Amanda Freeman, PhDDirector of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Teaching Professor

Dr. Amanda Freeman is a neuroscientist whose research experience spans schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and cancer, but focuses on how the brain regulates sleep.

Dr. Freeman earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Emory University for research that identified a novel neuroanatomical pathway linking dopaminergic neurons to sleep regulatory circuits. She remained at Emory as a FIRST fellow and now serves as a Senior Lecturer and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Center for the Study of Human Health.

Her research exploring the genetic basis of Restless Legs Syndrome led to the first model of a human sleep disorder in Drosophila. Her current collaborations focus on the molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders and the role of the microbiome in regulation of sleep need.