Keely Muscatell
Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience
kmuscatell@unc.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Google Scholar Profile
CPC Publications
ORCID iD
Dr. Muscatell is a social neuroscientist and psychoneuroimmunologist whose research focuses on uncovering the neural, physiological, and psychological mechanisms through which stress influences health and well-being. She wants to understand how broader societal factors, like socioeconomic and racial inequities, shape the brain and the body in ways that contribute to health.
How does our standing in a social hierarchy influence our neural, emotional, and physiological responses to stressors and social interactions? How does the brain and the immune system respond to an experience of racial discrimination? Why do individuals lower in socioeconomic status have worse health than those with higher socioeconomic status? How does the physiological state of the body alter our perceptions of the social world? Dr. Keely Muscatell's research seeks to find answers to these questions, as well as other topics at the intersection of social psychology, neuroscience, immunology, and population health. To answer these questions, Dr. Muscatell utilizes theory and methods from a variety of disciplines, including experimental social psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, functional brain imaging, pharmacology, and population health.