M. Russell Nichols, DVM
Role
Job Title
Resident, Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM)
Profile
After pursuing graduate education in sociology, Dr. Nichols began doing animal husbandry work in a laboratory due to a sustained interest in animal behavior. This interest, combined with his early sociological research, which focused on healthcare and epidemiology, led Dr. Nichols to attend veterinary school at North Carolina State University.
Before and during his veterinary training, Dr. Nichols pursued research interests related to cognition and learning in both peafowl and rats. Prior to beginning his third year of veterinary school, Dr. Nichols completed a summer fellowship with the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine at the University of Michigan and returned for a residency in 2019.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr. Nichols’s research interests include the effects of early environmental enrichment on welfare, cognition, and learning.
Professional Background
- DVM, North Carolina State University, 2019
- MA (Sociology), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2011
- Nichols, M.R. & Yorzinski, J.L. 2016. Peahens can differentiate between the antipredator calls of individual conspecifics. Animal Behaviour 112: 23-27.