Faculty

Primary Appointed Faculty

Atheir Abbas, MD, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: The role of interneurons in regulating working memory circuitry and associated task-related information, and the use of computational techniques to analyze high density neural recordings to understand how populations of neurons represent behaviorally-relevant information

Marina Guizzetti, Ph.D.
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Extracellular matrix remodeling and astrocyte-neuron interactions in physiological and fetal alcohol-altered brain development

Matthew Lattal, Ph.D.
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Director, Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Behavioral and molecular mechanisms that underlie learning and memory

Claudio V. Mello, Ph.D.
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Neuroethology, molecular neuroscience, speech and language, vocal learning, central auditory processing, learning and memory, neurogenomics

Suzanne H. Mitchell, Ph.D.
Vice Chair & Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Professor, Psychiatry
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Neural and genetic bases of impulsive and risky decision-making; factors affecting these choices

Bita Moghaddam, Ph.D.
Ruth Matarazzo Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Motivated behavior, electrophysiology, animal models of psychiatric disorders

Angela R. Ozburn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Neurobiology of drug and alcohol abuse using animal models

Tamara J. Phillips Richards, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Genetic dissection of behavioral traits that are hallmarks of addiction

Jacob Raber, Ph.D.
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurology, and Radiation Medicine
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Characterizing effects of environmental and genetic factors on the brain and developing treatments to antagonize these effects

Andrey E. Ryabinin, Ph.D.
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Neurocircuitry of alcohol use, addiction, pain and social behavior

Deena Walker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Behavioral neuroendocrinology, sex differences in motivation and reward, neurobiology of addiction, adolescent development

Marina Wolf, Ph.D.
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Synaptic plasticity underlying persistent craving for cocaine and methamphetamine

Secondary Appointment Faculty

Bahareh Ajami, Ph.D
Assistant Professor, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Assistant Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: The function and biology of the brains intrinsic immune cells: microglia

Charles N. Allen, Ph.D.
Professor, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Circadian rhythms, sleep, synaptic transmission, suprachiasmatic nucleus, neural network activity

Matthew Butler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences
Associate Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: The effects of clock synchrony on cardiometabolic health, how the circadian clock governs sleep apnea severity in humans, temporal patterns of sleep apnea as predictors of mortality

Verginia C. Cuzon Carlson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Associate Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Developmental neuroscience, addiction

Stephen V. David, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, and Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Representation of speech and other natural sounds in auditory cortex, learning and attention-driven changes in auditory representation, biological mechanisms underlying neural computations

Kathleen A. Grant, Ph.D.
Chief and Professor, Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Animal models of alcohol and drug addiction, stress response to chronic alcohol drinking, MRI imaging of brain circuitry, advances in cognitive assessment of primate behavior, behavioral pharmacology

Mary M. Heinricher, Ph.D.
Professor and Vice-Chair for Research, Neurological Surgery
Associate Dean, Basic Research, Office of the Dean, School of Medicine
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program

William F. Hoffman, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Research Interests: Effects of methamphetamine on cognition and decision-making

Skyler Jackman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Vollum Institute and Behavioral Neuroscience
Assistant Scientist, Vollum Institute
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: neurotransmitter release, short-term synaptic plasticity, neural circuits, presynaptic calcium sensors

Aaron J. Janowsky, Ph.D.
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Director, The Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Career Scientist, Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Christopher D. Kroenke, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Advanced Imaging Research Center, and Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Fetal development, magnetic resonance imaging, neurodeveloment disorders, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Miranda M. Lim, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology and Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Sleep, EEG, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's, autism

Jennifer Loftis, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Co-Director, Residency Research Track, Psychiatry
Research Interest: neuroscience, immunology, cognition, mood disorders, substance use disorders

Tianyi Mao, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Scientist, Vollum Institute and Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Neuroscience Graduate Program
M.D./Ph.D. Program Committee, School of Medicine
Research Interest: basal ganglia circuit analysis, cortical-subcortical interactions, optogenetics, genetically engineered calcium indicators, two-photon calcium imaging

Robert G. Mealer, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Research Interest: Schizophrenia Genetics, Molecular Neuroscience, Protein Glycosylation

Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Vice Chair for Research, Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program

Joel T. Nigg, Ph.D.
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Director, Division of Psychology

Barry S. Oken, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Neurology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, and Oregon Center for Complementary & Alternative in Neurological Disorders
Research Interest: Cognitive neuroscience, attention, stress, human neurophysiology, EEG/ERP, mind-body medicine, cognitive changes with aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Lina A.J. Reiss, Ph.D.
Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, and Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Auditory processing and brain plasticity with hearing loss and hearing devices, neural health preservation and recovery after cochlear implantation in humans and animal models, disparities in cochlear implant patient outcomes.

Bill D. Rooney, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Advanced Imaging Research Center
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, MRI, pharmacokinetics, brain

Nathan R. Selden, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.P.
Professor of Neurological Surgery and Behavioral Neuroscience
Mario and Edith Campagna Chair of Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Department Chair, Neurological Surgery
Behavioral Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Pediatric epilepsy, cranial synostosis, chiari malformation, tethered spinal cord, neurosurgical education

Eliot R. Spindel, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience
Research Interest: Basic mechanisms of lung development; potential effects of smoking during pregnancy on lung development and therapeutic interventions; clinical approaches to lung development, prematurity, and improved respiratory outcomes; epigenetic effects of in utero exposure to smoking; nicotine, nicotinic receptors and ly-6 proteins; nicotine and lung cancer; e-cigarettes

Elinor L Sullivan, Ph.D. 
Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center and Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Behavioral regulation, brain development, developmental programming, maternal nutrition, neurodevelopmental disorders, anxiety, and serotonin

Henryk F. Urbanski, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interest: Aging, circadian rhythms, neuroendocrinology, puberty

Henrique von Gersdorff, Ph.D.
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Hearing Research Center and Dept. of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry
Senior Scientist, Vollum Institute
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Synaptic changes of microcircuits in the retina and auditory brainstem using electrophysiology, imaging and molecular biology techniques, as well as the neuronal changes in the circuits of songbird brains as they learn to produce and refine songs

Alison Weiss, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center and Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program
Research Interests: Mapping neural circuitry changes related to learning and memory impairments during aging and neurodegenerative disease using advanced neuroimaging techniques (MRI, DTI, rsfMRI, PET) and cognitive assessments

Affiliated Faculty

Bill Griesar, Ph.D.
Instructor, Psychology, Portland State University
Instructor, Psychology & Neuroscience, WSU-Vancouver
Affiliate Faculty, Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU

Todd D. Watson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Lewis & Clark College
Affiliate Faculty, Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU

Yueping Zhang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Lewis & Clark College
Affiliate Faculty, Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU

Adjunct Faculty

Charles Bradberry, Ph.D.
Chief, Preclinical Pharmacology Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse
Adjunct Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU

Barbara Sorg, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, R.S. Dow Endowed Chair of Neuroscience, Legacy Research Institute
Adjunct Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU

Damien Fair, PA-C, Ph.D.
Professor, Institute of Child Development
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School
Redleaf Endowed Director, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain
Adjunct Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU

Emeritus Faculty

John C. Crabbe, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus   
Behavioral Neuroscience

Christopher L. Cunningham, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Robert Hitzemann, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Deborah A. Finn, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Gregory P. Mark, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Joseph D. Matarazzo, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Charles K. Meshul, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Kim A. Neve, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Arthur N. Wiens, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience

Kristine Wiren, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Neuroscience