- Biostatistics
- Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health
- Faculty & Staff
- Jesse E. Bell, PhD
- Cheryl Beseler, PhD
- Rachael Birn, MPH
- Eric C. Carnes, PhD
- Shaun Cross, PhD
- Ellen Duysen, MPH
- Babak J. Fard, PhD
- Jocelyn J. Herstein, PhD, MPH
- Kristina Kintziger, PhD
- Rachel Lookadoo, JD
- John J. Lowe, PhD
- JoEllyn McMillan, PhD
- Siddhi Munde, MS
- Matthew W. Nonnenmann, PhD, CIH
- Jenelle K. Pomicter
- Risto Rautiainen, PhD
- Eleanor G Rogan, PhD
- Mystera Samuelson, PhD
- Terry L. Stentz, PhD, MPH, CPE, CPC
- Nicholas Stergiou, PhD
- Paula Swanson
- Summer Woolsey, MPH
- Todd Wyatt, PhD
- Aaron Yoder, PhD
- Muhammad Zahid, PhD
- Current Students
- Water, Climate and Health
- The Ogallala Aquifer Mascot Competition
- Central States Center for Agriculture Safety and Health
- News & Events
- Epidemiology
- Health Promotion
- Health Services Research & Administration
Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health
College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Professional Summary
- 2023-Present, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health, UNMC
- 2020-Present, Director, UNMC Animal Behavior Core, UNMC
- 2019-2020, Animal Behavior Specialist, Office for the Vice Chancellor for Research, UNMC
- 2016-2019, Research Scientist, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies
- 2015-2016, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, The University of Southern Mississippi
Education
- 2015, Experimental Psychology, The University of Southern Mississippi
- 2012, Natural Resources, The University of Idaho
- 2009, Psychology, Montana State University
Research Interests
Dr. Samuelson is an ethologist specializing in the assessment of animal behavior and cognition, animal welfare, and human-animal interactions. Her research focuses on the refinement of behavioral assessments to promote reproducibility and rigor while simultaneously improving animal welfare outcomes. Further, she is interested in leveraging this knowledge of animal behavior and cognition to improve health outcomes for those interacting with these animals in a variety of contexts.
Dr. Samuelson serves jointly as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health as well as the Director of the UNMC Animal Behavior Core here at UNMC.
Selected Publications
- CS-CASH Bison Worker Health and Safety Annual Reports (2021-Present)
- Cunningham, K. C. Smith, D. R., Villageliú, Ellis, C. M., Ramer-Tait, A., Price, J. D., Wyatt,T. A., Knoell, D. L., Samuelson, M. M., Welsh, D. A., Samuelson, D. R. (2023)., Human alcohol-microbiota mice have increased susceptibility to bacterial pneumonia. Cells, 12, 2267.
- Lyn, H., Broadway, M. S., Jett, S. E., Samuelson, M. M., Christopher, J., & Chenkin, B. (2021). The effects of distance on pointing in shelter dogs. Animal Cognition, 1-11.
- Lauderdale, L. K., Samuelson, M. M., & Xitco, M. J. (2021). Modern applications of operantconditioning through the training of a beaching behavior with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 9(2), 81-87.
- Samuelson, M. M., Ambert Millan, A., Diaz Clark, C., & Solangi, M. (2020). Description of a unique solitary feeding behavior observed in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Biloxi Mash, Louisiana. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 7(4), 505-513.
- Samuelson, M. M., Pulis, E. E., Ray, C., Arias, C. R., Samuelson, D. R., Mattson, E. E., & Solangi, M. (2020). Analysis of the fecal microbiome in Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) undergoing rehabilitation. Endangered Species Research, 43, 121-131.
- Jones, B., Zapetis, M. E., Samuelson, M. M., & Ridgway, S. (2019). Sounds produced by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): A review of definitions, acoustic criteria, and vocabulary. Bioacoustics, 29(4), 1-43.
- Pulis, E. E., Wells, R. S., Schorr, G., Douglas, D. C., Samuelson, M. M., & Solangi, M. (2018). Movements and dive patterns of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) released in the Gulf of Mexico following rehabilitation. Aquatic Mammals, 44(5), 545-557.
- Zapetis, M. E., Samuelson, M. M., Botero Acosta, N., Kuczaj, S. A. (2017). Evaluation of a developing ecotourism industry: Whale watching in the Gulf of Tribugá, Colombia. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 30, 1-16
- Samuelson, M. M., Lauderdale, L. K., Pulis, K., Solangi, M., Hoffland, T., & Lyn, H. (2016). Olfactory enrichment in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus): An effective tool for captive welfare? Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 20(1), 75-85.
Professional Affiliations
- International Society for Neuroethology
- International Society of Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH)
- International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE)
- Society for Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Association of Women in Science (AWIS)
- Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF)
- American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Division 6
984320 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5875
Phone: 402-836-9780
Email: mystera.samuelson@unmc.edu
- Biostatistics
- Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health
- Faculty & Staff
- Jesse E. Bell, PhD
- Cheryl Beseler, PhD
- Rachael Birn, MPH
- Eric C. Carnes, PhD
- Shaun Cross, PhD
- Ellen Duysen, MPH
- Babak J. Fard, PhD
- Jocelyn J. Herstein, PhD, MPH
- Kristina Kintziger, PhD
- Rachel Lookadoo, JD
- John J. Lowe, PhD
- JoEllyn McMillan, PhD
- Siddhi Munde, MS
- Matthew W. Nonnenmann, PhD, CIH
- Jenelle K. Pomicter
- Risto Rautiainen, PhD
- Eleanor G Rogan, PhD
- Mystera Samuelson, PhD
- Terry L. Stentz, PhD, MPH, CPE, CPC
- Nicholas Stergiou, PhD
- Paula Swanson
- Summer Woolsey, MPH
- Todd Wyatt, PhD
- Aaron Yoder, PhD
- Muhammad Zahid, PhD
- Current Students
- Water, Climate and Health
- The Ogallala Aquifer Mascot Competition
- Central States Center for Agriculture Safety and Health
- News & Events
- Epidemiology
- Health Promotion
- Health Services Research & Administration