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Neuroscience faculty and research

Faculty associated with the Neuroscience Intercollege Graduate Degree Program at Penn State, together with a summary of their research interests in neuroscience. Faculty are listed in alphabetical order of last name. To see more information about a faculty member, click on his/her name.

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Name	Email/phone	Interests include
Alloway, Kevin Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	kda1@psu.edu 717-531-6413 (Hershey)	Neural circuits; information processing; sensorimotor integration; neuropathology of chronic pain.
Andrews, Anne Associate Professor of Molecular Toxicology	ama11@psu.edu 814-865-2970 (University Park)	Role of serotonin in complex behavior, and the etiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders (depression and anxiety disorders) and neurodegenerative diseases. In vivo neurotransmitter sensing, nanobiosensor design and functional proteomics.
Barber, Alistair Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology	abarber@psu.edu 717-531-6506 (Hershey)	Neurodegeneration in diabetic retinopathy.
Barnstable, Colin Professor and Chair, Neural & Behavioral Sciences Co-Director, Penn State Neuroscience Institute	cjb30@psu.edu 717-531-3631 (Hershey)	How interacting networks of transcription factors and signal transduction molecules guide the development of precursor/stem cells into mature neurons. Role of these networks in neurodegenerative diseases. Factors that can act as neuroprotective agents.
Bartell, Paul Assistant Professor of Avian Biology	pab43@psu.edu 814-867-2365 (University Park)	Neurobiology of biological clocks; the role of circadian clocks and circannual timers in regulating physiology and behavior.
Beard, John Professor of Nutrition	jbeard@psu.edu 814-863-2917 (University Park)	Iron and monoamine metabolism in nutrition.
Berenbaum, Sheri Professor of Psychology	sberenbaum@psu.edu 814-865-6140 (University Park)	Development and neuroendocrine basis of human sex-typed cognition and social behavior.
Billingsley, Melvin Professor of Pharmacology	mlb8@psu.edu 717-531-6028 (Hershey)	Mechanisms of calcium-induced signal transduction in brain, focusing on calmodulin-mediated enzymes. Isolation and characterization of novel, neuron-specific genes, with emphasis on those involved in neurotoxic actions of various agents.
Bixler, Edward Professor of Psychiatry Vice-Chair of Research	ebixler@psu.edu 717-531-5556 (Hershey)	Patterns and mechanisms of sleep.
Bonneau, Robert Professor of Microbiology and Immunology	rhb3@psu.edu 717-531-4078 (Hershey)	Neuroendocrine-mediated modulation of immunity to viral pathogens.
Cavener, Douglas (Doug) Professor and Head of Biology	drc9@psu.edu 814-865-4562 (University Park)	Regulation of central nervous system functions through control of protein synthesis and translation initiation.
Cavigelli, Sonia Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health	s-cavigelli@psu.edu 814-863-0210 (University Park)	Influence of temperament and social status on stress and health; individual differences in stress and health in the natural environment; development of temperament/personality.
Chen, Gong Assistant Professor of Biology	gongchen@psu.edu 814-865-2488 (University Park)	Molecular and cellular mechanism of learning and memory, synapse formation and synaptic plasticity.
Clement, Ryan Assistant Professor of Bioengineering	rclement@psu.edu 814-865-5190 (University Park)	Neural engineering and neuroprostheses.
Collins, John Professor of Physics	collins@phys.psu.edu 814-863-0783 (University Park)	Algorithms of neural computation for learning and memory; relationship between neuronal and behavioral phenomena.
Connor, James Professor and Vice-Chair Department of Neurosurgery	jrc3@psu.edu 717-531-6408 (Hershey)	Iron transport and toxicity in neurodegenerative diseases/oxidative cell injury.
Corwin, Rebecca Associate Professor of Nutrution and Neuroscience	rxc13@psu.edu 814-865-6519 (University Park)	Neurobiology of binge-type behavior.
Covasa, Mihai Assistant Professor of Nutrition	mzc13@psu.edu 814-663-2919 (University Park)	Control of obesity: reduced sensitivity to satiation signals.
Dworkin, Barry Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	brd1@psu.edu 717-531-8560 (Hershey)	Learning and physiological regulation.
