Emily Prevost

Experience

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  Canine Science Collaboratory

  Aug 2014 - May 2016

  Undergraduate Research Team Leader

  I led a team of research assistants in the Dog Radial Arm Maze Project, which studied Canine Cognitive Dysfunction in connection with human dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. I performed behavioral tests with pet dogs in a radial arm maze in order to develop a measure for memory functioning. We also collected breed and biometric data on the dogs along with memory capacity data gathered from the maze. We then compared the results of our project with existing scientific literature to make connections between the contributors of canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) and human dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. I was responsible for lab maintenance, corresponding with dog owners, training and directing research assistants, and compiling and analyzing data. I observed impeccable standards for the ethical treatment of animals in research as laid out by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.I also completed my Honors Thesis with the Canine Science Collaboratory in May 2016. In this project, I researched how the nutritional aspects of commercially available dog foods influenced pet dogs’ preferences for those foods, and the health implications thereof. I studied existing scientific literature to become proficient in the areas of: the evolutionary basis of food preferences; measuring food preferences; companion animal nutrition; the metabolic effects of macronutrients; and commercial pet food manufacturing. We utilized automated food dispensers and olfactometers to investigate odor effects and preferences, and computerized scales to measure food consumption. We then used Bradley-Terry-Luce modeling and linear regression analysis to interpret the data. Attached you will find a file containing the abstract of my thesis project. Show less

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  Freelance

  Oct 2016 - Jun 2018

  Teacher of English as a Foreign Language

  TOEFL-Certified in teaching general English, business English, and English for young learners. I am an experienced teacher for learners off all ages and ability levels--including true beginners as young as 5 years of age, working professionals and business owners, and university students hoping to work in an international field. I have taught everything from basics to classic literature analysis. I am comfortable and confident teaching in both one-on-one and larger group settings. Furthermore, I have completed several German-to-English website and document translations. In addition to the transferable leadership and communication skills honed in this profession, I also offer an in-depth knowledge of the English language to aid in translations, paper revisions, and precise communication. Show less

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  Ulm University

  Oct 2018 - Apr 2020

  After the completion of my Master studies in September 2019, I continued my research in the topic of arthropod navigation. Our research involved the behavioral aspects of homing and navigation in desert scorpions, as well as an examination of the physiological and sensory mechanisms involved. A scientific article covering this topic was published in the journal Animal Cognition (collection: Arthropod Cognition) on April 29th, 2020. I was responsible for designing experiments, setting up testing equipment, handling and caring for laboratory animals, carrying out experiments, acquiring and organizing data, designing and applying statistics/analyses (quantitative and qualitative), writing and editing manuscripts, presenting research findings, and training others on techniques and equipment related to the research projects. Show less

  • Research Assistant

    Sept 2019 - Apr 2020

  • Thesis work for MSc in Neurobiology

    Oct 2018 - Sept 2019
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  University of Colorado Boulder

  Aug 2020 - now

  My primary interests lie in the neuroanatomy and circuit dynamics of co-transmitting neurons and cellular subtypes involved in addiction and motivated behaviors. In this role, I leverage modern neuroscience techniques such as fiber photometry, opto- and chemogenetics, gene interference, and single-, double-, and triple-transgenic mouselines for cell type-specific manipulations. I recently completed a project in which I traced the brainwide monosynaptic neuronal inputs to glutamate-GABA co-transmitting VTA neurons (Prévost et al., 2024). Furthermore, I helped discover glutamatergic VTA neurons that form µ-opioid receptor gated connections with dopaminergic VTA neurons (McGovern et al., 2023). Based on these findings, I have undertaken a project to parse out the differences in fentanyl processing between GABAergic and glutamatergic µ-opioid receptor VTA neurons. Currently, I am delineating the behavioral functions of glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and glutamate-dopamine co-transmitting VTA neurons. Show less

  • PHD Candidate

    Aug 2022 - now

  • Professional Research Assistant

    Aug 2020 - Aug 2022