Grad Student Opportunities: I am looking for a graduate students to work on two on going research projects.
- Work on human subjects: A long running project examining the relationship between the relative masculinization of the body, brain and personality. This study is based on the idea that sex is a spectrum, with different individual's brains and personalities each being more or less masculinized or feminized along a number of different dimensions. We are interested in the the epigenetics of sexual differentiation of the brain (including "prenatal testosterone exposure" effects) and how it relates to personality differences such as aggressiveness, stress coping style, sex role identity, social intelligence, visio-spatial thinking, and handedness. Many aspects of this project are conducted in collaboration with Prof. Bernie Crespi at Simon Fraser University.
- Work on cichlid fish: Projects examining how early exposure to environmental factors such as predator stress, or environmental sex influencing factors, or social cues very early in life influence adult behaviour in cichlid fish. We are also investigating inherited transgenerational effects environmental influences. A large aspect of this research is experimentally manipulating the relative masculinization of feminization of individual fish in a system with alternative male reproductive strategies (some males seem to be monogamous, others polygynous harem holders, and others mysteriously asexual in behaviour). We are also interested in how exposure to stress cues in very early life may produce variation in stress coping style and other personality traits in individual fish. These projects involve integrative analysis of behaviour, hormones and brain and are informed by evolutionary theory, a biology background is a bonus.
Please refer to our departmental web pages for information about our graduate program.
Undergrad Research Opportunities: I am usually looking for prospective lab members, undergraduate psychology or neuroscience students interested in working on a PSYCO 299 (2nd year students), PSYCO 496/498 Individual Study project, or Honours Project are encouraged to contact me.
Before e-mailing, please be sure to read the research we persue in the lab, and make sure that your interests align in some way. If they do, contact Dr. Hurd; please include information about your research experience and interests.
