WELCOME!!! I'm happy that we have sparked your interest in our research program.
Keep reading if you would like to join our highly collaborative team as a post-doctoral scholar, graduate student, or undergraduate student.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Are you considering applying to graduate or professional school? If yes, getting significant research experience is critical for the success of your graduate/professional school application. Think you are interested in biomedicine, psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, or biopsychology? The best way to find out is to get involved in related research. Focused and highly motivated undergraduate research assistants have always been an important part of the success of the Behavioral Neuropharmacology Laboratory. As evidence, we list an example publication from each decade the lab has been here at UNL. * denotes undergraduate author
1990s: Bevins RA, Jensen HC*, Hinze TS*, & Besheer J (1999) Taste quality and extinction of a conditioned taste aversion in rats. Animal Learning & Behavior, 27, 358-366.
2000s: Bevins RA, Wilkinson JL, Palmatier MI, Siebert HL*, & Wiltgen SM* (2006) Characterization of nicotine’s ability to serve as a negative feature in a Pavlovian appetitive conditioning task in rats. Psychopharmacology, 184, 470-481.
2010s: Pittenger ST, Chou S, Catalano I*, Lydiatt M*, & Bevins RA (2017) Investigation of sex differences in nicotine- and cocaine-triggered methamphetamine reinstatement. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 159, 69-75.
2020s: McNealy KR, Houser SD*, Barrett ST, & Bevins RA (2022) Investigating sex differences and the effect of drug exposure order in the sensory reward-enhancing effects of nicotine and d-amphetamine alone and in combination. Neuropharmacology, 202, 108845.
If you are interested, contact Dr. Bevins by email; include in that email why you are interested in this lab.
Graduate School in Neuroscience & Behavior
Considering graduate school in behavioral neuroscience, behavioral pharmacology, or biopsychology? Consider the highly individualized training program in the Behavioral Neuropharmacology Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My graduate students over the years have contributed significantly to the overall direction of the research in the lab while pursuing independent research interests. Support during graduate training comes from a combination of research assistantships funded by grants and teaching assistantships in the Psychology Department. This balance can prepare you to be competitive for a variety of career options. Applications are submitted online and check closely the deadline (sometime in December) as it varies each year. Check with Dr. Bevins by email before applying to make sure the lab will be admitting a new graduate student in the coming year. The following is a sampling of the Master's and Ph.D. work...
Joyce Besheer (2001, dissertation) The behavioral impact of nicotine withdrawal.
Matthew I. Palmatier (2004, dissertation) Drug modulators in appetitive Pavlovian conditioning.
Carmela M. Reichel (2008, dissertation) Competition between conditioned rewards: Novelty vs. cocaine.
Jennifer E. Murray (2009, dissertation) Cue competition involving the interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine.
Jamie L. Wilkinson [Simpson] (2010, dissertation) Role of affective associations in smoking and smoking cessation.
Scott T. Barrett (2014, dissertation) Quantitative analysis of the value-enhancing effects of nicotine, bupropion, and varenicline in male and female rats.
Sergey Charntikov (2015, dissertation) Double dissociation of the anterior and posterior dorsomedial caudate-putamen in the acquisition and expression of associative learning with the nicotine stimulus.
Steven T. Pittenger (2016, dissertation) Examination of methamphetamine reinstatement in female and male rats: A preclinical model of relapse.
Y. Wendy Huynh (2019, Masters) Exploring the stimulus effects of menthol.
Brady M. Thompson (2020, Masters) Reversal learning with the stimulus effects of varenicline.
Andrea E. Moran (2020, Masters) Understanding the stimulus effects of nicotine and bupropion in a drug-drug discriminated goal-tracking task.
Kathleen R. McNealy (2021, Masters) Sensory reward enhancement by nicotine and d-amphetamine: Impacts of schedule of reinforcement, sex, and drug exposure order.
Post-doctoral Scholar Opportunities in the Lab
If you are interested in a post-doctoral position in the lab, email Dr. Bevins regarding your availability. Include a brief statement of interest and attach your CV with that email.