Curriculum Vitae

POSITION

Instructor (Fall 2019-current); Department of Psychology; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Butte College

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D. Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience (2012). University of Delaware, Newark, DE. Dissertation: Murawski NJ (2011). The neural basis of context learning in a rat model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Dissertations and Theses database (UMI No. 3478751). Thesis Advisor: Mark E. Stanton, Ph.D.
  • BA Psychology (2004). California State University, Sacramento, CA. Magna Cum Laude
  • AA Liberal Arts (2000). American River College, Sacramento, Ca.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  1. Butte College, Oroville, CA. Psychology Instructor (Biological Psychology, Research Methods, Introduction). Fall 2019-present.
  2. Endicott College, Beverly, MA. Adjunct Faculty (Introduction to Psychology). Fall, 2018.
  3. Boston University, Boston, MA. Lecturer (Introduction to Experimental Psychology). Summer, 2018.
  4. University of California, Davis, Davis, CA. Lecturer (Introduction to Biological Psychology; Physiological Psychology). Spring – Summer, 2016.
  5. Napa Valley College, Napa, CA. Adjunct Faculty (Human Development). Spring, 2016.
  6. Solano Community College, Fairfield, CA. Adjunct Faculty (Research Method). Spring, 2016.
  7. San Diego State University, San Diego, CA. Lecturer (Physiological correlates of behavior). Spring, 2013.

PUBLICATIONS

Peer Reviewed (* indicates co-first authorship)

  1. Stanton ME, Murawski NJ, Jablonski SA, Robinson-Drummer PA, Heroux NA. Mechanisms of context conditioning in the developing rat. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 179, 107388 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107388
  2. Pittenger ST, Chou S, Murawski NJ, Barrett ST, Loh O, Duque JF, Li M, & Bevins RA. (2021). Investigation of sex-dependent neural substrates correlated with methamphetamine-primed reinstatement. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. 201, 173089. https://doi.org10.1016/j.pbb.2020.173089.
  3. Murawski* NJ, Cincotta* C, Grella SL, McKissick O, Doucette E, and Ramirez S (2020). Chronic activation of fear engrams induces extinction-like behavior in ethanol-exposed mice. Hippocampus. 1-8, doi: 10.1002/hipo.23263
  4. Chen* B, Murawski* NJ, Hamidi AB, Merfeld E, Doucette E, Grella SL, Shpokayte M, Zaki Y, Cincotta C, Fortin A, and Ramirez S (2019). Artificially enhancing and suppressing hippocampus-mediated memories. Current Biology, 29, 1-10.
  5. Murawski* NJ, Asok* A (2017). Understanding the contributions of visual stimuli to contextual fear conditioning: proof-of-concept study using LCD screens (2017). Neuroscience Letters, 637, 80-84.
  6. Murawski NJ, Moore EM, Thomas JD, Riley EP (2015). Advances in diagnosis and treatment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: from animal models to human studies. Alcohol Research:  Current Reviews, 37(1): e1-e12.
  7. Murawski NJ, Jablonski SA, Brown KL, Stanton ME (2013). Effects of neonatal alcohol dose and exposure window on long delay and trace eyeblink conditioning in juvenile rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 236, 307-318.
  8. Murawski NJ, Klintsova AY, Stanton ME (2012). Neonatal alcohol exposure and the hippocampus in developing male rats: effects of behaviorally induced CA1 c-Fos expression, CA1 pyramidal cell number, and contextual fear conditioning. Neuroscience, 206, 89-99.
  9. Hamilton GF, Murawski NJ, St. Cyr SA, Jablonski SA, Schiffino FL, Stanton ME, Klintsova AY (2011). Neonatal alcohol exposure disrupts dentate granule cell adult neurogenesis and contextual fear conditioning in adult rats. Brain Research, 1412, 88-101.
  10. Lukose R, Schmidt E., Wolski Jr. TP, Murawski NJ, Kulesza RJ (2011). Malformation of the  superior olivary complex in an animal model of autism. Brain Research, 1398:102-12.
  11. Murawski, NJ and Stanton, ME (2011). Effects of dose and period of neonatal alcohol exposure  on the context preexposure facilitation effect. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,  35, 1-11.
  12. Schiffino FL, Murawski NJ, Rosen JB, Stanton ME (2011). Ontogeny of the context preexposure  facilitation effect: role of hippocampal NMDA receptors. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 95, 190-198.
  13. Murawski NJ and Stanton ME (2010). Variants of contextual fear conditioning are differentially impaired in the juvenile rat by binge ethanol exposure on postnatal days 4-9. Behavioural Brain Research, 212, 133-142.
  14. Burman MA, Murawski NJ, Schiffino FL, Rosen JB, Stanton ME (2009). Factors governing single-trial contextual fear conditioning in the weanling rat. Behavioral Neuroscience. 123, 1148-1152.
  15. Murawski NJ, Brown KL, Stanton ME (2009). Interstimulus interval (ISI) discrimination of the conditioned eyeblink response in a rodent model of autism. Behavioural Brain Research, 196,  297-303.
  16. Sandoval K, McDaniel KM, Murawski NJ, Calton JL (2008). Combined blockade of serotonergic and muscarinic transmission disrupts the anterior thalamic head direction signal. Behavioral  Neuroscience, 122, 1226-1235.

