Heather Bimonte-Nelson

Heather Bimonte-Nelson is a President's Professor in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University, specializing in behavioral neuroscience and comparative psychology. Her research focuses on aging, menopause, and hormone effects on cognition, particularly in translational models of women’s health. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and edited 'The Maze Book,' a seminal work on rodent behavioral testing.

Education includes a PhD from the University of Connecticut (2000), followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (2000–2001) and the Medical University of South Carolina (2001–2004). Her lab investigates hormonal influences on learning, memory, and Alzheimer’s disease-related variables, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and clinical translation.

Key research interests include menopause etiology, hormone therapy efficacy, and neuroendocrine interactions with aging. Her work explores how exogenous hormones (e.g., contraceptives, therapies) and lifestyle factors affect neural plasticity and cognitive decline. Recent projects address HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and nanomedicine applications in acute brain injury.

Teaching responsibilities include graduate seminars, thesis supervision, and undergraduate research mentorship across psychology and neuroscience programs. Her lab’s translational goals aim to bridge preclinical discoveries with clinical interventions for healthy brain aging.