Experienced postdoctoral researcher with a passion for behavioral neuroscience. I study how the brain controls motivated behavior in rodent models with a particular interest in the mesolimbic dopamine system and how it is modulated by homeostatic need. My work has had significant implications in understanding how adaptive behaviors might become maladaptive in detrimental and prevalent health concerns such as obesity and drug addiction. I have been well funded throughout my career, consisting of NIH fellowships (F31 and F32). I am an expert in rodent behavioral paradigms, rodent surgical techniques (craniotomies), neurobiological assays (Western Blot, ELISA, immunohistochemistry), real-time neural recordings (in vivo fiber photometry), neuroanatomical tract tracing, neuropharmacology, and virally mediated neural manipulations (adenoassociated viruses, DREADDs, ). My publication record can be viewed here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=f2pLA-AAAAAJ&hl=en