2010 - current: Associate Professor, Neuroscience Major Coordinator, ResPAC Chair; Department of Biology, Westminster College, PA

2005 - 2010: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Westminster College, PA

2003 - 2005: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Duquesne University, PA

2002: Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, Chatham University, PA

2000 - 2003: Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, PA

Education

1997: Ph.D. Developmental Biology, University of London, UK

1993: M.Sc. Immunology, University of London, UK

1991: FIMLS Immunology, Paddington College, London, UK

Selected Publications

Walter, R., Bennett, A. and Robertson, K. (2013) A molecular Mechanism for Behavioral Plasticity in Insects . In preparation

Robertson, K. (2013) Assessment as an Opportunity for, Rather than a Hindrance to, Developing Independent Thinking Skills in Students. Faculty Focus, April 1st, 2013

Coates, K. and Robertson, K. (2013) Muscarininc Acetylcholine Receptors are Required for Nestmate-Odor Memory Retrieval but not for Olfaction in Harvester Ants. in press in BIOS

Robertson, K. (2012) A Journal Club Workshop that Teaches Undergraduates a Systematic Method for Reading, Interpreting and Presenting Primary literature. J. College Science Teaching, 41 (6) 20-26

Cook, S. and Robertson, K. (2009) Dark-reared Drosophila melanogaster Adapt to their Environment by Acetylcholine-driven Changes in Olfactory Sensitivity. Proceedings of the Society for Comparative Cognition 8 (7) 10-12

Gong, L., Puri, M., Unlu, M., Young, M., Robertson, K., Viswanathan, S., Krishnaswamy, A., Dowd, S. R. and Minden, J. S. (2004) Drosophila Ventral Furrow Morphogenesis: a Proteomic Analysis. Development 131; 643-656

Robertson, K., Mergliano, J. and Minden, J. S. (2003) Dissecting Drosophila Embryonic Brain Development using Photoactivated Gene Expression. Dev. Biol. 260 (1), 124-137

Robertson, K., Hall, S. and Mason, I. (1999) Hirschsprung's Disease: Genetic Mutations in Mice and Men. Gut 41, 436-441

Robertson, K. and Mason, I (1997) The GDNF-RET Signaling Partnership. Trends in Genetics, 13 (1) 1-3

Robertson, K. and Mason, I (1995) Expression of ret in the Chicken Embryo Suggests Roles in Regionalization of the Vagal Neural Tube and in Developmant of Multiple Neural Crest and Placodal Lineages. Dev. Biol. 53, 329-344

Recent Presentations

Webster, SK., Armstead, DN., Lenox, TL., Faires, BT., Boylan-Funari, HM. and Robertson, KL (2012) Preparing Women for Success in STEM Graduate Education. Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Conference on Leveraging Uncertaintity: Toward a New Generation of Undergraduate Research, The College of New Jersey, NJ

Walter, B., King, D., Gibson, D. and Robertson, K (2011) A Molecular Mechanism for Neural Plasticity in the Olfactory Processing Centers of Insects. Gordon Research Conference Neuroethology, Evolution and Neurobiology, Stonehill College, MA

Robertson, K (2011) A role for GABA in Olfactory Plasticity in Insects .11th Annual Pittsburgh Fly Group Meeting, University of Pittsburgh, PA

Robertson, K., Walter, R. and Bennett, A. (2010) Adult Brain Plasticity in Insects. 47th Annual Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, Williamsburg, VA

Robertson, K (2009) The Role of Acetylcholine in Olfaction in Insects. 9th Annual Pittsburgh Fly Group Meeting, University of Pittsburgh, PA

Lenox, T., Robertson, K., DeSalvo, N., King, J., Koop, K., Ade. and Webster S. (2009) Integrating Undergraduate Research Across the Curriculum Through Senior Capstone. 7th Annual Teaching Professor Conference, Washington, DC

Cook, S. and Robertson, K. (2009) Dark-reared Drosophila melanogaster Adapt to their Environment by Acetylcholine-driven Changes in Olfactory Sensitivity. 16th International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL

Robertson, K. and Painter, A. (2007) Olfactory Performance Increases in the Absence of Visual Experience, without Detectable Anatomincal Changes in the Brain of Drosophila melanogaster. Southeast Regional Meeting of the Soc. Dev. Biol., Chapel Hill, NC 

Grants and Awards

2011/12: I was part of a team of four, led by Sandra. K. Webster, who wrote an invited grant proposal for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), for a $1.6M grant to fund a four-year, multi-disciplinary undergradute research program. Our proposal was unfunded despite recieving at least one, glowing review

2011: Recipient of the 2011 Westminster College, Fall Watto Award for Faculty Research; $3000

2009: Recipient of the 2009 Westminster College, Van Vranken Summer Research Scholarship to fund myself and two students during a summer research project, $6000

2009: Recipient of Westminster College Faculty Development funds for research equipment, $640

2004: I helped to prepare an NSF grant proposal and develop a training scheme for the funding of a confocal microscope for the Department of Biology at Duquesne University. The grant (#OB1-040076) was funded to $185,000. The principle investigator was John. A. Pollock.

Societies and Committees

Member: Comparative Cognition Society (International) 

"Founded in 1999, the Comparative Cognition Society (CCS) is a scientific society dedicated to gaining a broad scientific understanding of the nature and evolution of cognition in human and nonhuman animals" (CCS.org).

Chair: Research Professions Advisory Committee (Westminster College)

The Research Professions Advisory Committee is a club at Westminster College, run by faculty, for students who are interested in pursuing a career in scientific research

  Member: Council on Undergadute Research (National)