Allen F. Mensinger

Dr. Allen Mensinger

My laboratory is interested in the neural mechanisms of behavior. We are interested in how fish detect, integrate and respond to external cues in the environment. 

At the University of Minnesota Duluth, my lab works on the visual and auditory sensitivity of both marine and freshwater fishes, using both electrophysiology and behavioral studies. We have work closely with the Department for Natural Resources and the USGS to apply our understanding of fish sensory physiology to the management of invasive species, such as round goby, Neogobius melanostomsus, bighead, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix . 

During the summer months, research is also conducted at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA using the oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau as our model organism.  For example, we have developed an implantable electrode and telemetry system to record physiological signals from free swimming fish. In addition to neurophysiology, we also conduct behavioral studies to investigate the effect of anthropogenic sound on a resident population of oyster toadfish in Eel Pond (just outside the lab).

Education

B.S., 1983, Duke University

Ph.D., 1991, University of California Santa Barbara​

Contact

amensing@d.umn.edu

(218) 726-7259