Sara Keefer

Sara Keefer is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology department at Gettysburg College. She holds a BA from Shippensburg University (2012), MA and PhD from Boston College (2014-2018), and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Maryland (2018-2023).

Her research focuses on behavioral neuroscience, particularly brain mechanisms underlying reward learning and addiction. She studies individual differences in adaptive vs. maladaptive behaviors using rat models, examining motivation, risk-taking, and neural circuits like the basolateral amygdala, striatum, and insular cortex.

Recent work emphasizes cannabinoid receptor signaling (CB1R) in the dorsomedial striatum, sex differences in addiction pathways, and amygdala-prefrontal cortex circuitry. Her findings contribute to understanding how neural plasticity drives decision-making and susceptibility to addictive behaviors.

Courses taught include Introduction to Brain & Behavior, Psychopharmacology, and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory. No listed grants or advisees are currently available in the profile.