MAJ Allison Brager, Ph.D.

MAJ Allison Brager is an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership at the United States Military Academy.

She is an active-duty neuroscientist (71F) supporting research and development for Special Forces and NATO partners. She has mobilized twice in support of the Global War on Terrorism and the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the field support hospital at the Javits Center in New York City. At present, she has reapplied as a NASA astronaut candidate, having been a semifinalist for the Class of 2020.

Brager direct commissioned in 2017 after her National Academies of Sciences Research Associateship at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Silver Spring, Maryland). She is also the recipient of two National Research Service Awards (postdoctoral and predoctoral) from the National Institutes of Health. She has a doctorate in biological sciences (physiology) from Kent State University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brown University.

Her research examines genetic and neurobiological factors of resiliency to extreme stress in extreme environments, focusing on behavioral genetics and neuropsychopharmacology. Brager has led research projects in Antarctica and the Central American rainforest and has done research with maritime operators, ultra-marathon athletes, and other elite professional and Olympic athletes. She has over 45 publications in flagship biomedical journals, including Science, Journal of Neuroscience, eLife, and Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, and is the author of "Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain."