Kathryn Baker

Kathryn Baker is a Research Fellow at the School of Psychology, University of New South Wales. Her research bridges Developmental Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, focusing on Fear Extinction mechanisms during adolescence. Using rodent models, she investigates how Neural Circuits, Pharmacological Treatments, and environmental factors like Diet-Induced Brain Dysregulation and Stress Hormones affect emotional memory formation and treatment outcomes for anxiety disorders.

• Education: PhD in Psychology (2011), Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience (Hons) (2005), both from Monash University.

Her article publications (2018–2025) reveal critical insights into adolescent-specific impairments in fear extinction, pharmacological interventions (e.g., D-cycloserine, WIN55212-2), and stress/diet-induced alterations in Prefrontal Cortex-Amygdala Connectivity and Parvalbumin Interneurons. She has secured multiple grants, including an NHMRC Peter Doherty Early Career Fellowship and an ARC DECRA.

• Scientific Awards:
  • NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellowship (2013–2016)
  • ARC DECRA (2017–2019)
  • UNSW Women in Maths and Science Champion (2019)
  • ISDP Kucharski Young Investigator Award (2016)

As a supervisor, she has guided 15+ PhD, M. Psych, and Honours students, including research on social buffering, estrous cycles, and intergenerational stress. Her teaching portfolio includes courses like Psychobiology of Sex, Love, and Attraction and Developmental Neuroscience. She actively participates in public outreach, such as Sydney Science Festival and UNESCO L'Oreal Girls in Science Forum.