Meeting Papers

  1. Murawski NJ (2013). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: an overview of level, pattern, and timing of alcohol exposure on outcomes. This paper was presented as part of the World Health Organization guidelines on the identification and management of substance use and substance use disorders in pregnancy. Jan-29 – Feb-1, 2013. Washington, DC.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Rick Bevins, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at  Lincoln (2019)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow of Dr. Steve Ramirez, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University/ Center for Brain Science, Harvard University (2016-2018)
  • Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow of Dr. Brian Wiltgen, Center for Neuroscience, UC Davis (2015-2016)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow of Dr. Jennifer Thomas, Center for Behavioral Teratology, SDSU (2012-2014)
  • Graduate Student of Dr. Mark E. Stanton, Department of Psychology, UD (2006-2012)
  • Research Assistant of Dr. Jeffery L. Calton, Department of Psychology, CSUS (2003-2004)

RESEARCH SUPPORT

  • Oscar Kaplan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Issues (10/01/11 – 9/30/13). San Diego State University Research Foundation. $80,000.00. Neural Mechanisms of Choline Supplementation as a Treatment for Cognitive Impairment in a Rat Model of FASD.
  • NIH National Research Service Award, 1F31AA019594-01, PI 4/01/10 – 12/31/11 NIAAA. $40,918.00. Neural Basis of Context Learning in a Rat Model of FASD.

PRESENTATIONS

Invited Talks

  • Murawski NJ (2018). Artificially enhancing or suppressing hippocampus-mediated fear memories. Lab of Robert E. Strecker, Ph.D. VA Boston Healthcare System, Research. Boston, MA.
  • Murawski NJ (2018). Modulating Maladaptive Memories: optogenetic strategies to reduce aberrant fear responses in stress and addiction disorders. Memory Messabout Meeting, Boston University. Boston, MA.

Oral Presentations

  • Murawski NJ, Idrus NM, Moranto KJ, and Thomas JD (2013). Choline as a treatment for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Postnatal choline supplementation modifies the effects of neonatal alcohol exposure on cholinergic development. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.
  • Murawski NJ, Klintsova AY, Stanton ME (2012). Neonatal alcohol exposure and the hippocampus: insights from contextual fear conditioning in developing rats. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group, San Francisco, CA. Merit Award Talk.
  • Murawski NJ and Stanton ME (2010). Neonatal alcohol exposure period, hippocampus, and the context preexposure facilitation effect in juvenile rats. Winter Conference of the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Park City, UT.
  • Murawski NJ and Stanton ME (2009). Variants of contextual fear conditioning are deferentially impaired in the juvenile rat by binge ethanol exposure on postnatal days 4-9. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Study Group. San Diego, CA.
  • Murawski NJ, Burman MA, Brown KL, & Stanton ME (2008). Binge ethanol exposure over postnatal days 4-9 and 7-9 produces deficits in trace and long-delay eyelid conditioning in the rat. Neurobehavioral Teratology Society, Monterey, CA.

