Encountering a squeamish student with reservations about rodent dissection may seem unpleasant, but for Bill DeCoteau it’s one of his favorite parts of his job. 

As a biological psychologist, DeCoteau teaches classes for both the psychology and neuroscience departments. These are mostly biologically-based, but every so often a student enters his class with little or no background in biology. “These students often question their ability to absorb the subject matter (or to stomach some of the more visceral laboratory experiences),” he says. “It’s gratifying to prove to these students that they can not only grasp the material, but also take pleasure in doing so.”

A paper DeCoteau recently wrote on the dynamic interactions of different rodent brain regions during the learning and retention of behavioral tasks appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He is also working with Prof. Joe Erlichman of the biology department, studying animal models of human disease conditions. They are developing a novel rodent model of panic disorder, which will be useful in understanding the brain areas, neurotransmitters, genes, and other factors in human anxiety disorders.

Working with the SLU community, which he finds to be filled with bright people who lack pretension, is what he likes best about his job--that, the courses he teaches, and an added perk…”the new science building!” (The $36.9 million Johnson Hall of Science opened for the fall semester.)

Outside of class work, DeCoteau likes to take advantage of the surroundings by spending time with his wife and two young daughters exploring the North Country. He likes to play hockey, softball, golf and squash, and is an avid fan of the Saints athletic program.