Sara Freeman
Biology
Associate Professor - She/Her/Hers

Contact Information
Office Location: BNR 239Phone: (435) 797-0670
Email: sara.freeman@usu.edu
Additional Information:
Educational Background
Licensures & Certifications
Biography
I was born in Atlanta, GA, and I received my BS in Biology from the University of Virginia in 2006. I completed my PhD in Neuroscience 2013 from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. From 2013-2019, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Davis before moving to Utah State to start my faculty position in August 2019. I was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure in 2025.
Teaching Interests
neuroscience, animal behavior, scientific method, endocrinology, biology, sex & gender, psychobiology, hormones & behavior, evolution
Research Interests
social behavior, autism, attachment, neuroscience, receptor pharmacology, oxytocin, vasopressin, hormones, comparative neuroanatomy, animal models of psychiatric disease, nonhuman primates, canids
Awards
Open Access Funding Initiative Award, 2025
USU Libraries
2025 Biology Faculty Mentor – Early Career Award, 2025
Council on Undergraduate Research
Distinguished Honors Capstone Mentor Award, 2025
University Honors Program
Perpetual Motivator Award, 2024
USU College of Science
Travel Award, 2023
American Society of Mammalogists
Open Access Funding Initiative Award, 2022
USU Libraries
Peak Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year, 2022
USU College of Science
Best Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting, 2021
Society for Social Neuroscience
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, 2020
USU Office of Empowering Teaching Excellence
Publications | Book Chapters
An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.
Publications | Journal Articles
Academic Journal
- Leonardi, K., Bradshaw, S., Jordan, K., Freeman, S., (2026). Adult-child interaction emotional image set: Subject ratings of childhood sexual abuse survivors. Child Abuse & Neglect, 173, 107929. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.107929
- Snowden, A.W, Schwartz, S.E, Smith, A.L, Goodman, M.M, Freeman, S.M, (2025). Oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptor alterations in the superior temporal sulcus and hypothalamus in schizophrenia. Social Neuroscience, doi: 10.1080/17470919.2025.2536570
- Schrock, A.E, Grossman, M.R, Grebe, N.M, Sharma, A., Freeman, S.M, Palumbo, M.C, Bales, K.L, Drea, C.M, (2025). Neuropeptide receptor distributions in male and female Eulemur vary between female-dominant and egalitarian species. Biology Letters, doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0647
- Morrey, J.D, Siddharthan, V., Wang, H., Oliveira, A.L, Susuki, K., Kaundal, R., Freeman, S., Thomas, A., Duhan, N., Corry, N.G, (2025). Identification of candidate genes involved in Zika virus-induced reversible paralysis of mice. Scientific Reports - Nature, 15: 1, doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-86475-0
- Lau, A.R, Baxter, A., He, S., Loyant, L., Ortiz-Jimenez, C.A, Bauman, M.D, Bales, K.L, Freeman, S., (2024). Age, pair tenure and parenting, but not face identity, predict looking behaviour in a pair-bonded South American primate. Animal Behaviour, 217, 53-63. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.08.015
- Snowden, A.W, Schwartz, S., Smith, A.L, Goodman, M., Freeman, S., (2024). Oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptor alterations in the superior temporal sulcus and hypothalamus in schizophrenia. bioRxivPre-print, 2024.08. 23.609421.
- Turano, A., Brummer, S.P, Schultz, J.T, Young , J., Freeman, S., (2024). Internal and external factors affect pair mate proximity in captive coyotes, Canis latrans. Animal Behaviour, 212, 49-62.
- Hart, J.B, Poon, R.K, Ward, R.E, Hintze, K.J, Freeman, S., (2024). Effects of Dietary Fiber on Short Chain Fatty Acid Receptor mRNA in Microglia and Serotonergic Neurons in the Mouse Brain.. Neuroscience, 544, 88-101.
- Witczak, L.R, Samra, J., Dufek, M., Goetze, L.R, Freeman, S., Lau, A.R, Rothwell, E.S, Savidge, L.E, Arias-Del Razo, R., Baxter, A., Karaskiewicz, C.L, Ferrer, E., Bales, K.L, (2024). Expression of bond-related behaviors affects titi monkey responsiveness to oxytocin and vasopressin treatments.. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1534:1, 118-129.
- Freeman, S., Catrow, J.L, Cox, J.E, Turano, A., Rich, M.A, Ihrig, H.P, Poudyal, N., Chang, C.T, Gese, E.M, Young , J., Olsen, A.L, (2024). Binding Affinity, Selectivity, and Pharmacokinetics of the Oxytocin Receptor Antagonist L-368,899 in the Coyote (Canis latrans).. Comparative medicine, 74:1, 3-11.
- Witczak, L.R, Samra, J., Dufek, M., Goetze, L.R, Freeman, S., Arias-Del Razo, R., Baxter, A., Karaskiewicz, C., Lau, A.R, Rothwell, E.S, Savidge, L.E, Ferrer, E., Bales, K.L, (2023). Titi monkey father-daughter bond-related behaviors explain stress response variability.. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 157, 106362.
- Zablocki-Thomas, P., Lau, A., Witczak, L., Dufek, M., Wright, A., Savidge, L., Paulus, J., Baxter, A., Karaskiewicz, C., Seelke AMH, , Freeman, S., Ferrer, E., Bales, K.L, (2023). Intranasal oxytocin does not change partner preference in female titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus), but intranasal vasopressin decreases it.. Journal of neuroendocrinology, 35:10, e13339.
- Baxter, A., Karaskiewicz, C.L, Campbell, L.A, Kinnally, E.L, Ferrer, E., Seelke AHM, , Freeman, S., Bales, K.L, (2023). Parental experience is linked with lower vasopressin receptor 1a binding and decreased postpartum androgens in titi monkeys.. Journal of neuroendocrinology, 35:7, e13304.
- Zablocki-Thomas, P.B, Savidge, L.E, Witczak, L.R, Ferrer, E., Hobson, B.A, Chaudhari, A.J, Freeman, S., Bales, K.L, (2023). Neural correlates and effect of jealousy on cognitive flexibility in the female titi monkey (Plecturocebus cupreus).. Hormones and behavior, 152, 105352.
- Escriche Chova, P., Ferrer, E., Goetze, L.R, Dufek, M.E, Freeman, S., Bales, K.L, (2023). Neural and behavioral reactions to partners and strangers in monogamous female titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus).. Behavioural brain research, 443, 114334.
- Turano, A., Brummer, S.P, Young , J., Freeman, S., (2023). Can a traditional partner preference test quantify monogamous behavior in captive coyotes?. Behavioural processes, 206, 104832.
- Reuveni, N., Carlson, C.A, Schwartz, S., Meter, D., Barrett, T., Freeman, S., (2022). The antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of cannabinoids in chronic unpredictable stress: a preclinical systematic review and meta-analysis. Translational Psychiatry, 12:1, doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01967-1
An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.
Publications | Other
Other
An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.