Sonia A. Cavigelli

Sonia A. Cavigelli serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health within the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University. Her research program investigates individual differences in stress- and fear-related behavior and physiology through longitudinal experimental studies using animal models.

Education

• Duke University, PhD, 1998

Dr. Cavigelli's research examines how early life stress experiences during adolescence and earlier developmental periods influence adult anxiety- and depression-related behavior and physiology. She employs animal models to identify biological mechanisms altered by stress exposure across significant portions of the lifespan. A recent research focus explores the impact of developmental allergic asthma on emotion-regulatory brain regions and behavioral outcomes, bridging immunological and neurological domains.

As director of the Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Lab, she investigates temperament, social status, and natural environmental influences on stress responses and health outcomes. Her grant-funded work spans longitudinal studies on temperament development, individual differences in stress physiology within ecological contexts, and the neurobiological consequences of early adversity. Dr. Cavigelli actively mentors graduate students and maintains active collaborations across neuroscience and biobehavioral disciplines.