Zebrafish Behavioral and Nutritional Genomics  

Assistant Professor of Biology

brobison[at]uidaho.edu

Our primary research focus is Behavioral Genomics.  We are currently using a variety of behaviorally distinct zebrafish strains to study the genetic basis of variation in anxiety, aggression, and feeding related behaviors.  The zebrafish strains used by our lab vary in their domestication history, and we are currently using these strains to study the genetics of behavioral adaptation to captivity.

Our lab also uses the zebrafish and rainbow trout in studies of Nutritional Genomics.  Specifically, we are studying the effects of dietary manipulations on the expression of genes in the liver and brain.  As part of these studies, we examine whether males and females differ in their metabolic phenotype and patterns of energy partitioning.