Ellis, John Professor of Psychiatry & Pharmacology Director of Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory	johnellis@psu.edu 717-531-4241 (Hershey)	Mechanistic and molecular investigations of activation and allosteric regulation of G protein-coupled receptors.
Eslinger, Paul Professor of Neurology	peslinger@psu.edu 717-531-8692 (Hershey)	Neural substrates of human cognition and learning.
Ewing, Andrew Professor of Chemistry Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Natural Sciences	age@psu.edu 814-863-4653 (University Park)	Development and application of bioanalytical chemistry techniques to small-volume and single-cell neurochemistry, biology, and biophysics.
Fang, Jidong Associate Professor of Psychiatry	jfang@psu.edu 717-531-5435 (University Park)	Regulation and function of sleep.
Gardner, Thomas Professor of Ophthalmology, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology	tgardner@psu.edu 717-531-8783 (Hershey)	Cellular and molecular mechanisms in the initiation of diabetic retinopathy.
Gaumond, Roger Associate Professor of Bioengineering	r5g@psu.edu 814-865-8092 (University Park)	Techniques for the recording and analysis of electrical signals generated by elements of the nervous system.
Gilmore, Rick Associate Professor of Psychology	rogilmore@psu.edu 814-865-3664 (University Park)	The cognitive neuroscience of perception, memory, and action in infancy and early childhood.
Gluckman, Bruce Associate Director, Penn State Center for Neural Engineering Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics Associate Professor of Neurosurgery	brucegluckman@psu.edu 814-865-0178 (University Park)	The dynamics of neural systems, how group dynamics form or emerge from the coupled dynamics of individual units, and how to measure and interact with these systems.
Grigson, Patricia Associate Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	psg6@psu.edu 717-531-5772 (Hershey)	Neural basis of reward comparison.
Hajnal, Andras Assistant Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	ahajnal@psu.edu 717-531-6916 (Hershey)	Neural correlates of obesity, type-2 diabetes, and body weight reduction; relevance to taste preferences and diet selection.
Han, Kyung-An Associate Professor of Biology	kxh29@psu.edu 814-863-2753 (University Park)	Neurobiology of learning and memory and drug addiction.
Jin, Dezhe Assistant Professor of Physics	dzj2@psu.edu 814-863-6673 (University Park)	Computational models of neural basis of motor control and learning; theoretical analysis of biological neural networks.
Jones, Byron Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Pharmacology	bcj1@psu.edu 814-863-0167 (University Park)	Pharmacogenetics of psychotropic drug action; role of iron in neurobehavioral development.
Kim, Uhnoh Associate Professor of Neurosugery	ukim@psu.edu 717-531-0003 (Hershey)	cellular and synaptic mechanisms that underlie the synchronous oscillatory activity in three different neural systems of the mammalian brain: the thalamo-cortical, limbic forebrain-habenular, and subthalamo-pallidal systems.
Klein, Laura Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health	lxk8@psu.edu 814-865-8813 (University Park)	Biobehavioral effects of stress on drug abuse in humans and animals; sex differences in neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses; nicotine regulation of stress reactivity.
Kozhevnikov, Alexay Assistant Professor of Physics	akozhevn@phys.psu.edu 814-865-6873 (University Park)	How activity of neurons in the brain of a songbird codes for the bird’s song.
Krady, Kyle Assistant Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	jkk7@psu.edu 717-531-7749 (Hershey)	Microglial cells, with emphasis on their activation in response to neurodegeneration.
LaNoue, Kathryn Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology	kfl1@psu.edu 717-531-8155 (Hershey)	Neuronal glutamate synthesis and degradation.
Lai, Zhi-Chun Associate Professor of Biology	zcl1@psu.edu 814-863-0479 (University Park)	Regulation of Notch signaling for cell fate control and neural morphogenesis.
Levenson, Robert Professor of Pharmacology	rlevenson@psu.edu 717-531-4545 (Hershey)	Regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission; links between dopamine signaling and drug addiction and reward.
Liu, Aimin Assistant Professor of Biology	axl25@psu.edu 814-865-7043 (University Park)	The regulation of cell fate and polarity in mammalian central nervous system and sensory organs.
