Broadly, my research aims to identify modifiable risk factors for the onset and maintenance of problematic substance use and substance use disorders to aid in the development of effective interventions. I am specifically interested in using intensive longitudinal methods, such as ecological momentary assessment, to study the relationship between heightened emotional states, trait-level emotion-based risk factors, and hazardous drinking behavior. 

Substance use disorders remain a global health crisis with no FDA-approved treatments. My research focuses on understanding how autophagy proteins in dopamine neurons regulate cocaine reward behaviors. Specifically, I investigate how autophagy molecules influence and control cocaine induced reward behavior by modulating dopamine D2 receptor degradation. Using genetic knockout models, pharmacological interventions, and behavioral assays, I aim to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying cocaine addiction. This work could potentially identify novel therapeutic targets for treating cocaine use disorder and preventing relapse.

Pro-inflammatory pathways, and microglial inflammation in particular, have been heavily implicated in the risk and development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) & problem drinking.  While some pro-inflammatory molecules and pathways in AUD have been identified (e.g. TNF-alpha, NF-kB), many other upstream & parallel genetic interactors have not been.  My work aims to use high-throughput CRISPR screens of thousands of genes in human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to identify novel regulators of ethanol-induced microglial activation in an unbiased fashion.  Because I aim to use single-cell transcriptomics as well as functional phenotypes (e.g. phagocytosis, gross morphology) to assess the consequences of gene perturbations, we will learn how these perturbations echo throughout the whole transcriptome.  These insights will help to identify a suite of novel genes and pathways as candidate targets to ameliorate ethanol-induced microglial activation, and hopefully, the transition to addiction and problematic drinking.

My research interests include identifying, understanding, and addressing risk factors for the continued use of nicotine and tobacco products. Additionally, my research uses a strength-based approach to identify protective factors that can be leveraged to assist with cessation attempts. I am particularly interested in targeting cessation treatments for priority populations to better meet their cessation needs, and to enhance accessibility, acceptability, and effectiveness.