Jennifer Merritt

Jennifer Merritt is a graduate student at Emory University working towards a PhD in Neuroscience & Animal Behavior. She received her bachelor’s degree in 2013 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne in Psychology, then received her master’s degree in Psychology from Emory University in 2016. Broadly, Jennifer is interested in the intersection of hormones, genes, brains, and behavior.

Currently, she focuses on how naturally occurring genetic variation in an estrogen receptor has led to the evolution of individual differences in aggressive behavior in songbirds. As a molecular neuroscientist, Jennifer’s work has implications for how we understand social interactions, particularly in regard to aggression.