Stacey Kirkpatrick

Stacey Kirkpatrick (Technician, Lab Manager)

Stacey was the laboratory technician and the lab manager in the Laboratory of Addiction Genetics. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in 2012 where she majored in comparative human development. During college, Stacey worked in Dr. Abraham Palmer’s Lab studying the genetics of fear and anxiety in mice. As luck would have it, Stacey and Dr. Bryant worked in the same laboratory at the University of Chicago and both moved to Boston at the same time. Thus, Stacey was the ideal person for the lab manager position in Dr. Bryant’s lab. During her time in Dr. Bryant’s lab, Stacey went above and beyond what was asked of her. Specifically, she developed methods for QTL mapping and brought basic statistic analyses such as factor analysis to the lab while also handling the administrative tasks required of a lab manager, setting up Dr. Bryant’s new lab, running mouse behavioral assays, and more. In her free time, she took pre-medical courses to prepare for medical school.

Reliable and trustworthy, Stacey has consistently exemplified leadership and dedication throughout her time here. Her problem-solving abilities allowed her to build new behavioral testing rooms and design protocols for behavioral assays that the lab continues to use. Her diligent work ethic has led to publications, such as her paper titled “Behavioral architecture of opioid reward and aversion in C57BL/6 substrains”.

Now, Stacey has begun her first year of medical school at the University of Florida. The Laboratory of Addiction Genetics is extremely grateful for the pioneering work Stacey has done to set up the lab and for the knowledge she has passed on to new lab members. Her leadership, dedication, and compassion will also be missed. Best of luck in medical school Stacey!