Institute of Behavioral Genetics
phone: 303-492-1463
fax: 303-492-8063
Research Interests
- Study of genetics of addiction behaviors in humans and rodents.
- The effects of exercise on alcohol-related phenotypes in mouse models.
Personnel
- Director: Marissa A. Ehringer, Ph.D.
- Graduate Students: Pamela Romero Villela, Eamonn Duffy, Erika Mehrhoff, Myra Bower
- Undergraduate Students: Caroline Aki, Matthew Branney, Anna Funke, Luke Hendricks, Harriet Lee
- Local Collaborators: Christopher Lowry, IPHY; Ryan Bachtell, Psychology & Neuroscience; John Hewitt, Michael Stallings, Robin Corley, Matthew Keller, Jerry Stitzel, Charles Hoeffer, Institute for Behavioral Genetics; Laura Saba, University of Colorado Medical School.
Current Research Projects
- Genetic mapping of oxycodone and related behaviors using inbred rat strains
- Translational studies of human genes associated with alcohol and tobacco behaviors.
- Identification of rare, novel SNPs.
- In vitro functional characterization of human SNPs.
- Behavioral testing of knock-in, CRISPR/Cas9, and inbred selected strains of mice.
Opportunities for Undergraduates
- Our lab does not currently have any openings for undergraduate research assistants.
- The requirements for undergraduate students who want a research experience in our laboratory are:
- A major in IPHY, MCDB, EBIO, PSYCH.
- Either have completed or be concurrently enrolled in IPHY 2800 Introduction to Statistics.
- Enroll in Independent Study (IPHY 4860) for 8-10 hours/week for at least one semester.
- Cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.
- Interested students should complete this application and e-mail it to Marissa.Ehringer@colorado.edu