Poster Presentations (Posters of mentored students in italics)

  • Murawski NJ, Cincotta C, Grella SL, Shpokayte M, Merfeld E, Zaki Y, Doucette E, and Ramirez S (2018). Manipulating Maladaptive Memories: Optogenetic Strategies to Mitigate Stress- and Addiction-Related Disorders. International Conference on Learning and Memory, Huntington Beach, CA.
  • Murawski NJ, Chen B, Grella SL, Shpokayte M, Merfeld E, Zaki Y, Doucette E, and Ramirez S (2017). Artificially enhancing or suppressing hippocampus-mediated fear memories. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.
  • Grella SL, Zaki Y, Murawski NJ, Doucette E, Merfeld E, Shpokayte M, and Ramirez S (2017). Reactivating hippocampus-mediated memories to disrupt the reconsolidation of fear. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.
  • Shpokayte M, Grella SL, Murawski NJ, Zaki Y, Doucette E, Merfeld E, and Ramirez S (2017). Activating ventral hippocampus to amygdala terminals processing fear and reward. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.
  • Zaki Y, Doucette E, Grella SL, Murawski NJ, Merfeld E, Shpokayte M, and Ramirez S (2017). Inhibiting ensembles in the hippocampus and amygdala to suppress reinstatement- induced fear. Society for Neuroscience. Washington, DC.
  • Doucette E, Merfeld E, Zaki Y, Grella SL, Murawski NJ, Shpokayte M, and Ramirez S (2017). Chronically reactivating positive and negative memories to modulate hedonic and social behaviors. Society for Neuroscience. Washington, DC.
  • Murawski NJ and Asok A (2015). Digital fear conditioning in rats: utilizing LCD-based visual context manipulations during conditioning. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.
  • Risbud RD, Moranto KJ, Happer JP, Murawski NJ, Idrus NM, Thomas JD (2013). Acute choline administration does not mitigate learning impairments caused by neonatal alcohol exposure. Society for Neuroscience. San Diego, CA.
  • Murawski NJ, Idrus NM, Moranto KJ, and Thomas JD (2013). Postnatal choline supplementation attenuates the effects of developmental alcohol exposure on cholinergic systems in the mPFC and hippocampus. Research Society on Alcoholism, Orlando, FL.
  • Risbud RD, Murawski NJ, Idrus NM, Moranton KJ, Thomas (2013). Choline as a treatment for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: mechanisms of choline’s actions. Student Research Symposium at San Diego State University, San Diego, CA. Poster Award Winner.
  • Silva P, Murawski NJ, Thomas JD (2012). Temporal order object recognition in rats following developmental alcohol exposure. Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) symposium, San Diego, CA.
  • Murawski NJ, Klintsova AY, Stanton ME (2012). Neonatal alcohol exposure and the hippocampus in developing male rats: effects on behaviorally induced CA1 c-Fos expression, CA1 pyramidal cell number, and contextual fear conditioning. International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, Washington, DC.
  • Murawski NJ, Dokovna LB, Schreiber WB, Stanton ME (2011). Neonatal alcohol exposure limited to postnatal day 7 is sufficient to disrupt context conditioning in juvenile rats. Research Society on Alcoholism, Atlanta, GA.
  • Murawski NJ and Stanton ME (2010). Neonatal alcohol exposure on postnatal days 4-6 vs. 7-9 differentially disrupts the context preexposure facilitation effect in juvenile rats. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.
  • Murawski NJ, Yum HM, Klintsova AK, Stanton ME (2010). Hippocampal Fos protein expression and the context preexposure facilitation effect. Pavlovian Society, Baltimore, MD.
  • Murawski NJ and Stanton ME (2009) Prenatal choline does not protect against the context conditioning deficits induced by neonatal alcohol exposure in the juvenile rat. Pavlovian Society. Burlington, VT.
  • Schiffino FL, Murawski NJ Burman MA Stanton ME (2009). Ontogeny and neural substrates of the context preexposure facilitation effect. Pavlovian Society. Burlington, VT.
  • Murawski NJ and Stanton ME (2009) Binge ethanol exposure over postnatal days 4-9 or 7-9 disrupts the context preexposure facilitation effect in juvenile rats. International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. Chicago, IL.
  • Burman MA, Murawski NJ, Schiffino FL, Rosen JB, Stanton ME (2008). Single-trial contextual fear conditioning in the weanling rat. Society for Neuroscience. Washington, DC.
  • Murawski NJ, Burman MA, Kelly KA, Stanton ME (2008). Dose-response effects of neonatal alcohol exposure on discriminative eyeblink conditioning in weanling rats. International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, Washington, DC and Delaware Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, Newark DE.
  • Murawski NJ, Brown KL, Chadman KK, & Stanton ME (2007). Interstimulus interval discrimination conditioning of the eyeblink reflex in a rodent model of autism. Neurobehavioral Teratology Society, Pittsburgh, PA.