Liu, David Assistant Professor, Neural and Behavioral Sciences	dxl39@psu.edu 717-531-4168 (Hershey)	Regulation of neuronal cell death and neural differentiation.
Liu, Si-Qiong (June) Assistant Professor of Biology	sjl16@psu.edu 814-865-6063 (University Park)	Synaptic plasticity and receptor trafficking.
Lowe, Tao Assistant Professor of Surgery, Bioengineering, and Materials Science and Engineering Co-chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Molecular Toxicology	tll23@psu.edi 717-531-8602 (Hershey)	Drug delivery and tissue engineering for the treatment of neurological diseases.
Luscher, Bernhard Professor of Biology Interim Co-Director, Penn State Neuroscience Institute	bxl25@psu.edu 814-865-5549 (University Park)	Development and regulation of GABAergic inhibitory synapses; neural substrates regulating anxiety and cognition.
McEchron, Matthew Assistant Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	mdm27@psu.edu 717-531-7400 (Hershey)	Neural networks of learning and memory; neurophysiology of aging and learning.
McLaughlin, Patricia Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences Director, Graduate Program in Anatomy	pxm9@psu.edu 717-531-6414 (Hershey)	Growth factors and receptors in brain and heart development and cancer.
Milner, Robert Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	rmilner@psu.edu 717-531-6407 (Hershey)	Gene expression in glial cells; activation of microglial cells.
Moore, Gregory Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neural & Behavioral Sciences Director, Behavioral Neuroimaging Research Division	gmoore@psu.edu 717-531-8646 (Hershey)	Delineation and validation of in vivo neuroimaging biomarkers of molecular events.
Norgren, Ralph Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	rxn5@psu.edu 717-531-6921 (Hershey)	Neural bases of motivation and reward.
Ordway, Richard (Rick) Associate Professor of Biology Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Genetics	rwo4@psu.edu 814-863-5693 (University Park)	Molecular analysis of synaptic mechanisms in Drosophila.
Ouyang, Ann Professor of Medicine	aouyang@psu.edu 717-531-8741 (Hershey)	The role of the brain-gut axis in gastrointestinal disorders. Nociceptive pathways from the gastrointestinal tract.
Palmer, Charles Professor of Pediatrics	cpalmer@psu.edu 717-531-1358 (Hershey)	Perinatal hypoxic ischemic brain injury. Inhibition of microglial activation. Pain and stress in the newborn infant.
Patterson, Randen Assistant Professor of Biology	rlp25@psu.edu 814-865-1668 (University Park)	Hormonal and growth factor regulation of neuronal calcium; the role of calcium in neuronal development.
Peterson, Blaise Assistant Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology	bpeterson@psu.edu 717-531-8569 (Hershey)	Molecular, pharmacological and biophysical properties of voltage-gated ion channels; calcium signaling; malaria; toxins; assay development.
Pritchard, Thomas Associate Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	tcp1@psu.edu 717-531-6410 (Hershey)	Central correlates of gustatory perception.
Ray, Chester (Chet) Professor of Medicine, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology	car20@psu.edu 717-531-5310 (Hershey)	Vestibular regulation of the sympathetic nervous system, exercise and autonomic function.
Ray, William Professor of Psychology	wjr@psu.edu 814-863-1726 (University Park)	Psychophysiology of cognitive and motor processes.
Ritter, Frank Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology	frank-ritter@psu.edu 814-865-4453 (University Park)	Modeling effects of stress and behaviour moderators on cognition within cognitive architectures.
Ruiz-Velasco, Victor Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology	vruizvelasco@psu.edu 717-531-6076 (Hershey)	Study of mechanisms by which second messengers, particularly G proteins, modulate voltage-dependent N-type Ca2+ channels following G protein-coupled receptor activation.
Sainburg, Robert Associate Professor of Kinesiology Associate Professor of Neurology	rls45@psu.edu 814-865-7938 (University Park)	Neural mechanisms underlying control of multijoint arm movements in humans.
Schengrund, Cara-Lynne Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology	cxs8@psu.edu 717-531-8048 (Hershey)	Role(s) of glycosphingolipids in infection by pathogens.
