News & Announcements
Past news and announcements are shown below. Current news is shown on our homepage.
Jessica Caballero-Feliciano PhD Public Dissertation Defense
Jessica Caballero-Feliciano PhD Public Dissertation Defense
Friday, May 28, 2021
10:00 AM
Zoom Link: Please contact
to be included on the email list for this announcement
Dissertation Title: "Role of prefrontal cortex in reward seeking behaviors"
Advisor: David Moorman
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship Awarded to NSB doctoral student, Mélise Edwards
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship Awarded to NSB doctoral student, Mélise Edwards
Congratulations to Mélise Edwards for being awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship. Mélise is 2nd year PhD student in the Hormones & Cognition lab at UMass Amherst and the founder of MUSE Mentorship. She interested in age-related cognitive decline and the role of hormones like estrogen in cognition and cell signaling.
Len Jacob PhD Dissertation Defense
Len Jacob PhD Dissertation Defense
Monday, March 1, 2021
9:30 AM
Zoom link: Please contact
to be included on the email list for this announcement
Dissertation Title: "The Two Sides of Neural Habituation in Visual Processing: Enhanced Novelty Detection Versus Repetition Deficits"
Advisor: David Huber
Dan Vahaba as a recent UMass NSB alum!
Dan Vahaba as a recent UMass NSB alum!
NSB alumnus, Daniel Vahaba, has been featured in the UMass Initiative on Neurosciences (IONs) newsletter highlighting recent publications. Dr. Vahaba published research in collaboration members of the Healey Lab in the Nature of Scientific Reports. Read more
UMass Amherst Life Sciences Junior Fellows Seminar with Dr. Jeffrey Karp
UMass Amherst Life Sciences Junior Fellows Seminar with Dr. Jeffrey Karp
The Junior Fellows program has invited Dr. Jeffrey Karp to give a talk on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
Title: Towards Accelerated Medical Innovation.
Time: 5-6PM
To register to attend, please click HERE
UMass NSB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Website
UMass NSB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Website
Visit the NSB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website to 1) celebrate the contributions of Black scientists, 2) find resources to support BIPOC students, faculty and postdocs, and 3) support antiracism self-education and action.
IDGP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement
IDGP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement
The Interdepartmental Graduate Programs in Life Sciences (IDGPs) believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment is critical to all that we do. We recognize that systemic racism exists in our society and we pledge to educate ourselves so that we can change our ingrained habits and beliefs. We are committed to make our programs accessible to all and to increase the success of all our members. We dedicate our time, effort and financial resources to these activities. We work with Institutional leaders, faculty, staff and students to achieve these goals. We are providing this pdf link so that you are able to view a working document of our activities.
We are proud of our amazing students and post docs who have worked tirelessly for the betterment of our community. Our students have fostered a tight-knit, progressive community and their recent efforts have resulted in this petition for systematic change. We stand with them in recognizing that change is required in order to make progress toward a more equitable, just, diverse and inclusive environment.
The University has established an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and their website provides links to many resources. We encourage you to make use of these tools, including links to videos, books and podcasts as well as programing, as we embark together on our journey to improve our community for all our members.
NSB students continue with their accomplishments this semester
NSB students continue with their accomplishments this semester
Incoming NSB student Annabelle Flores-Bonilla was awarded an NSF GRFP. Annabelle will continue her research in the Richardson lab.
Emily Rothwell, a postdoc in the Lacreuse lab, was awarded a Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology travel award to present her work on sleep and cognition in the common marmoset.
Melise Edwards was awarded an NSF GRFP honorable mention and the CRF travel award, as well as a place in the 2020 CRF graduate grant writing program.
Rebecca Spencer Featured in Netflix Series and PBS NOVA Program
Rebecca Spencer Featured in Netflix Series and PBS NOVA Program
NSB faculty member and sleep researcher Bekki Spencer is featured in a new Netflix series called “Babies,” which debuts on Friday, Feb. 21 on the streaming service. “Babies” is a docu-series that follows 15 international families that were filmed over the course of a year and explores everything related to babies from the newborn stage to toddler. Spencer also will be featured on the PBS NOVA episode “Mysteries of Sleep,” which airs on Feb. 26. The program shows that during sleep, the brain performs several tasks that are essential to well-being and normal development: It processes emotions; it manages and stores memories; and it may also help people learn and remember new things. (Read more)
Student spotlight – Sarah Winokur
Student spotlight – Sarah Winokur
Neuroscience and Behavior PhD student, Sarah Winokur, received three awards to support her dissertation research: The Dissertation Fellowship from the Center for Research on Families, The Psychological and Brain Sciences Department’s Rayner Memorial Fund Award, and The UMass Amherst Graduate School’s Dissertation Research Grant. Read more