Stephanie Linley

Dr. Stephanie Linley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), within the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in 2011, followed by postdoctoral training and a role as a Research Assistant Professor at FAU’s Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences. Her research focuses on the neurocircuitry of emotion and cognition, employing a multi-modal, multispecies approach to study attention, behavioral inhibition, and emotional processing. She teaches courses in Behavioral Neuroscience and Sensation and Perception at UNC.

Her work examines the anatomical and physiological interactions between monoaminergic systems and thalamocortical pathways, with a particular emphasis on identifying predictive markers for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Linley’s lab investigates how individual differences in behavioral regulation, cognition, and sleep contribute to long-term cognitive outcomes. Her recent publications highlight studies on nucleus reuniens function, thalamic projections, and the neurobiological underpinnings of sleep and anxiety.

Dr. Linley’s academic background includes a B.S. in Psychobiology with an emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience from FAU. She previously served as visiting faculty at the University of North Georgia, where she focused on teaching neuroscience and psychology courses. Her research integrates translational neuroscience methodologies to bridge gaps between preclinical and clinical findings.