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Center for Brain and Behavior Research
Lee Medical Building Room 233 
414 E. Clark St.
Vermillion, SD 57069
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

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Colleges
College Dean

Promoting Translational Research for Innovative Treatments and Technology in Neurology, Neuropsychology and Psychiatry

The CBBRe promotes innovative research that can be translated into medical practice benefiting the people of South Dakota and beyond. We train and educate students to become the next generation of innovative, creative brain and behavioral scientists. The core members of the Center are recognized in their field and are actively involved in research, the education of students, and in service to the community. Members include faculty, staff and students from a variety of departments including biology, chemistry, psychology, addiction studies, business and basic biomedical sciences. Our faculty expertise and available equipment for the study of brain and behavior is unmatched in the state.

Students have the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research with hands-on experience and our graduates go on to be successful in a variety of fields and projects from biomedical science, neuroscience, behavioral disorders and more. We offer a number of unique student opportunities available to both undergraduate and graduate students to become involved in their research and collaborate with their faculty and peers. 

 

Making an Impact

With expert faculty, incredible research opportunities and strong regional partnerships, USD's research centers foster academic excellence and spur economic growth. 

Research Strengths

Faculty & Staff

Get to know the faculty and staff in the Center for Brain and Behavior Research. Our faculty are experts in their field, contributing research and scholarship in neurobehavioral development, cognition and plasticity, and stress and addiction.
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lee Baugh

Lee Baugh

Associate Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Patti Berg-Poppe

Patti Berg-Poppe

Chair-Physical Therapy
Bio Image for Faculty Member Brian Burrell

Brian Burrell

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Francisco Bustos Velasquez

Francisco Bustos Velasquez

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Shana Cerny

Shana Cerny

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member BreAnne Danzi

BreAnne Danzi

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Daniel Decino

Daniel Decino

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Coral Dirks

Coral Dirks

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Erik Ehli

Erik Ehli

Associate Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Avera
Faculty Default

Amy Elliott

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Yohaan Fernandes

Yohaan Fernandes

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Harry Freeman

Harry Freeman

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Emily Griese

Emily Griese

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Elizabeth Hanson

Elizabeth Hanson

Associate Professor

Specialty

AAC, Motor Speech Disorders
Faculty Default

Gene Hoyme

Professor Emeritus
Bio Image for Faculty Member Victor Huber

Victor Huber

Professor

Specialty

Microbiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Moses Ikiugu

Moses Ikiugu

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Meghann Jarchow

Meghann Jarchow

Chair, Sustainability & Environment
Bio Image for Faculty Member John Korkow

John Korkow

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lance Lee

Lance Lee

Associate Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Yifan Li

Yifan Li

Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular and Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Travis Loof

Travis Loof

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Media Psychology
Perceptions of AI
Bio Image for Faculty Member Ikuo Masuho

Ikuo Masuho

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member William Mayhan

William Mayhan

Dean-Basic Biomedical Science

Specialty

Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lisa McFadden

Lisa McFadden

Associate Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular and Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jessica Messersmith

Jessica Messersmith

Associate Dean-Col of A&S

Specialty

Cochlear Implants
Pediatric Audiology
Faculty Default

Thayne Munce

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lisa Newland

Lisa Newland

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Luye Qin

Luye Qin

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular
Bio Image for Faculty Member David Pearce

David Pearce

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Timothy Ricker

Timothy Ricker

Associate Professor

Specialty

Working Memory, Cognition, Attention, Perception
Bio Image for Faculty Member Samuel Sathyanesan

Samuel Sathyanesan

Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Amy Schweinle

Amy Schweinle

Dean-School of Ed
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jamie Bushman

Jamie Bushman

Research Associate III
Faculty Default

Arielle Selya

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jewel Goodman Shepherd

Jewel Goodman Shepherd

Associate Dean - Graduate Programs

Specialty

Health Services/ Hospital Admin
Bio Image for Faculty Member Raluca Simons

Raluca Simons

Professor, Dir DMHI
Bio Image for Faculty Member Arun Singh

Arun Singh

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Timothy Soundy

Timothy Soundy

Chair-Psychiatry
Bio Image for Faculty Member Cassie Stolpe

Cassie Stolpe

BBS Administrative Assistant
Bio Image for Faculty Member Gabrielle Strouse

Gabrielle Strouse

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Cliff Summers

Cliff Summers

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jill Weimer

Jill Weimer

Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Laura Wiemers

Laura Wiemers

BBS Management Analyst
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jong Sung Yoon

Jong Sung Yoon

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Hong Zheng

Hong Zheng

Associate Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience and Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Kory Zimney

Kory Zimney

Assoc Dean-Health Sciences

Research

Our expert faculty contribute to research and networking efforts that advance the mission of the Center for Brain and Behavior Research. At USD, our students are also active contributors to research at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Rewarding opportunities for motivated undergraduate and graduate students.

