Diane Kelly

Diane Kelly is a Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is affiliated with the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, the Neuroscience & Behavior Graduate Program, and the Organismic & Evolutionary Biology Program.

Her research focuses on sex-specific modulation of neural circuitry in the mammalian brain, particularly examining dimorphisms in neuron size, number, and estrogen receptor expression in brain regions associated with reproductive behavior, social interaction, stress, and anxiety. Using immunohistochemistry and three-dimensional imaging, she traces sexually dimorphic connectomes in mice. Future work aims to integrate electrophysiological and optogenetic techniques to explore how these neural circuits influence behavior.

Additionally, she investigates the functional morphology and evolution of intromittent organs in archosaurs, collaborating with researchers from Stephens College and Mount Holyoke College.

Dr. Kelly earned her PhD in 1997 from Duke University. Her interdisciplinary work bridges neuroscience, endocrinology, and evolutionary biology.

She is actively involved in collaborative research and is contributing to foundational knowledge in neuroendocrine mechanisms and evolutionary morphology. No formal advisees or grants are listed in the provided text.

Her laboratory work is conducted within the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, utilizing advanced imaging and neuroanatomical techniques. She contributes to graduate training through her affiliations with the Neuroscience & Behavior and Organismic & Evolutionary Biology programs.