Kristina Penikis, PhD

Teaching Assistant Professor

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Department of Neuroscience

Classification:

Faculty

• PhD, New York University

Dr. Penikis received a BS with honors in neuroscience from Brown University in 2011. She earned her PhD in Neural Science at New York University in 2020. After teaching courses at Santa Clara University, she joined WVU in the BS Neuroscience Program in the Psychology Department in 2021.

Courses:

Neuroscience 101 -- Introduction to the Neural Sciences

Neuroscience 201/Psychology 301 -- Biological Foundations of Behavior

Neuroscience 191 -- First Year Seminar

Psychology

Dr. Penikis's research interests center on information processing by sensory systems. She's used various techniques, including animal behavior, electrophysiology, and optogenetics, to investigate neural coding by populations of neurons in the olfactory bulb and in the auditory cortex. Her research contributes to understanding the neurobiological bases of perceptual abilities, such as identifying odors, parsing speech, and enjoying music. While her current focus is on teaching, she plans to maintain and build collaborations with research labs at WVU and beyond.