Marina E. Wolf, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Marina Wolf has been a pioneer in studying the role of synaptic plasticity in the actions of drugs of abuse. She received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Yale in 1986 and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Cell Biology, Sinai Hospital of Detroit. She was Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Wayne State University before moving to the Chicago Medical School in 1992 where she rose through the ranks, serving as Chair of Neuroscience from 2003-2018. She moved to OHSU in 2018.  Her lab has been continuously supported by NIDA since 1992, with past awards including an R37 (Merit Award). Dr. Wolf was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2017. She served as President of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in 2019 and was the 2022 recipient of the Julius Axelrod Prize from the Society for Neuroscience. She has also served on many NIH advisory committees and study sections. Dr. Wolf founded a company in 2021 to develop therapeutics to facilitate abstinence in persons recovering from stimulant use disorder.

Eun-Kyung Hwang, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate



Eun-Kyung received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Ewha Woman’s University in South Korea, where she focused on slice electrophysiology and conducted research on monoaminergic modulation of glutamatergic transmission in the rat lateral habenula. She did her postdoctoral research in Carl Lupica's Lab at NIDA in Baltimore, where she worked on the effects of chronic cannabinoid exposure (Δ9-THC) on brain reward circuits using cellular, circuit, and behavioral approaches. Eun-Kyung joined the Wolf Lab in 2020, examining pathway and cell type specific synaptic plasticity in nucleus accumbens in a rat model of relapse in drug addiction by combining electrophysiology, optogenetics, and behavioral experiments. During her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and watching her baby girl grow up.

Alex B. Kawa, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow

Alex received his B.S. at the University of Maryland and his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He joined the Wolf lab in 2018. Alex’s projects have been aimed at understanding the role of protein translation in incubation of cocaine craving. His postdoctoral NRSA work identified a role for the Integrated Stress Response in mediating a unique form of LTD that reverses incubation-associated plasticity and thereby reduces cocaine seeking. In an ongoing project, he has combined translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) and RNA-seq to investigate gene expression changes that may underlie incubation of cocaine craving. Most recently, with support from a K99 award, Alex is investigating the role that cholinergic interneurons of the striatum play in incubation of cocaine craving. Outside of lab, Alex enjoys exploring Portland’s restaurants and hiking with his wife and dog.

Tin Long Yiu, Postdoctoral Fellow

Tin received his B.Sc. from University College London before pursuing his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at OHSU in Haining Zhong’s lab. His doctoral research focused on understanding cognitive signaling in cerebellar Purkinje cells during decision-making using two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetics. After completing his graduate studies, Tin switched fields to study drug addiction and joined the Wolf Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2025. He plans to explore how specific input pathways as well as cell-type-specific PKA activity in the nucleus accumbens contribute to the incubation of methamphetamine craving. Outside the lab, Tin enjoys traveling and discovering tasty food around Portland.

Laura Huerta Sanchez, Postdoctoral Fellow

Laura received her B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2019 and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2025.  Her Ph.D. work in Dr. Karen Szumlinski’s lab largely centered on exploring the role of ionotropic glutamate receptor and CaMKII signaling within the medial prefrontal cortex in incubated cocaine, methamphetamine, and sucrose craving using neuropharmacological and immunoblotting approaches. Laura joined the Wolf Lab in 2025 to determine what cell types, brain subregions, and pathways are involved in the expression of incubated oxycodone craving using chemogenetic approaches as well as fiber photometry. In her free time, Laura enjoys long distance running, doing yoga, and watching medical tv shows. 

Hayley M. Kuhn, Ph.D. student

Hayley received her B.S. in Neuroscience from Michigan State University in spring of 2022. At Michigan State, she worked in the Robison lab investigating how cocaine regulates gene expression in ventral hippocampal neurons that synapse onto nucleus accumbens (NAc) neurons, as well studying how lateral entorhinal cortex neurons that project to the NAc mediate drug seeking and reward. With a strong interest to continue substance abuse research, Hayley matriculated in fall of 2022 to the Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Ph.D. Program at OHSU. In the Wolf lab, she is using slice electrophysiology to characterize mechanisms underlying incubation of oxycodone craving by examining pathway specific and cell type specific plasticity in the NAc core and shell subregions. During her free time, Hayley likes to explore the outdoors, work out, and cozy up with a good tv series and her cat.

