What We Do
The Byrd-Craven Psychobiology Lab studies the neuroendocrine underpinnings of human social behavior. We examine a variety of relationships, including female friendships, family, and mating relationships. We employ interdisciplinary methods to uncover the interplay between social context and neuroendocrine responses.
Dr. Byrd-Craven is not accepting graduate students for the Fall of 2025. Next application deadline Dec. 1, 2025. See Join the Lab for more details.
Chronic Adversity
Bio-Social Mechanisms and Protective Factors underlying Chronic Adversity and Emerging Adult Health
PIs: Jennifer Byrd-Craven and Mike Criss
Project Manager: Tori Short
This longitudinal project examines the bio-social mechanisms underlying links between chronic social adversity and health. It seeks to understand protective factors that can buffer the physiological and behavioral impacts of chronic adversity. The project includes measures of both chronic and acute stress as well as allostatic load and immune function in a sample of emerging adult ethnic minorities.
Who We Are
Psychobiology Lab Staff
Dr. Jennifer Byrd-Craven
Lab Director
jennifer.byrd.craven@okstate.edu
Dr. Byrd-Craven received her Ph.D. in 2007 from the University of Missouri. She joined the OSU Psychology Department in the fall of 2007. Her primary research interest is the impact of social dynamics on the activity of the stress response and associated systems. Current research projects focus on: 1) mechanisms underlying developmental adversity, stress, and health; 2) the influence of female friendship interactions on stress and immune system reactivity; and 3) sex differences in response to stress and early adversity. Evolutionary theory is used as a framework for understanding the interaction between biology and social dynamics, with a particular focus on female sociality. See her full CV here.
Ying-Syun "Jenna" Huang
Graduate Student
ying-syun.huang@okstate.edu
Jenna is interested in investigating the biopsychosocial mechanisms by which early life experiences and social experiences influence emotional well-being as well as stress and immune system reactivity. She is also interested in examining the associations between interoception, stress reactivity, emotion regulation and eating behaviors.
Julia Hurwitz
Graduate Student
julia.hurwitz@okstate.edu
Julia is interested in the psychobiology of romantic relationships as well as examining same-sex relationships through an evolutionary lens. She is also broadly interested in hormonal contraceptives and how these affect health outcomes along with mating behavior.
Tori Short
Graduate Student
tori.short@okstate.edu
Tori Short is a fifth-year graduate student working with Dr. Byrd-Craven and Dr. Krems. Tori is primarily interested in using evolutionary theory to study environmental influences on health-related schemas and behaviors pertaining to diet, exercise, stress, and inflammation. Tori’s research interests also include female friendship dynamics as well as sex differences in mate retention and satisfaction.
Krystal Duarte
Graduate Student
krystal.duarte@okstate.edu
Krystal Duarte is a forth-year graduate student working with Dr. Byrd-Craven and Dr. Krems. She is a McNair scholar and previously worked on projects that investigated romantic infatuation and flirting behavior. Her current research interests are in female status and female aggression from an evolutionary perspective.
The Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary ANalysis (OCEAN)
The Byrd-Craven Psychobiology lab is one of several labs in Psychology and Integrative Biology holding joint graduate lab meetings and furthering the OCEAN mission: 1) engage in interdisciplinary research; 2) train future research faculty and graduate students, including those from groups underrepresented in the sciences; and 3) undertaking educational outreach via the FOSSIL conference.
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