Melinda is a Neuroscience & Behavior PhD candidate in the Department of Psychological Sciences being co-mentored by Dr. Kinzig and Dr. Dan Foti. She earned her BAs in psychology and media communications from Penn State University. Following this, she earned an MA in media industries from the University of Leeds and an MS in experimental psychology from Villanova University. Her previous research has focused on binge-like eating behavior in 5-HT deficient mice and potential pharmacological treatments for binge eating in serotonin-deficient populations. She has also developed independent projects in conjunction with Penn State looking at reward sensitivity and body image, and held a research assistant position in an eating disorders clinical lab at Temple University. Currently, her research interests focus on the neurobiology of eating disorders, as well as the comorbidity between feeding behavior and pathology using clinical models of exercise-based anorexia. This research will increase knowledge of predictors for pathological eating, as well as increase understandings of the neural mechanisms that lead to these outcomes. Following graduation, she would like to enter a career in science writing and policy/advocacy research, particularly focused on improving the health and wellbeing of children, adolescents, and underprivileged populations; or research focused on pathological eating in a hospital setting.