Biography
I was born and raised in Minnesota, and obtained my B.S. degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I earned my Ph.D. at the University of California, San Francisco studying behavioral neuroendocrinology, then did my postdoctoral training at Stanford University in the lab of Russ Fernald. There I combined my interests in molecular biology, neuroscience, behavior, and evolution studying circuits for reproductive behaviors in cichlid fish.
Research Interests
How does the brain produce social behaviors, and how do these evolve? The Juntti Lab opened at the University of Maryland in 2017, where we focus on essential yet variable behaviors including mating, aggression, and parenting. Our model system is the cichlid fish family, which contains over 2000 species, predominantly from the Rift Valley lakes of East Africa. These species are ideal models because they exhibit robust social behaviors in the lab and a tremendous variety of social systems, including monogamy or polygamy; parental care by females, males, or both; aggressive territoriality or relative gregariousness. They communicate via auditory, chemical, and visual means that differ across species. In fact, these cues are crucial for females as they choose a mate, and her selection of specific characteristics likely contributed to this explosive radiation of species. Hundreds of cichlid genomes have been sequenced, and we can manipulate these species by pharmacologic and genetic means (eg, CRISPR). Our ability to quantify behavioral changes enables us to causally link genotype to phenotype. Ultimately, this work will provide an understanding of how neural circuits function and evolve to generate diverse social behaviors.
Education
B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco
Postdoctoral Training, Stanford University
