Laura C. McAuliffe

Laura C. McAuliffe is a Graduate Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience (2022–current). Her research focuses on synaptic plasticity, glutamatergic systems, and molecular neuropharmacology, conducted in Dr. Theodore Dumas' lab investigating NMDA receptor roles in learning and memory. She teaches courses including Biopsychology, Cognitive Psychology, and Brain and Behavior.

Education:

• Ph.D. candidate in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, George Mason University (2022–current)
• B.S. in Psychology, Christopher Newport University (2018–2021), graduated with honors

Her research interests span synaptic mechanisms in memory formation, with prior work on autism spectrum disorder, executive functioning, and educational psychology. She contributed to type 1 diabetes clinical trials at the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology.

Recent Research: Her presentations include studies on DNA-based nanoprobes for neural potassium sensing (2025), synaptic PSD-95 alterations linked to NMDA receptors (2023), and cognitive challenges in university students (2021).

Affiliations: Office hours are Monday 12:00–1:00 in Krasnow Building 143. She teaches Summer 2025 classes and is affiliated with the Psychology department at GMU.