Robyn Crook

Robyn Crook is an Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair at San Francisco State University. Her research focuses on the evolution and function of higher cognitive states, particularly pain, in cephalopods such as octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid. She leads the Crook Lab, which employs electrophysiology, genomics, and behavioral assays to study neural plasticity, pain mechanisms, and welfare standards for invertebrates in research. Dr. Crook holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York.

Her work integrates neurobiology, animal behavior, and comparative physiology to explore how injury-induced neural changes affect animal fitness. She advocates for ethical research practices, emphasizing welfare improvements for cephalopods. The lab’s research spans ecological predator-prey dynamics, cellular neurobiology, and evolutionary perspectives on nervous system complexity.

Key themes include nociceptive sensitization, analgesic development for cephalopods, and the societal implications of animal welfare policies. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges basic science with applied ethics, addressing both scientific and philosophical questions about pain perception in non-mammalian species.