CBBRe Graduate Student Organization (CGSO)

Open to CBBRe graduate students and motivated undergraduates, the CGSO offers students a rewarding opportunity to:

  • Network with brain and behavior researchers
  • Gain valuable outreach and science education experience
  • Cultivate professional skills that prepare members for post-graduation careers

The CSGO also acts as the graduate student voice for CBBRe, ensuring the needs of affiliated graduate students are met.

For information on how to join, contact us at CGSO@usd.edu.

Learn More About CGSO

A variety of unique workshops are offered each year that are designed to facilitate discussion and education on scientific topics. CBBRe are open to all ideas for workshops and encourage faculty, staff, and students from all departments to reach out with workshop ideas they would like to see offered.

Neuroscience Journal Club

Journal Club discussions provide an opportunity for faculty and students to have thoughtful conversations about important topics in neuroscience. Students and faculty are encouraged to select papers that are thought to be of interest to a wide range of journal club members. Email Arun.singh@usd.edu to be added to the Vermillion journal club email list, and Jill.Weimer@sanfordhealth.org to be added to the Sioux Falls journal club email list.

 

Responsible Conduct of Research Training

This workshop covers topics relevant to animal and human subjects research, research compliance, publications, mentorship, and disseminating findings to a broad audience.

 

Grant Writing Workshops

These events review the principles of good grant writing to produce clear, direct, and compelling proposals; focus on understanding the psychology of reviewers and the review process; how to engage readers and facilitate understanding; and how to manage the proposal writing process.

USD investigators are involved in a wide variety of research on and off campus. If you are interested in participating in any of these research opportunities, you may enroll into the participant database, email neurostudies@usd.edu for information, or contact the researchers directly for each study listed below.

Motor Control and Cognitive Dysfunction Study: The Singh Lab is currently recruiting both healthy and Parkinson’s disease patients for a study looking at motor and cognitive function. If you are interested in participating in either study or have additional questions please contact Dr. Arun Singh, singhlab.usd@gmail.com or arun.singh@usd.edu or by phone at 605-658-6470 or 605-658-6320.

Explore ways to conduct hands-on research in various programs.

The goal of the Trainee Research Grant Program is to provide CBBRe trainees with experience in writing NIH-style grants and in the review and revision process. This program also provides a mechanism for trainees to obtain funding to support their research and to collect data to support an external fellowship or grant application.

Applicant Eligibility

Graduate students (including medical students) and postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply to the CBBRe Trainee Grant Program, but the trainee must be a member of the CBBRe.

Budget Considerations

The total budget may not exceed $5,000, and the award is dependent on the availability of funds with an approved budget in each fiscal year. The budget period may run from July. 1, 2025 to May 15, 2026. Typical project costs can be budgeted, with the exception of salary and meeting/conference/training travel. Travel directly associated with conducting the project is allowable (e.g. conducting assessment or experiments at another facility or field work).

Application Process

Proposals should be sent as one complete PDF file (with the exception of the faculty sponsor letter) to CBBRe@usd.edu on or before Jan. 31, 2025. The faculty sponsor's letter should be sent directly to CBBRe by the due date.

Review results will be available by late-March. Start of award date is July 1, 2025.

Proposals should consist of the following (in order):

  1. Cover page
  2. NIH Biographical sketch for trainee, faculty sponsor and any other key collaborators (five pages maximum)
  3. Budget page
  4. Budget justification
  5. Introduction to revisions (one page maximum) if a revised proposal
  6. Research plan (six pages maximum)
  7. References cited
  8. Project milestones and future funding plans (one page maximum)
  9. Statement of relevance (one page maximum)
  10. Letter from the trainee's faculty sponsor (sent directly to CBBRe)

Biographical Sketches (five page limit each): Follow the NIH format for all biosketches.

Budget Justification (one page limit): Justify the need for each major item. Also explain what other funding is available to support this project (and if none, state so).

Introduction to revisions (one page limit): Trainees resubmitting a proposal already reviewed by this CBBRe program should include a response to the previous reviews, a list of revisions made in response to the previous reviews, and detail where in the proposal these changes can be found.

Research plan (six page limit): This section should conform to the standard NIH style, including significance, innovation and research approach sections. Research goals/hypotheses/specific aims should be clearly stated in the significance section. The research plan should be written at a general neuroscientist or behavioral science level. View NIH guidelines for grant applications (Application Guide SF424 (R&R) - Adobe Forms Version C Series). Use one-inch margins and no less than 11-point font. Please contact CBBRe if you need assistance in preparing an NIH-style grant or would like to see examples of this format.

Project milestones and future funding plans (one page limit): A timeline for completion of project milestones should be provided. Also include plans and a timeline for presentation of this work, publication of the research and any external funding applications.

Statement of relevance (one page limit): Applicants should explicitly state how the proposed research aligns with the goals of the CBBRe, and how the proposed research relates to the applicant’s career goals. This section should also be used to explain the involvement of the trainee in the CBBRe.

