The Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Distinguished Lecture in Psychology

2026 Benjamin Lecture

Kelly Lambert, PhD

Neuroplasticity Across the Neuroverse
Brain Sculpting Through the Lenses of History, Habitat, and Hope

Save the Date: May 15, 2025

The Cummings Center for the History of Psychology is pleased to announce that Kelly Lambert, PhD will be our Featured Speaker for the 2025 Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Distinguished Lecture in the History of Psychology. Lambert is an acclaimed behavioral neuroscientist interested in experience-based neuroplasticity.

The 2026 Benjamin Lecture will be held on Thursday, May 14. More information, including registration details, will be available soon.

Abstract

Dr. Lambert will expand the topic of neuroplasticity beyond selectively bred rodent models and restricted laboratory cages to diverse species, brains, and habitats across the “neuroverse.” After briefly revisiting historical foundations that shaped early thinking about brain plasticity, Lambert will examine how habitat and experience — from artificial laboratory settings to complex natural environments — sculpt healthy neural circuits across the lifespan. Finally, the impact of hopeful and optimistic cognitive/emotional strategies on plasticity-based neurobehavioral outcomes in both preclinical models and human lives will be considered, with implications for public policy---particularly in the contexts of poverty and incarceration.

About the Speaker

Dr. Kelly Lambert is the Trawick Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Richmond, where she investigates experience-based neuroplasticity in preclinical models. After receiving her Ph.D. in Biopsychology from the University of Georgia, she has focused her academic career at small liberal arts institutions, teaching a wide range of neuroscience-related courses while maintaining an active research program. Her work explores how various experiences and environments shape brain health and emotional resilience. Lambert is the author of two neuroscience textbooks (Clinical Neuroscience and Biological Psychology) and three books for general audiences, including Lifting Depression, The Lab Rat Chronicles, and Well-Grounded. Her current book project, Wild Brains: What Animals Can Teach Us About Being Well (to be released August 2026), examines mental health through the lens of diverse animal models and environments. Her research has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in Netflix’s The Hidden Lives of Pets, and she recently created the Amazon Audible Original lecture series Sculpting Healthy Brains with Everyday Activities. Her lab’s emerging interest in positive emotions was the topic of a recent TEDx Talk, What Teaching Rats to Drive Taught Me About Joy.