New Faculty: Nora H. Prior

Nora H. Prior

Assistant Professor, Psychology 

Academic focus:

Neuroendocrinology, social neuroscience, bioacoustics

Current research project: 

Social worlds emerge from and persist within perceptual experiences. While there is ample evidence that sociality is inextricably linked with perception, research and clinical approaches still categorize behavioral and physiological phenotypes as either social or sensory. In my lab, we look across species to determine:

1) How perceptual abilities shape bonding and whether the establishment of social bonds changes how an individual perceives signals.  

2) How sensory circuits, which exist beyond the traditionally defined ‘social brain,’ regulate social bonding.

3) What genomic mechanisms support enduring changes in social behavior following bonding. 

I have always been driven to learn more about social relationships. As my awareness and experiences with social and communicative diversity in people has grown, my academic curiosity about the mechanisms of social bonding has become inseparable from my commitment to social justice advocacy.

Previous positions:

• Senior Research Associate, Department of Psychology, Cornell University, 2021-2024      
• Sessional Lecturer, Integrated Sciences Program & Zoology Department, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2020-2021         
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Psychology Department, University of Maryland College Park, 2016-2021
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Equipe Neuro-Éthologie Sensorielle (ENES), Université Lyon/UJM-Saint Etienne France, 2015

Academic background:

• Ph.D., Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2014
• B.Sc., Integrative biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009

Last book read:

“The Other Significant Others” by Rhaina Cohen

In your own time/when not working:

Spending so much time at the computer means I love to fill my free time with movement --running, hiking, swimming or yoga. I also enjoy cooking with my daughter, using fresh produce from the farmers market, and am also always trying to find more time to play piano. 

Courses you’re most looking forward to teaching:

All of them! I will be teaching Behavioral Neuroscience, Writing in the Sciences and a seminar in Inclusive Communication & Science Outreach.

What most excites you about Cornell:

The rich interdisciplinary community of researchers. And the Lab of Ornithology! 

Social media/Websites:

Instagram: sosen_nhprior

Twitter: @NhPrior

www.sosenresearch.com