Will Kenkel

Psychological and Brain Sciences

Will Kenkel

Assistant Professor

wkenkel@udel.edu

Office location

University of Delaware, 105 The Green, Wolf Hall, Newark, DE 19716

Lab

Email Will Kenkel

Education

Ph.D. – University of Illinois at Chicago
B.A. – Cornell University

Biography

Will Kenkel, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware, within the behavioral neuroscience area. His research focuses on the neuroendocrine regulation of social behavior with a focus on reproduction and development.

Kenkel primarily studies two neuropeptides, oxytocin and vasopressin, for their contributions to social behavior. Like many other hormones, levels of both oxytocin and vasopressin surge at birth when they play important roles in helping the newborn adjust to life outside the womb. Throughout development, oxytocin and vasopressin are important regulators of social behavior, which Kenkel has studied using the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). In contemporary obstetric practice, there are a number of conditions and interventions which affect perinatal oxytocin and vasopressin levels, and Kenkel's present research is aimed at uncovering the developmental consequences of changes to these hormones' activity during the sensitive period around birth.