Frances Champagne

Frances Champagne is a Professor and Associate Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin (College of Liberal Arts). She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from McGill University and conducted postdoctoral research at Cambridge University. Her work focuses on gene-environment interplay, epigenetic inheritance, and neurodevelopmental outcomes, particularly in how early life experiences shape brain and behavior through epigenetic mechanisms. She teaches courses such as Who Do You Think You Are and Psychology of the Developing Brain.

Education:

• B.A. Psychology, Queen’s University (Canada)
• M.Sc. Psychiatry, McGill University
• Ph.D. Neuroscience, McGill University

Research Interests: Her lab investigates developmental plasticity in response to environmental experiences, with emphasis on maternal care, stress, and epigenetic modifications. Key areas include:

• Epigenetic effects of prenatal/postnatal environments
• Sex differences in developmental trajectories
• Social neuroscience of caregiver-offspring interactions

Recent Work: Recent studies explore the impact of bisphenol exposure on neurodevelopment, maternal BMI effects on offspring stress indices, and the role of chemosignals in social behavior. She also co-leads the Whole Communities-Whole Health cohort study on community health strategies.

Labs/Teams: Director of the Epigenetics, Development and Neuroscience Lab. Collaborates with international groups on projects like the Parental Brain Conference.