane Kent-Braun

Agnès Lacreuse
Lisa Sanders
Lisa Scott
Hava Siegelmann
Rebecca Spencer
R. van Emmerick
Gordon Wyse

A Reinforcement Learning Controller Applied to Motor Control

 

John-Paul Baird, Assistant Professor of Psychology (Amherst College)
Ph.D.University of Pennsylvania 
Neurophysiology of Brainstem Gustatory-Visceral Integration; Behavioral Microstructure of Gustation and Feeding; Neural Mechanisms of Meal Size Control

E-Mail: jpbaird[at]amherst.edu
Phone: 413-542-5828


Michael J.F. Barresi, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences (Smith College)
Ph.D. Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 2001
Developmental Neurobiology, Neuron and Glial Cell Interactions; Astroglial Cell Development in the CNS

E-Mail: mbarresi[at]email.smith.edu
Barresi Biology Web Conferences


Andrew G. Barto, Professor of Computer Science
Ph.D. University of Michigan, 1975
Learning in Animals and Machines; Reinforcement Learning; Computational and Neural Models of Motor Learning

Department of Computer Science Hompage
E-Mail: barto[at]cs.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2109

Neil E. Berthier, Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1981
Perceptual, Cognitive and Motor Development in Human Infants

Homepage
E-Mail: berthier[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-0535


Eric L. Bittman, Professor of Biology
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1978
Neuroendocrinology; Circadian Rhythms and Photoperiodism

E-Mail: elb[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-4344


Elliott M. Blass, Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of Virginia, 1967
Human Infant Motivation; Pain Management; Opioids; Face Recognition

E-Mail: eblass[at]medusa.sbs.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-0283


Jeffrey D. Blaustein, Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1977
Neuroendocrinology and Behavior; Neuronal Mechanisms of Action of
Steroid Hormones and Receptors; Environmental Influences on the Brain; Neurotransmitter-Hormone Interactions

UMass Magazine Summer 2003 artile on Neuroendocrinology at UMass
E-Mail: blaustein[at]cns.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-1524


Barry Braun, Professor of Kinesiology
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1993
PhysiologicSubstrate Kinetics During Human Exercise; Interactions Between Exercise, Insulin Resistance and Type-2 Diabetes

E-mail: bbraun[at]kin.umass.edu
Department of Kinesiology
Lab Webpage
Phone: 413-577-0146


Kyle R. Cave, Associate Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1989
Visual Attention, Including Computational Models of the Role of Attention in Object Recognition

E-Mail: kcave[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2787


Elizabeth A. Connor, Associate Professor of Biology
Ph.D. University of Vermont, 1982
Development and Maintenance of the Vertebrate Neuromuscular Junction; the Cytoskeleton of the Motor Nerve Terminal

econnor@bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-4855


Geert J. de Vries, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies

Ph.D. University of Amsterdam-School of Medicine, 1985
Research Interest: Development and Function of Sex Differences in the Brain; Neural Basis of Social Behavior

UMass Magazine Summer 203 article, "Neuroendocrinology at UMass"
E-Mail: gjd[at]cns.umass.edu
Homepage
Phone: 413-545-0663


Gerald B. Downes, Assistant Professr of Biology

Ph.D. Washington University, St. Louis, 1999
Research Interest: Development and Function of Spinal Cord Networks

E-Mail: gbdownes[at]bio.umass.edu


Nancy G. Forger, Acting Director, Neuroscience and Behavior Program and Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1986
Developmental Neurobiology; Sexual Differentiation of the Nervous System; Hormones and Neurotrophic Factors; Hormonal Control of Cell Death

E-Mail: nforger[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-5982


Adam C. Hall, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences (Smith College)

Molecular Mechanisms of Anesthetic Action in the Mammalian Nervous System

E-Mail: ahall[at]email.smith.edu
Phone: 413-585-3467
Room 337 Sabin-Reed, Smith College


Joseph Hamill, Professor of Kinesiology
Coordination and Control During Locomotion; Mechanical Modelling; Kinetics and Kinematics of Movement

Department of Kinesiology Homepage
Phone: 413-545-2245

Mary E. Harrington, Professor of Psychology (Smith College)
Neurochemical Basis of Photic and Nonphotic Phase-Shifting of Circadian Rhythms, Using Electrophysiological, Behavioral and Molecular Analyses.

E-Mail: mharring[at]smith.edu
Phone: 413-585-3925
417 Bass Hall, Smith College, Northampton, Mass. 01060


Duncan J. Irschick, Assistant Professor of Biology
Ph.D. Washington University, 1997
Functional Morphology, Evolution, and Behavioral Ecology.

E-Mail: irschick[at]bio.umass.edu


Elizabeth M. Jakob, Associate Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of California-Davis, 1989
Ecology and Evolution of Behavior, Especially Social Behavior and Learning in Spiders.