Gillian S. Driscoll, Ph.D. student

Gillian graduated from Hamilton College in 2021 with a B.A. in Neuroscience. After graduating, she joined Dr. Elena Chartoff’s lab as a research assistant, where she explored the role of projections from the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell in oxycodone withdrawal-associated negative affective states, as well as sex differences in oxycodone self-administration and reinstatement. Gillian joined the Wolf lab in 2024 and plans to use fiber photometry and chemogenetics to explore the role of cell type- and pathway-specific synaptic plasticity in the NAc core in the expression of incubated methamphetamine craving. Outside the lab, Gillian enjoys hiking, knitting, and spending time with her cats and a good book.

Madelyn M. Beutler, Research Assistant



Madelyn graduated from Washington State University in 2022 with a B.S in Psychology. At Washington State University, she volunteered in Dr. Michael Morgan’s lab investigating the effect of testosterone exposure on pain-related behavior. Madelyn joined the Wolf lab as a Research Assistant in 2022. She is currently managing the transgenic breeding colony and assisting graduate students and postdocs with drug self-administration and other procedures.

Jonathan Westlake, Research Assistant

Jon graduated from Lewis and Clark College in 2025 with a B.A. in Psychology. At Lewis and Clark, he worked in the Detweiler-Bedell lab studying sleep quality and habits as it relates to self-efficacy and chronotype among young adults. Jon joined the lab as a volunteer in 2023, eventually transitioning to a non-student OHSU worker role, and finally to a Research Assistant in 2025. He helps to manage the transgenic rat breeding colony, oversees purchasing, and assists other lab members with drug self-administration, behavioral testing, histology and other procedures. In his free time, Jon enjoys golfing or exercising with friends, and eating at Portland’s many restaurants.

Luke Tepe, Research Assistant

Luke graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Biological Data Science. He worked in the BEAVERS Lab (Biology and Emotion of Addiction Via Experimental and Reproducible Science), studying frequent drinkers’ psychophysiological responses to alcohol. In 2025, he joined the Wolf lab as a Research Assistant. He is assisting with drug self-administration experiments and management of the lab’s transgenic rat colony. In his free time, Luke enjoys long-distance swimming, exercise, playing the violin, and spending quality time with friends.

Sophia J. Weber, Ph.D. student

Sophia graduated from University of Washington in 2017 with a B.S. in Biology. During her undergraduate career she worked first as a volunteer and then as a technician in Dr. Jeremy Clark’s lab investigating the effect of adolescent alcohol exposure on adult decision making. After graduation she obtained a postbaccalaureate internship in the NIDA IRP program, working in the lab of Dr. Bruce Hope where she assisted postdoctoral fellow Dr. Rajtarun Madangopal on his various projects that sought to selectively study and manipulate active neurons during drug related behaviors. In the Wolf lab Sophia used fiber photometry with dopamine biosensors combined with behavioral pharmacology to investigate the role of dopamine in the expression of incubation of cocaine craving. Sophia received her Ph.D. in June 2024 and is presently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Marco Venniro’s lab at the University of Maryland.

Amanda M. Wunsch, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate



Amanda received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Washington. She joined the Wolf lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2016. With initial support from an individual postdoctoral NRSA, Amanda investigated the role of retinoic acid dependent homeostatic plasticity in the incubation of cocaine craving. She also used chemogenetic and fiber photometry techniques to explore the role of nucleus accumbens neurons in incubation of cocaine and methamphetamine craving.  Amanda is a Principal Investigator and head of in vivo sciences at the National Center for Wellness and Recovery, where she screens novel drug candidates in preclinical models of pain and substance use disorder.