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