VIPBG News

By Elizabeth Long

Ashlee Moore is a PhD student in the Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Statistical Genetics (PBSG) PhD program. Her first exposure to genetics was during a human genetics undergraduate course, where she became interested in the genetics of behavior. Accordingly, she majored in psychology with a minor in biology. As an undergraduate, she was awarded an undergraduate research grant to fund a research project that examined the relationship between polymorphisms in the COMT gene and sensation seeking. This work led to her discovery of the field of behavioral genetics, and upon graduation she pursued doctoral training in the field.

Ashlee’s current research interests primarily involve conduct disorder and the heterogeneity within the construct. Specifically, she is interested in the question of why certain children with conduct disorder develop more severe outcomes than others. Impressively, Ashlee recently wrote and was awarded a F31 training grant to fund her dissertation research, which examines genetic, physiologic, and neurologic factors associated with psychopathy in children.

“It is better to know nothing than to keep in mind fixed ideas based on theories whose confirmation we constantly seek, neglecting meanwhile everything that fails to agree with them.”

Claude Bernard

Outside of research, Ashlee’s hobbies include spending time with her dog, Yoda. She also enjoys cooking, reading, and jewelry making.