Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

Warden Laboratory

Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Candidate    August, 2014—Present

I study the neural substrates of motivated behavior in a mouse model, and how environmental context affects motivation. Currently, I am investigating medial prefrontal cortical inputs to the ventral tegmental area with optogenetic stimulation, rabies-assisted anatomical tracing, and fiber photometry experiments to assay the behavioral relevance and circuit connectivity of this projection.

Cornell Research story.

Providence Affective Neuroscience Laboratory

Christopher M. Bloom, Ph.D

Lab Manager September, 2012 – May, 2014

Undergraduate Research Assistant April, 2011 – May, 2014

I co-developed and lead data collection on a project exploring the analgesic and anxiogenic effects manifest in adulthood due to juvenile exposure to predator odor in an animal model. I assisted in the conceptualization and data collection on multiple projects related to an animal model of human phobia centered on discriminated punishment. I have contributed as a first author on one publication and a secondary author on two others.

PUBLICATIONS

• Post, R. J. and Warden, M.R. (2018). Melancholy, anhedonia, apathy: the search for separable behaviors and neural circuits in depression. Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 49: 192-200. DOI
• Guru, A., Post, R.J., Ho, Y.Y., and Warden, M.R. (2015). Making sense of optogenetics. International Journal of Psychopharmacology. 18(11): pyv079.DOI
• Post, R.J., Dahlborg, K.M., O’Loughlin, L.E., and Bloom, C.M. (2014). Effects of juvenile exposure to predator odor on adolescent and adult anxiety and pain nociception. Physiology and Behavior. 131: 57-61.DOI
• Bloom, C.M., Post, R.J., Mazick, J., Blumenthal, B., Doyle, C., Peters, B., Dyche, J., and Davenport, D.G. (2013). A discriminated conditioned punishment model of phobia. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 9: 1239-1248.DOI
• Bloom, C.M., Post, R.J., Anch, A.M., and Davenport, D.G. (2013). Behavioral assessment of visual deficits in the taiep mutant. Degenerative Neurological and Neuromuscular Disease. 3: 15-21.DOI

Cornell University

Cornell Neurotech Mong Junior Fellowship August, 2017 – August, 2018

Presidential Life Sciences Fellowship August, 2014 – August, 2015

Providence College

Rhode Island Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Summer 2012, Summer 2013

St. Catherine of Siena Honors Scholarship August, 2010 – May, 2014

As Instructor

The Mind: From the Biological to the Artificial, BIONB 1220, Fall 2018

I developed and taught a course designed to instruct new Cornell undergraduates in the practice of academic writing through Cornell’s First-year Writing Seminar program. In this interactive seminar, we discussed a diversity of topics including the phenomenon of memory, science communication, representations of mental illness in fiction, and the impact of artificial intelligence on human society.

As Teaching Assistant

Drugs and the Brain, BIONB 3920, “Writing in the Majors” Teaching Assistant, Fall 2017

In this role, I was responsible for grading weekly essays regarding experimental design and writing and grading exams. My major responsibility included leading two weekly discussion sections and coaching students in developing their own discussion-based presentations and term papers on novel research topics. Course instructor: Ronald M. Harris-Warrick.

Introduction to Neuroscience, BIONB 2220, “Writing in the Majors” Teaching Assistant, Spring 2016

In addition to writing and grading exams, I taught three weekly discussion sections for which I was responsible for designing and implanting active learning exercises that expanded upon lecture material. For each week, I created review slides of lecture material, wrote worksheets that challenged students to apply concepts learned in class to novel problems, and created various group activities that developed students’ experimental design strategies. Throughout the semester, students wrote three research papers for which I provided detailed critical feedback.Course instructor: Ronald M. Harris-Warrick.

Foundations of Biology, BIOG 1140, Fall 2015

I taught discussion sections where my students and I used multiple active learning strategies to reinforce and expand upon the lecture material. The curriculum covers a great breadth of material, including basic genetics, cellular metabolism, evolution, and organismal biology.Course instructors: E. Robert Turgeon & Michael J. Scanlon

General & Organic Chemistry Laboratory Teaching Assistant 2011 – 2014

I assisted the Providence College chemistry faculty in teaching the lab sections of both General and Organic Chemistry. My responsibilities included molar dilution of necessary reagents, lab and stock room maintenance, and assisting students when asked.Department chair: Paul T. Czech

As Guest Instructor

Neural Circuits of Motivated Behavior, BIONB 4370 Spring, 2017

I taught a section on depression, focused on both the historical understanding of the disease recent neurobiological discoveries. Course instructor: Melissa R. Warden

As Tutor

Research Design & Statistical Analysis, PSY 201 & 202 November, 2013 – May, 2014

I held open office hours for students enrolled in Research Design & Statistical Analysis and offer one-on-one help in areas such as experimental design, comprehension of primary research literature, scientific writing, and basic statistical analyses including correlations, t-tests, ANOVA, non-parametric tests, and others. Department chair: Mary O’Keeffe

• Brittney Moncrieffe, 2019 – Present,

  Biology & Society

• Vladlena Lee, 2016 – 2018,

  Neurobiology & Behavior, Honors Thesis: Lateral habenula and dopaminergic ventral tegmentalarea neurons encode the motivational state of mice. Currently: Research assistant at Weill Cornell Medical College

• Kyle J. Pellegrino, 2016 – 2018,

  Neurobiology & Behavior, Honors Thesis: Monosynaptic tracing of ventral tegmental area-projecting infralimbic cortex neurons using G-deleted rabies virus. Currently: Research assistant at Rockefeller University

• Nicholas W. Ringelberg, 2015 – 2016,

  Neurobiology & Behavior, Currently: M.D.-Ph.D. student at UNC

FORMAL PEDAGOGICAL INSTRUCTION

Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom, Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation Spring, 2019

Teaching in Higher Education, ALS 6015 Spring, 2019

First-year Writing Seminar Peer Collaboration Fellowship Fall, 2018

Teaching Writing, WRIT 7100 Summer, 2018

Assessing Learning & Teaching Certificate, Cornell Center for Teaching Excellence Fall, 2016

Creating an Engaging Classroom Certificate, Cornell Center for Teaching Excellence Fall, 2016

University-wide Teaching Conference, Cornell Center for Teaching Excellence Fall, 2016

Writing in the Majors Seminar, WRIT 7101 Fall, 2015

ACADEMIC AWARDS

SELECTED ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS

OUTREACH

GRASSHOPR Program

Big Red Barn Kids’ Science Day

ACADEMIC SERVICE

Guest reviewer, Nature Communications

Guest reviewer, Neuron

UNIVERSITY & DEPARTMENT SERVICE

Neurobiology & Behavior Graduate Students, Vice President & Recruitment Organizer, 2017 – Present

Diversity Recruitment Weekend, Student Host, April, 2017

Cornell Undergraduate Research Board, Spring Forum Judge, April 2016

Graduate & Professional Student Assembly, NBB Field Representative, August, 2015 – May, 2016