Marjorie Levinstein, Ph.D.

Research Interests

I grew up in Virginia where I also earned my bachelor’s in Psychology from James Madison University (2011). However, my first research experience was as a summer internship after my sophomore year on developmental neuroscience at the University of South Carolina. Once back at JMU, I ran several health psychology experiments and volunteered at Western State Hospital. Nevertheless, I realized I was interested in understanding the mechanisms behind behavior and enrolled in a master’s in experimental psychology at Seton Hall University (2013). There, I studied the effect of immune system activity on ethanol consumption. I then joined René Hen’s lab at Columbia University as a research technician. I focused on the pharmacological and biological mechanisms behind several antidepressants. In 2015, I moved across the country to Seattle, Washington where I earned my PhD from the University of Washington in Neuroscience (2020). Mentored under John F. Neumaier, I investigated gene expression changes in the lateral habenula after stress or chemogenetic activation. The east coast called me back, and I moved to Baltimore to join the BIMN lab. Outside of the lab, I enjoy crochet and rooting for the oft-losing Chicago Cubs.