Nafissa Ismail

Nafissa Ismail is a Full Professor in Psychology at the School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, with a focus on investigating the neurochemical mechanisms through which immune challenges and hormonal exposure during critical developmental periods (prenatal and pubertal) alter behavior. Her research examines social behaviors, depression, and cognition using small rodent models.

• University of Massachusetts (Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Neuroendocrinology, 2012)
• Concordia University (Ph.D., M.A., B.Sc. in Psychology and Neuroscience, 2002–2012)

Her research spans neuroimmunological diseases, mental health and addiction, health sciences, brain metabolism, nervous system development, neuropharmacology, and neurophysiology. Key themes include:

• Sex-specific neurobiological responses to immune stressors
• Impact of probiotics and environmental enrichment on stress and depression
• Programming effects of pubertal immune challenge on adult mental health
• Neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory consequences of microbiome dysregulation

Recent publications highlight:

• Neurobiological insights into PCOS-related depression
• Neuroscience of hormonal contraceptives
• Gut microbiome dynamics in stress and neurodegeneration
• Sex-dependent immune and neural responses to LPS and antimicrobials
• COVID-19's impact on maternal microbiome and neonatal development

She teaches advanced courses in behavioral neuroscience, hormones and behavior, and learning & conditioning at the University of Ottawa.