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RIA researcher among first to receive NIH stimulus funding
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“This award is creating new jobs, providing educational opportunities for students and young scientists, and providing funds for purchasing a variety of laboratory supplies.”
A UB addictions researcher is among the first in the country to receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The two-year, $431,000 grant will support several laboratory positions while accelerating research into the relationship between impulsivity and drug abuse. The recovery act seeks to create or save more than 3.5 million jobs over the next two years.
“This award will support research into a novel approach of understanding about how negative consequences influence consumption of drug and non-drug rewards,” according to Jerry Richards, principal investigator on the study whose expertise is in psychobiology. Richards is a research scientist at the Research Institute on Addiction, research associate professor in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, and assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
“This award quickens the pace of my larger research program and will answer important questions about the relationship between the positive, euphoric consequences of drug taking and the often delayed, negative consequences associated with drug taking.”
Beyond the progress of science itself, the award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse also will support unique educational and economic opportunities for UB students and young scientists. It will allow, for example, the full-time employment of Amy Gancarz, a doctoral student in psychobiology pursuing a career in research. Additional students will be hired part time to work in the laboratory, allowing them to continue their education while gaining laboratory research experience.
“This award is creating new jobs, providing educational opportunities for students and young scientists, and providing funds for purchasing a variety of laboratory supplies,” Richards noted.
The research and related opportunities exemplify RIA’s almost 40 years of contributions to addictions research and UB’s role as an economic engine in the Buffalo-Niagara region.
The research team includes neuroscientist Alexis C. Thompson as co-investigator. Thompson is a research scientist at RIA and research associate professor in the Department of Psychology.
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