Erik Knight

Education: PhD, University of Oregon

Research Interests: My research focuses on stress and health within social hierarchies by examining bidirectional relationships among hormones, inflammation, and social status. Within this broad domain, I also examine biological determinants of status-seeking behavior with a particular focus on causal mechanisms linking biology to behavior (and vice versa). I have used this research to begin to target biosocial risk factors for mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease, and related dementias. Ultimately, my research aims to uncover psychosocial and biological determinants of risk and resilience factors for social disparities in stress and health.