Dr. Shimon Amir

Concordia University Research Chair in Psychology (Tier 1)
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Science

Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology
shimon.amir@concordia.ca

Dr. Shimon Amir is a native of Rehovot, Israel. He obtained his first two degrees at Tel Aviv University, which included a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology, as well as an M.A. in Psychobiology and Clinical Psychology. He moved to Montreal in 1973 to pursue his doctoral studies in Psychology at McGill University, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Concordia's Center for Research on Drug Dependence. After spending seven years as a Research Scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, Dr. Amir returned to Concordia in 1987 to become a

member of the Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology.

Dr. Amir's research interests are primarily in the area of circadian rhythms. Specifically, he is using molecular, neuroanatomical, physiological, neuroendocrine, and behavioural approaches to study the nature, regulation, and function of novel circadian clocks within limbic forebrain regions involved in the control of motivated behaviours and emotional states, such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, amygdala, hippocampus and striatum. In a related line of research he studies how external and internal time signals gain access to, and regulate the activity of, brain circadian oscillators. Finally, Dr. Amir investigates modes and mechanisms of plasticity within the circadian system, focusing on the role of conditioning, emotional state, and stress in clock resetting and entrainment of circadian rhythms.

In a career spanning three decades, Dr. Amir has been tremendously successful in his research endeavours. His accomplishments include:

• Elected Fellow, Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Sciences (2008)
• Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007)
• Elected Fellow, Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2007)
• Appointed, Joseph Meyerhoff Visiting Professor, Neurobiology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (2007)
• Appointed reviewer, "EUCLOCK" project, the European Commission's 6th framework programme (FP6) in the area of "Entrainment of the Circadian Clock" (2007)
• Appointed reviewer, U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Program Evaluation Committee, Chronobiology and Neural Adaptation (1997)
• Member, CIHR (MRC) Grant Selection Committee, Behavioral Sciences A (1996-1999)
• Recipient, The National Research Council of Italy, Visiting Scientist Award (1990)
• Recipient, The Henry Glasberg Career Development Chair, Weizmann Institute of Science (1983-1987)
• Recipient, The Sadie Danciger International Scholar Exchange Program Award (1982)
• Recipient, The European Science Foundation Training Award/Visiting Scientist, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Pharmacology, Utrecht, The Netherlands (1982)
• Recipient, Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship (1977-1978)
• Recipient, National Research Council of Canada Post Graduate Scholarship (1974-1976)
• Receiving his Board Certification in Clinical Psychology from Israel's Ministry of Health.