Christina Hung

Christina Hung Headshot

Position Title
PhD Student
Psychology

Bio

Hi! My name is Christina Hung, a graduate student on the seahorse/vole side of the lab. Using prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), my research interests center around the neurobiology of non-reproductive social relationships, such as same-sex sibling bonds and alloparental care. I am currently working on a project examining the relationship between the kappa-opioid receptor system, social stress buffering, and separation distress in non-reproductive pair bonded and same-sex sibling bonded voles. 

I began working with voles in early 2019, while I was an undergraduate in the Beery Lab at Smith College (currently at UC Berkeley). In the Beery Lab, I assisted with projects studying same-sex peer relationships and group living in both meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and prairie voles. While at Smith, I also completed an honors thesis project in the Mangiamele Lab, where I used machine learning to examine foot-flagging behavior in the Bornean rock frog (Staurois parvus). 

After graduating from Smith College in 2022, I worked as a technician in the Schafer Lab and SCOPE light microscopy core facility at UMass Chan Medical School. In the Schafer Lab and the SCOPE, I worked on projects that used spatial transcriptomics (mainly MERFISH) to answer questions ranging from the role of microglia in neurodegenerative diseases to gene expression patterns in skin. In 2023, I joined the Bales Lab at UC Davis as a graduate student in the Psychology program. 

Outside of the lab, I enjoy creative writing, playing video games, and hanging out with my dog. Please feel free to contact me at clhung@ucdavis.edu with any questions!