Jocelyn Breton

Jocelyn Breton is a developmental neurobiologist interested in understanding how early life adversity influences reward processing, motivation and social behavior. Her lab uses behavioral, physiological, neuroanatomical and molecular techniques to study how early experiences shape the developing brain in a rodent model. She is especially interested in individual differences and in uncovering what makes one more resilient or susceptible to early life stressors. Ultimately, she hopes her work in animal models can help us understand why early adversity is a risk factor for mental illnesses, and how we might prevent it.

Breton started her journey in neuroscience at Middlebury College. She then worked as a research assistant in the Boston area for several years before moving to the west coast to complete her Ph.D. in neuroscience at UC Berkeley. Working in the labs of Howard Fields and Daniela Kaufer, her dissertation explored the role of the prefrontal cortex in stress and motivation. Breton then completed two postdoctoral research fellowships: one at Columbia University with Kevin Bath, and another at Northeastern University with Heather Brenhouse. Her postdoctoral research focused on understanding how early life adversity impacts brain development—a line of work she continues here at Smith.

Apart from her research, Breton loves teaching and mentoring students and is excited to build a collaborative and curiosity-driven community at Smith. Outside of the lab and classroom, she enjoys playing board games, hiking, rock climbing, biking, skiing—really anything outdoors—and hanging out with her two cats, Lila and Lewey.