Phoebe Edwards

Profile

My research examines the effect of the social environment on individual physiology. I am working with eusocial naked mole-rats in the Holmes lab to understand how status and role within the group are reflected in endocrine and neuroendocrine measures. My postdoctoral research has focused on the effect of social status on measures of hormonal stress, how the reproductive status of the most dominant animal in the group (known as "the queen" in naked mole-rats) affects the estrogen levels of the other colony members, and whether there is social transmission of hormones among individuals. Upcoming research will address the mechanisms driving individual differences in aggression among group members.