Jessica Connelly

Jessica Connelly is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, leading the Connelly Lab. Her research focuses on epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor and its impact on social behavior across species and developmental stages.

Research Focus

• Epigenetic mechanisms in social neuroscience
• OXTR gene methylation and neural correlates
• Parenting and early-life experience effects
• Comparative human and model system studies

Publication Trends

Recent work examines DNA methylation patterns in oxytocin receptor regulation, linking epigenetic modifications to neural responses in social cognition tasks and autonomic nervous system activity. Subfields span molecular psychiatry to developmental neurobiology.

Training Environment

The lab provides immersive research experiences in molecular techniques and animal modeling, cultivating essential skills for future scientists in these areas.