Lauren Meckler

Hi! I’m Lauren (she/her/hers), one of the graduate students in the Bales Lab, where I am interested in reproductive neuroendocrinology and behavioral ecology. Prior to joining the California National Primate Research Center, I worked as a Staff Research Associate at UC Berkeley’s Wallis Lab, where I studied reinforcement learning in macaques.

Before moving to California, I graduated with an Honors B.Sc. in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware, where I worked with the Neunuebel Neuroscience Lab to understand how the estrous cycle influences vocal and behavioral interactions between male and female mice. While not working on my thesis, I contributed to a variety of other projects. Throughout my career, I helped develop an invertebrate model of White-Nose Syndrome (a fungal disease decimating North American bat populations), studied bat and fungi biodiversity in rural Panama with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, evaluated sexual selection in songbirds, and worked at a captive breeding facility for endangered grouse. When I wasn’t in the lab, I kept busy as the president of UD’s chapter of The Wildlife Society. You can find a more comprehensive version of my CV here.

Please feel free to reach out via email (lameckler[at]ucdavis[dot]edu) with any questions.