Sara Freeman

Biology

Associate Professor - She/Her/Hers


Sara Freeman

Contact Information

Office Location: BNR 239
Phone: (435) 797-0670
Email: sara.freeman@usu.edu
Additional Information:

Educational Background

PhD, Neuroscience, Emory University, 2013
Characterization of oxytocin receptors in the nonhuman primate brain
BS, Biology, (French Language & Literature), University of Virginia, 2006

Licensures & Certifications

Trained Facilitator of the Entering Mentoring curricula, Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), 2025
Master Teacher Certificate, USU Center for Empowering Teaching Excellence, 2024
Teaching Scholar Certificate, USU Center for Empowering Teaching Excellence, 2021
Certificate in Effective College Instruction, Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) and the American Council on Education (ACE), 2021

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An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.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.

    Teaching

    BIOL, BIOL 4750, 6750 - Topics in Biology (Topic), Spring 2025
    PSY 7090 - Experimental and Applied Psychological Science Program Seminar, Fall 2024
    BIOL, PSY 6020, 6020 - Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Fall 2023
    BIOL, PSY 6020 - Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Fall 2023
    BIOL 5625 - Neurophysiology Laboratory, Fall 2023
    BIOL 4750, 6750 - Topics in Biology (Neuroendocrinology: Hormones & Behavior), Spring 2023
    BIOL 5625 - Neurophysiology Laboratory, Fall 2022
    BIOL, PSY 6020 - Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Fall 2021
    BIOL 4750, 6750 - Topics in Biology (Neuroendocrinology: Hormones & Behavior), Fall 2020
    BIOL 6750, 4750 - Topics in Biology (Behavioral Neurobiology), Fall 2019

    Graduate Students Mentored

    Caroline Long, Biology, January 2021
    Ariel Snowden, Psychology, June 2021 - May 2024
    Janna Hart, Biology, August 2020 - May 2023
    Sage Frehner, Biology, January 2020 - December 2021
    Noa Reuveni, Psychology, July 2020 - May 2021