Professor Meerts received a B.A. in biopsychology with a correlate in art history in 2001 from Vassar College and a Ph.D. in psychological and brain sciences from Dartmouth College in 2008. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University before joining the Carleton faculty in 2011. In 2020, her position shifted to be shared between the psychology department and the neuroscience program. Meerts introduces students to neuroscience and psychology, offers seminars on cutting edge neuroscience topics, and teaches a mid-level course with lab in her area of specialization: Hormones, Brain, and Behavior. Meerts’ research focuses on the neural and hormonal factors affecting motivated behavior, specifically female sexual behavior, to better understand the effects of exposure to natural reward on brain systems. Meerts has served on the Education and Curriculum Committee, chaired the Award Committee and directed the neuroscience program from 2017 to 2021.