Research interests

My research focuses on understanding the neurobehavioral mechanisms that govern decision-making as it relates to substance use disorder. Currently, my work examines how opioid exposure and dependence affect relative valuation processes for drugs versus non-drug rewards (e.g., food, social interaction). I also maintain an interest in developing/refining novel methods to probe understudied behavioral processes central to addiction (e.g., active avoidance of opioid withdrawal and placebo-like effects to enhance maintenance therapies). To study these processes, my lab combines a mix of operant and Pavlovian procedures (including drug self-administration), quantitative analysis (e.g., matching law, economic demand), and in vivo neurobiological recordings (e.g., fiber photometry). Overall, the goal of my lab is to better understand the neurobehavioral mechanisms that underlie these facets of addiction, with the aim of improving translational research and treatment outcomes.