Psychology

Undergraduate Program

Graduate Program Info

Melissa Birkett , Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Ph.D. Neuroscience and Behavior, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2007M. Ed. Secondary Education, Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2005
B.A. Psychology, Concentration in Biopsychology, Cornell University, 2001

Professional Interests

My current research interests include various aspects of anxiety disorders and their treatment. At NAU, I look forward to working collaboratively to examine physiological measures of anxiety within a university population. One goal of my future research is to better understand how people respond to stressful situations (through measures such as heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormone release) and what factors may be involved in regulating these responses.

Recent publications

•	Birkett, M. A., Platt, D. M., Tiefenbacher, S., & Rowlett, J. K. (2005). A “pharmacological stressor” model of anxiolysis in monkeys: Alprazolam attenuation of the behavioral and physiological effects of yohimbine. Neuropsychopharmacology, 30(S1), S235.
•	Birkett, M. A., & Fite, K. V. (2005). Diurnal variation in serotonin immunoreactivity in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Brain Research, 1034, 180-184.
•	Fite, K. V., Birkett, M., Smith, A., Janusonis, S., & McLaughlin, S. (2003). Retinal ganglion cells projecting to the dorsal raphe and lateral geniculate complex in Mongolian gerbils. Brain Research 23(1), 146-150.
•	Birkett MA. (2009). Every cell counts: An inquiry-based approach to address a novel research question in an undergraduate neuroscience lab. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Research. Spring 2009. 7(2): A53-A64.

Undergadaute/Graduate Courses

I look forward to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in physiological psychology and psychopharmacology.

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