Letter from Faculty sponsor: The trainee's faculty sponsor should comment on the applicant's potential for a research career, the applicant's ability to conduct the proposed research, the resources available to the trainee to conduct the study, and the willingness of the sponsor to mentor the student during the course of the project and in dissemination of the results.

Review of Applications

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of neuroscientist and behavioral scientists from the different departments represented within the CBBRe. Therefore, grants should be written for a general scientific audience. Review criteria will include:

  • Quality and feasibility of the research
  • Research potential of the applicant
  • Relevance of the project to the trainee's career goals
  • Relevance of the project to the CBBRe
  • Evidence of faculty involvement and mentorship

Applicants will be notified of review outcomes by April 2025.

Conditions of Award

  • Funds will not be released until documentation regarding IACUC or IRB approval has been provided to CBBRe, if applicable.
  • Funds are to be expended during the approved budget period, with all funds spent by May 15. A final progress report is required within 30 days of the end of the budget period.
  • All resultant publications and presentations should acknowledge funding from the CBBRe.
  • All successful applicants will be required to present the findings of their research project at the CBBRe annual research symposium.
  • All resultant applications to external funding agencies must be routed through the University of South Dakota. This is necessary to ensure that indirect costs are directed back to the CBBRe to support the center's activities, including this pilot grant program.

Explore ways to conduct hands-on research in various programs.

The CBBRe offers a multi-disciplinary summer research program that gives USD undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct mentored, hypothesis-driven research in fields related to substance use and abuse and mental health issues. The program is geared toward first-generation college students from rural backgrounds, but all USD and non-USD undergraduate students are encouraged to apply.

The program incorporates a wide range of experimental methods with human or animal subjects, including cognitive, behavioral, systems, neuropharmacological, electrophysiological and molecular approaches.

Learn More

Application Details

Eight students are selected for the program based on a competitive application process. Students who have previously participated in SPURA are eligible to apply again, but will likely be given a lower priority over first-time applicants. Learn more and apply by February 16.

Contact Brian Burrell at bburrell@usd.edu or Lisa McFadden at lisa.mcfadden@usd.edu for further information or assistance with the application process.
This summer program is funded by a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grant number R25-DA033674.

Apply Now

Summer Events

Undergraduate Researchers' Lunch

Meet other summer researchers at our weekly lunches, held from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Thursday from May 28 to July 30. All undergraduate researchers on campus are welcome to attend. Lunches are provided by the South Dakota Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network. Contact us at cbbre@usd.edu with any questions.

Explore ways to conduct hands-on research in various programs.

Students can conduct research projects under the mentorship of CBBRe faculty associated with a number of master's and Ph.D. training programs at USD.

Contact CBBRe@usd.edu if you would like additional information about graduate student research training opportunities.

Students Presenting at a Research Symposium

Research Symposiums

Registration for the 2024 Research Symposium is now open! Join us in the USD MUC Ballroom on August 12th and 13th.

 

Keynote speakers include: 

 

  • Dr. Laura Cabrera, The Pennsylvania State University
  • Dr. Kate MacDuffie, Seattle Children’s Hospital
  • Dr. Veljko Dubljevic, North Carolina State University
  • Dr. Henry ‘Hank’ Greely, Stanford University
  • Dr. William ‘Billy’ Jones, Georgia Southern University

The poster session will take place on the afternoon of August 12th.

 

Please email cbbre@usd.edu with any questions.

 

Register for the 2024 CBBRe Symposium

Learn More about our Research Symposiums

Available Resources
and Core Facilities

Explore the departments and facilities that contribute to the work conducted by Center for Brain and Behavior Research.
Male Research Utilizing Equipment in Behavioral Core Facility.

Behavioral Core

Behavioral assessment in animal models is often a necessary component for answering research questions effectively. The Behavioral Core provides a range of paradigms to measure discrete and varied forms of behavior, which can then be related to underlying physiological processes. Our modular equipment and software allow either automated or experimenter-based recording to facilitate rapid acquisition of data.

Female Researcher Using Equipment in Imaging Core Facility.

Imaging Core

The goal of the Basic Biomedical Sciences Imaging Core is to provide researchers with access to microscopy instrumentation. With a range of digital imaging microscopy systems, the Imaging Core offers various optical microscopes for slide and cellular biological imaging.

The neuroimaging core in use.

Neuroimaging Core

We support the training, use and analysis of structural and functional neuroimaging data.

Interior of the Physiology Core Facility.

Physiology Core

The Physiology Core Facility provides basic and biological researchers with a central resource for creating models of animal physiology and pathophysiology. While our main focus is exploring the effects of cardiovascular disease and cancer in rodents, we can provide support to any aspect of animal research.

Equipment Inside the Proteomics Core Facility.

Proteomics Core

The Proteomics Core facility is a collaborative research enterprise that provides state-of-the-art proteomics services to researchers from South Dakota and the surrounding region.

Continue Exploring In Center for Brain and Behavior Research