E-Mail: ejakob[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-577-0707


Abigail M. Jensen, Associate Professor of Biology
Ph.D. University Wisconsin
Developmental Neurobiology; Genetic Control of Retinal Development and Disease in Zebrafish

E-Mail: ajensen[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-4750


Gary P. Kamen, Professor of Kinesiology
Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1980
Neuromuscular Adaptations to Exercise and Muscle Disuse; Human Motor Control and Aging; Motor Unit Discharge Behavior

Kinesiology Webpage
Phone: 413-545-0784


Rolf O. Karlstrom, Associate Professor of Biology
Ph.D. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 1993
Developmental Neurobiology, Axon Guidance and Forebrain Patterning

E-Mail: karlstrom[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-577-3448


Jane A. Kent- Braun, Professor of Kinesiology
Ph.D. University of Southern California. Exercise Physiology, 1987
Neural, Bioenergetic and Contractile Alterations Associated with Changes in Skeletal Muscle Function in Old Age and Chronic Disease

Department of Kinesiology
Phone: 413-545-9477


Agnès Lacreuse Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France, 1994
Research Interest: Cognition, Aging, Sex Steroids in Nonhuman Primates

E-Mail: alacreuse[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2183


Jerrold S. Meyer, Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, 1974
Research Interest: Neurochemistry and Neuropharmacology of Monoamine Systems

E-Mail: jmeyer[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2168


John R. Nambu, Associate Professor of Biology
Ph.D. Stanford University, 1987
Research Interest: Molecular Genetics of Nervous System Development in Drosophila

E-Mail: jnambu[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2782


Leonard C. Norkin, Professor of Microbiology
Ph.D. Columbia University, 1969
Entry Pathway for Simian Virus 40 (SV40) into Cells; Caveolae;
Intracellular Signaling Pathways


Microbiology Department Webpage
E-Mail: lnorkin[at]microbio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2009


Melinda A. Novak, Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, 1973
E-Mail: mnovak[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2387


Sarah R. Partan, Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior (Hampshire College)
Ph.D. in Animal Behavior, University of California, David, 1998
Animal Communication; Multimodal Integration and Multisensory Communication

E-Mail: partan[at]hampshire.edu
Phone: 413-559-5559


Sandra L. Petersen, Professor of Biology
Ph.D. Oregon State University, 1984
Neuroendocrinology of Reproduction; Effects of Steroids on Gene
Expression in the Brain; Sexual Differentiation of the Brain;
Environmental Toxins as Endocrine Disrupters

E-Mail: sandyp[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-1808


Jeffrey Podos, Associate Professor of Biology
Ph.D. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 1996
Mechanisms and Evolution of Vertebrate Behavior; Bioacoustics

E-Mail: jpodos[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-0847


Sally I. Powers Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. Harvard University, 1982
Interaction of Normal Developmental Processes and Psychopathology in Adolescents

E-Mail: powers[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-3307


Rebecca Ellen Ready, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. The University of Iowa, Clinical Psychology, 2001
Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment with Geriatric Populations

E-Mail: ready[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-1359


Lisa D. Sanders, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. Psychology with Certificate in Neuroscience, University of Oregon, June 2001
Cognitive Neuroscience of Auditory Perception and Speech Processing

NeuroCognition and Perception Lab
E-Mail: lsanders[at]psych.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-5962


Lawrence Schwartz, Professor of Biology
Science Director, Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute
Director, Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research (CEAR)
Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle, 1982
Programmed Cell Death

E-Mail: LMS[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-2435


Hava Siegelmann, Professor of Computer Science
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 1970

Biological and Physical Computation, Neural Computation, Adaptive Information Systems, Machine Learning and Knowledge Discovery, Thoery of Analog and Adaptive Systems, Bioinformatics

E-Mail: hava[at]cs.umass.edu
Phone: 413-577-4282

John G. Stoffolano, Jr., Professor of Entomology
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 1970
Behavioral and Physiological Ecology, Impact of Nutrition and Hormones on Reproductive Behavior in Insects

Homepage - Entomology Dept.
Phone: 413-545-1046


Richard Van Emmerik, Professor of Kinesiology
Ph.D. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Motor Control and Coordination Changes and Movement Stability in Locomotion and Posture in Learning, Movement Disorders, and Development

Department of Kinesiology Hompage
Phone: 413-545-0325


Gordon A. Wyse, Professor of Biology
Ph.D. University of Michigan, 1967
Neurobiological Basis of Insect Feeding Behavior and of Other Innate
Behavior Patterns

E-Mail: gwyse[at]bio.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-0477


Wei-Dong Yao, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (Harvard Medical School)
Ph.D. University of Iowa, 1998
Regulatory Mechanisms of Dopaminergic Signaling; Synaptic Plasticity; Molecular and Cellular Adaptations Underlying Drug Addiction

E-Mail: wy19[at]hms.harvard.edu
Phone: 508-624-8106


R. Thomas Zoeller, Professor of Biology
Ph.D. Oregon State University, Corvallis, 1983
Molecular Mechanisms of Thyroid Hormone Action on Early Cortical Development; Environmental Endocrine Disruptors

E-Mail: tzoeller[at]bio.umass.edu
Home Page
Phone: 413-545-2088