Marija Kundakovic

Marija Kundakovic is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Fordham University. Her work focuses on the epigenetic basis of behavior and psychiatric disorders, particularly exploring hormonal and environmental influences on mental health, including sex differences in depression, anxiety, and addiction. She leads the Kundakovic Lab, which integrates molecular, behavioral, and computational approaches to study epigenetic mechanisms in brain function.

Education: PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2009), MSc in Experimental Pharmacology from the University of Belgrade (2003), PharmD from the University of Belgrade School of Pharmacy (2001).

Research Interests: Epigenetic regulation by sex hormones (e.g., estrous cycle effects), environmental influences on psychiatric risks, development of epigenetic biomarkers for mental disorders, and chromatin dynamics in the brain. The lab’s work spans molecular biology, animal behavior, and clinical collaborations.

Key Contributions: Pioneering studies on estrous cycle-driven chromatin changes, sex-specific cocaine addiction vulnerability, and X-chromosome dynamics in female brains. Recent work includes identifying Egr1 as a regulator of neuronal plasticity and behavior.

Awards: 2022 Distinguished Research Award (Fordham), 2019 NARSAD Young Investigator Award, and elected Council Member of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (2024).

Grants: NIH R01 (2021–2025), NIMH R21 (2024–2026), Fordham Faculty Fellowships, and internal grants for projects on epigenomics and 3D genome studies.

Labs/Teams: The Kundakovic Lab collaborates with institutions like Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and Columbia University, focusing on translational epigenetic research.