Rate My Professor William Kochen

Dr. William Kochen is the Founding Chair and Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in the Wanek School of Natural Sciences at High Point University. He earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in psychology and biology from Stony Brook University in 2013, a Master of Arts in psychology with a concentration in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience from George Mason University in 2017, and a Ph.D. in psychology with the same concentration from George Mason University in 2018. His dissertation investigated the effect of chronic stress on repetitive mild traumatic brain injury with post-injury zinc supplementation. Prior to High Point University, Kochen served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Nova Southeastern University starting in August 2019. He also held adjunct professor positions at George Mason University from January to July 2019 and at the University of Mary Washington from January 2018 to May 2019, as well as graduate lecturer roles in the Psychology Department at George Mason University from August 2014 to December 2019.

Kochen's research examines environmental effects on traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease using human and rodent models, focusing on chronic stress, zinc supplementation and its impacts on behavioral deficits and tau pathology, repetitive mild traumatic brain injury, social isolation following injury, mindfulness meditation interventions for veterans with traumatic brain injury, and zinc's role in Alzheimer’s models. This research has been funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the Florida Department of Health. Key publications include 'The dissociation of temporal processing behavior in concussion patients: stable motor and dynamic perceptual timing' (Bader et al., Cortex, 2019), 'Zinc Exacerbates Tau Pathology in a Tau Mouse Model' (Craven et al., Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2018), and 'Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Synthetic Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Agonists in a Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease' (Salgueiro-Tosta et al., 2025). Awards include the Society for NeuroSports Data Blitz third prize (2019), Royal Society of Chemistry Metallomics Poster Prize (2017), Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research ($1,000, 2015), Department of Psychology Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor at George Mason University (2017), and Northern Virginia Teacher of the Year for 2016 by Kaplan Test Prep. At High Point University, Kochen teaches neuroscience and psychology courses, mentors undergraduate students in research, hires additional faculty, and leads construction of a rodent research vivarium in Wanek.