Rikki is awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!

Published on March 23, 2022

Congratulations to Rikki Laser for receiving the coveted NSF GRF in 2021!

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based Master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.

Rikki’s work will explore the role of huddling, one of the first social experiences rodents have, on the development of social behavior and the social brain.

Great job Rikki!!

(Note: It’s a little late to be making this announcement, but 2021 slipped by faster than 2020!)

Sailer LL, Finton CJ, Patel PP, Bogdanowicz SM, Ophir AG (2024) Dorsal CA1 lesions of the hippocampus impact mating tactics in prairie voles by shifting non-monogamous males’ use of space to resemble monogamous males. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 18,1355807 (Sailer and Finton share 1^st authorship)

Elson MR, Prior NH, Ophir AG (2024) Neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying reproductive decision making across taxa. In: Neuroendocrinology of Behavior and Emotions. (eds: Caldwell HK, Albers HE). Switzerland: Springer Nature. in press. (Prior and Ophir share last authorship).

Forero SA, Ophir AG (2023) Bonding against the odds: Male prairie vole response to the “widow effect” among females. Behavioural Processes. 213, 104968.

Haghani A, Li, CZ, Robeck, TR, Zhang J, Lu AT, et al. … Ophir AG … Sailer LL … Horvath S (2023) DNA methylation networks underlying mammalian traits. Science. 381, eabq5693.

Lu AT, Fei Z, Haghani A, Robeck TR, Zoller JA, et al. … Ophir AG … Sailer LL … Horvath S (2023) Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues. Nature Aging. 3, 1144-1166.

Hiura LC, Lazaro VA, Ophir AG (2023) Plasticity in parental behavior and vasopressin: Responses to co-parenting, pup age, and an acute stressor are experience-dependent. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 17, 1172845.

Wallace KJ, Chun EK, Manns JR, Ophir AG, Kelly AM (2023) A test of the social behavior network reveals differential patterns of neural responses to social novelty in bonded, but not non-bonded, male prairie voles. Hormones and Behavior. 152, 105362. (Wallace and Chun share 1^st authorship; Ophir and Kelly share last authorship)

Forero SA, Sailer LL, Girčytė A, Madrid JE, Sullivan N, Ophir AG (2023) Motherhood and DREADD manipulation of the nucleus accumbens weaken established pair bonds in female prairie voles. Hormones and Behavior. 151, 105351.

Freeman AR, Lee DN, Allen JJ, Blank B, Jeffery D, Lerer A, Singh B, Southard T, Cheong SH, Ophir AG (2023) Extreme plasticity of reproductive state in a female rodent. Current Biology. 33, R203-R218.

Wu W-Y, Yiu E, Ophir AG, Smith DM (2023) Effects of social context manipulation on dorsal and ventral hippocampal neuronal responses. Hippocampus. 33, 830-843.

Ophir Lab

Integrative Neuroethology Lab

Rikki is awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!