Dr. Kimberly Reinhold

How the Brain Weakens Learned Associations

Kimberly Reinhold grew up in Hilo, Hawaii, before graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with an undergraduate degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. She obtained her PhD studying sensory processing with Massimo Scanziani at the University of California at San Diego. Her postdoctoral work with Bernardo Sabatini at Harvard Medical School investigated how animals learn to associate sensory information with motor actions. She is now an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where she leads a laboratory studying how the sensory world steers the mind. Her research asks how particular sights, sounds, and other sensory cues gain control over behavior—and why some cues acquire disproportionate or maladaptive influence, as can occur in mental health conditions. Kimberly is a recipient of the Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship, Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship, and NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award.