New department chair Anna Klintsova pledges commitment to faculty and students

When a department transitions to new leadership, there is always curiosity about its next chapter. For the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, that chapter is being written by someone who already knows our story intimately.

Anna Klintsova recently stepped into the role of department chair, bringing with her a compelling personal history and a deep commitment to the faculty and students. I recently sat down with Anna to discuss her journey from the former Soviet Union to the University of Delaware as well as her vision for the future of our program.

From Moscow to Main Street

Klintsova’s scientific journey is a masterclass in perseverance. Born in Moscow, she earned her undergraduate and master's degrees in biology at Moscow State University before diving into neuroscience. Her early doctoral research at the All-Union Mental Health Research Center focused on an amphetamine model of schizophrenia, specifically looking at the effects of haloperidol on the nigrostriatal system in the midbrain.

She defended her dissertation thesis in 1992 during the era of Perestroika (Russian for "restructuring")—a challenging period of profound uncertainty in Russia where citizens routinely stood in lines just to buy bread.

Seeking to expand her scientific horizons, she secured an international grant and relocated to the United States in 1993 to work in the labs of Nancy Desmond and Peter Brunjes at the University of Virginia. She later moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to work alongside brain plasticity pioneer William Greenough. After securing her first tenure-track position at SUNY Binghamton, Klintsova found her long-term academic home when the University of Delaware was actively building its neuroscience program.

These days, her current work—funded by the National Institutes of Health—focuses on how early-life alcohol exposure disrupts brain development and contributes to the cognitive and behavioral deficits seen in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. 

A Vision Built on Connections and Community

Stepping into an administrative leadership role requires a shift in focus, but for Klintsova, the motivation was simple: “I love my colleagues very much.”

She recognizes that our department, like many across the country, faces hurdles in securing research funding and navigating a generational transition as senior faculty retire. However, she views our department's greatest asset as its people. 

“What makes this department so special is the people," she shared. "Our faculty are incredibly hard-working, driven to be the best and always willing to donate their time and effort for the collective success of our programs.”

Looking toward the next five to ten years, her top priorities are clear: hiring dynamic new faculty and fiercely protecting and developing our undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Human Element

Beyond the lab and the administrative desk, Klintsova stays grounded through a mix of physical activity and historical curiosity.

• Words to Live By: When navigating the inevitable hurdles of experimental science, she leans on a simple principle: perseverance. Because experiments will frequently fail, scientists must simply figure out what went wrong, adapt, and redo the work. (She also shared a brilliant piece of practical advice for neuroscientists: Always examine your whole set of microscopic slides qualitatively, with your “naked eye”, before you begin formally quantifying data!)
• Off-Campus Recharge: To step away from the demands of academia, you can often find her fast-walking through White Clay Creek Park toward the Pennsylvania line. You might run into her on Main Street in Newark enjoying dinner with colleagues at Taverna or grabbing a quick lunch at Honey Grow. 
• Fascinating Reads: While her daily reading consists of complex scientific literature, she is currently captivated by medical history, such as the 1918 Spanish flu, as well as Walter Isaacson's biographies of figures such as Jennifer Doudna (the Nobel Laureate who developed CRISPR-Cas9 “genetic scissors” as a technology that allows scientists to make highly precise edits to DNA) as well as Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs.

This appreciation for history is fitting for a leader with such an inspiring family narrative. Klintsova noted that her great-grandparents rose from highly unprivileged backgrounds in Russia to see their children become doctors and university professors. Today, she carries that legacy forward, leading our department with that exact same spirit of determination and growth.