Erin Kinnally

Erin Kinnally is an Associate Professional Researcher in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Davis, and a research scientist at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC). She is also affiliated with the Animal Behavior Graduate Group and serves on the Editorial Review Board of Environmental Epigenetics. Her research focuses on the interplay between genetics and environment in shaping brain, behavior, and health in non-human primates, with a particular emphasis on epigenetic mechanisms and transgenerational effects.

Dr. Kinnally holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from UC Davis, an M.A. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska–Omaha, and a B.A. in Psychology from Hamilton College. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and supported by awards such as the UC Davis Academic Federation Innovative Development Award and the Janssen Fellowship in Translational Neuroscience.

Her research highlights how early experiences, genetic variations, and epigenetic changes influence long-term health outcomes and behavior in primates, including transgenerational transmission of traits through social and germ line mechanisms. She has trained undergraduate and graduate students in non-human primate behavior and molecular genetics, and her teaching includes courses in physiological psychology, developmental psychobiology, and hormones and behavior.

Key themes in her recent work include the effects of stress on immune and inflammatory systems, the heritability of temperament, and the role of oxytocin and vasopressin in parental and social behaviors. Her studies often reveal how environmental challenges in early life create lasting physiological and behavioral adaptations, with implications for human health.

Dr. Kinnally’s contributions extend to advancing genomic tools for rhesus macaques, enhancing their utility in biomedical research. Her lab at UC Davis combines behavioral observation, molecular genetics, and epigenetic analysis to address complex questions in primate neuroscience and development.