My work can be best described as comparative cognitive neuroscience, which is characterized by two related approaches. One is a cross-species approach, comparing rat models of the neurochemistry of attention and learning to humans, focusing on the neurochemical acetylcholine. The other is an across the lifespan approach, examining the cholinergic hypothesis of age-related changes in cognition.

We use activity mapping from fMRI data to provide theoretical models that can then be more fully tested in rats combining local field potential recordings with immunotoxic lesions and pharmacology.

I received my B.A. in Biology-Psychology from Vassar College and then worked as a research assistant for a few years at Harvard University School of Medicine and fell in love with research. I was trained in animal neuroscience and received my Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Harvard University and then received training in human neuroscience as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine. I enjoy bringing both of these approaches together in my lab.

Dr. Chelsea Specht is the Barbara McClintock Professor of Plant Biology and Associate Director for Faculty Development, Equity, and Inclusion in the School of Integrative Plant Science and serves as the elected Associate Dean of Faculty for Cornell University.   She is a faculty member in the graduate fields of Plant Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a faculty fellow of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.  She is also a member of the L.H. Bailey Hortorium and affiliated with the Cornell University Herbarium.

Since 2017 she has served as the president of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Board member and Director for Diversity and Inclusion for the Botanical Society of America, as the inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion for CALS from July 2019-2022. She is very interested in the role of institutions of higher education and scientific societies as agents of change, and in the role of Biodiversity Science in building a more sustainable future for our people and planet. Dr. Specht is currently the Associate Dean of Faculty, elected by Cornell’s Faculty to support the Faculty Senate and Faculty Governance.

Chelsea’s research and teaching focuses on plant diversity and the evolution of plant form and function. She and her students and postdocs use traditional morphological and developmental techniques combined with molecular genetics, comparative genomics and phylogenetics to study the natural diversity of plants and to help understand the forces creating and sustaining this diversity.  Her lab uses living and museum collections to advance their research in systematics, biogeography, population genetics, developmental evolution, and conservation. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation since 2006 and includes an NSF CAREER award as well various collaborative awards with researchers nationally and internationally.  She has an active lab with 5 current graduate students and 4 postdocs, all of whom engage in innovative research and demonstrate inclusive excellence through their commitments to fostering a diverse and inclusive academia.

Chelsea moved from the University of California, Berkeley to join the Cornell faculty in July 2017.  At UC Berkeley she served as a Faculty Equity Advisor for the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and served as Chair of the Academic Senate Committee on Diversity, Equity and Campus Climate.  She was also part of the University of California-wide task force on Transforming Graduate Admissions.  Since 2017 she has served as the president of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and is currently the Director for Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the Botanical Society of America. She is very interested in the role of scientific societies as agents of change. Chelsea was named the inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion for CALS in July 2019 and has been working to define the role of this position and the mission for the CALS Office of Diversity and Inclusion ever since…

• Advises on policies and procedures.
• Maintains the Faculty Handbook.
• Supports the University Lectures Committee.
• Manages the work of the Faculty Advisory Committee on Tenured Appointments (FACTA).
• Facilitates the Stephen H. Weiss awards nomination process.

Jill is a long-term Cornell employee who holds a degree in Business Administration. She worked in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Veterinary Medicine prior to the Dean of Faculty Office. Jill enjoys an active lifestyle, is an experienced baker, finds time to read and values family.

• Manages the Dean’s calendar and reservations for 305 Day Hall conference room.
• Editor for the University Faculty Memorial Statements.
• Supports UFC, N&E, Faculty Senate committees, RTE Working Group, and Teaching-Track Title Taskforce.

C.A. has a B.A. in Classics, Art History, and Archaeology. Her early career was spent working on archaeological digs and in museum collections management. Before joining the Office of the Dean of Faculty, she supported two Cornell Vice Presidents. C.A. is an animal lover who enjoys spending time in nature.

• Manages the Cornell Academics and Professors Emeriti (CAPE) organization.
• Plans events and lectures for CAPE members.
• Facilitates the process for Podell Endowment Awards.

Melissa also holds a masters and bachelors degree in music education and is the founding artistic director of the Odyssey Choir in Ithaca, NY. She worked in concert production at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music prior to the Dean of Faculty Office at Cornell. She enjoys walking in nature, doing yoga, speaking Italian, and playing with her dog.