Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1973

Office: McGuinn 523
Lab: Higgins 045
Phone: (617) 552-4106
Email: michael.numan@bc.edu

Neurobiology of Social Behavior Lab
http://www2.bc.edu/michael-numan/

Scholarly Interests: Professor Numan's general research area is the study of the neurobiology of motivation, emotion, and social behavior. His specific research deals with the neurobiology of parental behavior in rodents and it investigates the effects of hormones and experience on the relevant hypothalamic, limbic, and striatal circuits.

Academic Profile: Professor Numan began his faculty position at Boston College in 1975. His research has contributed importantly to an understanding of the biology of parental behavior, and this research has potential significance for an understanding of the biology of normal and abnormal social behavior. In particular, it may shed light on some of the biological causes of child abuse and neglect. Professor Numan has written the section on parental behavior for the Encyclopedia of Neuroscience and the Encyclopedia of Reproduction, and he has recently completed a book with Tom Insel on the neurobiology of parental behavior. He has also served as a consultant for NASA on the feasibility of animal reproduction in space.