SPECIALIZED SKILL & CERTIFICATES

• Optogenetics, chemogenetics
• Stereotaxic and microsurgery
• In-vivo single-cell recording
• Drug administration/drug infusion/intubation
• Certification of Human Subjects Training (8/28/06)
• Responsible Conduct of Research Workshop (02/05/08)
• Blackboard Learning System – course management system

AWARDS

• National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIAAA, Loan Repayment Program (2013-15)
• Research Society on Alcoholism, Junior Investigator Award [travel award] (2013)
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group, Merit Award (2012)
• Oscar Kaplan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Issues (2011-13)
• NIH National Research Service Award: 1F31AA019594 (2010-11)
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group Travel Award (2009)
• International Society for Developmental Psychobiology NIH Travel Award (2008, 2010, 2011)
• Neurobehavioral Teratology Society Conference Award (2007)
• University of Delaware Departmental Travel Award (2007-08)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS

  • American Psychological Association (2020-Present)
  • Society for Neuroscience (2010-17)
  • Pavlovian Society (2009-10, 2015)
  • Research Society on Alcoholism (2009-13)
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Study Group (2009, 2011-13)
  • International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (2008-13)
  • Neurobehavioral Teratology Society (2007-8)
  • Psi Chi – Psychology Honors Society
  • Phi Kappa Phi – National Honors Society

STUDENT MENTORSHIP: Undergraduate and graduate advisees

  • Christine Cincotta (2017-2018) – Research Assistant, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University. Training in animal models of alcohol use disorders, animal surgery, optogenetics, drug administration, animal behavior, data analysis, and poster presentations.
  • Rashmi Risbud (2013-14) – master’s student, Department of Psychology, SDSU. Training in animal models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, drug administration, contextual fear conditioning, data analysis, and poster presentations.
  • Cristina Rodriguez (2014) – undergraduate student, Department of Psychology, SDUS. Training in animal models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, object recognition, and data analysis.
  • Lindsay Rotblatt (2013) – master’s student, Department of Psychology, SDSU. Training in histology, immunohistochemistry, image analysis.
  • Philip Silva (2012) – Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) awardee, undergraduate student, SDSU. Training in object recognition, behavioral testing, data analysis, and poster presentation.

SERVICE

Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer

  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Brain Research
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Drug and Alcohol Review

Public Relations Officer

  • Psi Chi, California State University Chapter (2004)