Scott Juntti

Scott Juntti is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Department of Biology. His research focuses on understanding the neural and genetic basis of social behaviors in cichlid fish, leveraging CRISPR/Cas9 and genomic tools. His lab investigates how conserved behaviors like mating, aggression, and parenting are regulated by genes, hormones, and neural circuits. Key species studied include Astatotilapia burtoni.

Education: B.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco, Postdoctoral Training at Stanford University.

Research Highlights: The Juntti Lab combines behavioral assays with genetic manipulation to study pheromone signaling (e.g., role of prostaglandins), social status modulation, and visual ecology. Recent work identified pheromone receptors influencing parental care and mate attraction. Techniques include genome editing, transcriptomics, and neuroimaging.

Awards: $1.9M NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (2021), NSF-funded grants for cichlid genome tools. His work bridges evolutionary biology, neuroethology, and molecular genetics.

Collaborations: Active in cichlid research communities, developing open-access resources for genome manipulation. Lab members include graduate students focused on CRISPR applications and behavior analysis.