Schiff, Steven Director, Penn State Center for Neural Engineering Brush Chair Professor of Engineering Professor of Neurosurgery Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics	sschiff@psu.edu 814-863-4210 (University Park)	Neural engineering, neurosurgery, epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, wave mechanics, brain machine interfaces, EEG, electrical fields, and control theory.
Simmons, Zachary Professor of Neurology	zsimmons@psu.edu 717-531-1802 (Hershey)	Pathogenetic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Nutrition in ALS.
Simpson, Ian Professor of Neural and Behavioral Sciences	ixs10@psu.edu 717-531-4156 (Hershey)	Regulation of cerebral nutrient transport and metabolism, and their role in stroke.
Slobounov, Semyon Associate Professor of Kinesiology	sms18@psu.edu 814-865-3146 (University Park)	Psychophysiology of human movement.
Sternad, Dagmar Professor of Motor Control/Kinesiology	dxs48@psu.edu 814-863-7369 (University Park)	Coordination of rhythmic movements, polyrhythmic relations in interlimb coordination.
Subramanian, Thyagarajan Professor of Neurology and Neural and Behavioral Sciences Director, Movement Disorders Program	tus16@psu.edu 717-531-1804 (Hershey)	Neural Transplantation and gene therapy for neurodegenerative disorders. Basal ganglia pathophysiology. Stem cell biology and immunology of transplantation. Preclinical and clinical therapeutics in movement disorders.
Summy-Long, Joan Professor of Pharmacology	jsl2@psu.edu 717-531-8290 (Hershey)	Dendritic release of neuropeptides and cytokine interactions in the magnocellular system.
Tenser, Richard Professor of Neurology, and Microbiology and Immunology	rtenser@psu.edu 717-531-1801 (Hershey)	Latent and slow virus infections of the nervous system; multiple sclerosis.
Tombran-Tink, Joyce Professor of Neural and Behavioral Science	jxt57@psu.edu 717-531-8264 (Hershey)
Vandenbergh, David Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health	djv4@psu.edu 814-863-8430 (University Park)	Control of neuronal gene expression by drugs of abuse; QTL identification of behaviorally-relevant genes.
Vrana, Kent Elliot S. Vesell Professor and Chair of Pharmacology	kvrana@psu.edu 717-531-8285 (Hershey)	Functional genomics and proteomics of the nervous system.
Webb, Andrew Professor of Bioengineering Director, Magnetic Resonance Center	agw3@psu.edu 814-865-0459 (University Park)	Development of magnetic resonance and optical imaging techniques to study cognitive function.
Weiss, Paul Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Physics	stm@psu.edu 814-865-2692 (University Park)	In vivo neurotransmitter sensing, nanobiosensor design and functional proteomics. Physical models of neurodegeneration.
Weisz, Judith Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology	jxw7@psu.edu 717-531-8142 (Hershey)	Neural integration of reproduction: steroids and cytochrome P-450.
Wenger, Michael Associate Professor of Psychology Director, Human Electrophysiology Facility	mjw19@psu.edu 814-863-6023 (University Park)	Models for cortical plasticity in visual perceptual learning; vision, memory, computational neuroscience.
Whim, Matthew Assistant Professor of Biology	mdw13@psu.edu 814-863-3891 (University Park)	Regulation of neuropeptide secretion.
Yang, Qing Associate Professor of Radiology	qyang@psu.edu 717-531-5858 (Hershey)	Brain mapping with functional MRI and in vivo pathological evaluation of Alzheimer's disease with quantitative MRI.
Zagon, Ian Distinguished Professor Distinguished Educator Director, Program on Education in Human Structure	isz1@psu.edu 717-531-8650 (Hershey)	Peptides and receptors in development, cancer, cell renewal, wound healing, angiogenesis, cornea, neurodegeneration, diabetes and Crohn's Disease.
Zhang, Samuel (Sam) Shao-Min Assistant Professor of Neural & Behavioral Sciences	ssz3@psu.edu 717-531-8480 (Hershey)	Signal transduction in mammal development and pathogenesis. Systems biology of neural development and function.

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Neuroscience faculty and research

Jump to the subset of these people that work in: