You can work with a research mentor from any department at UCSF or any other academic institution in the Bay Area. This is only a sampling of possible research mentors. Be sure to also look at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Faculty and Neuroscience Graduate Program Research Faculty lists.
Current basic science research mentors
- Joshua Berke, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Neurology
Research focus: neurobiology of motivation and adaptive decision-making - Mazen Kheirbek, PhD
Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: neural circuits underlying emotional behaviors - Young Shin Kim, MD, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: genetic and environmental risk factors and distribution of childhood onset neuropsychiatric disorders and disruptive behavioral problems, including autism and bullying - Devanand Manoli, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: neural, molecular, and genetic mechanisms of social attachment throughout development and in disease - Anna Molofsky, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: astrocytes in neural circuit formation and function - Tomasz Nowakowski, PhD
Assistant Professor - Depts. of Anatomy & Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: developmental origins of cellular diversity and cell type specification in the developing cerebral cortex - John L.R. Rubenstein, MD, PhD
Nina Ireland Distinguished Professor in Child Psychiatry
Research focus: basic science, developmental health, forebrain, neuroscience - Vikaas Sohal, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: basic science, neuroscience - Susan M. Voglmaier, MD, PhD
Associate Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Co-Director, Resident Research Track Program
Research focus: basic science, cellular neurobiology, molecular neurobiology, neurotransmitter release, synaptic vesicle recycling, vesicle trafficking - Mark von Zastrow, MD, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: cellular neurobiology, psychopharmacology, drug abuse - Lauren Weiss, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: genetic and molecular basis of autism - Helen Willsey, PhD
Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: Autism Spectrum Disorder-associated gene function during neurodevelopment - Jeremy Willsey, PhD
Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: genetic underpinnings of human cortex development, autism spectrum disorder, Tourette disorder
Current clinical/translational research mentors
- Bibhav Acharya, MD
Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: global mental health, implementation and assessment of mental health services provided by non-specialists - Steven Batki, MD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: psychopharmacology in addictive disorders with a focus on impulsivity and co-occurring disorders such as PTSD and traumatic brain injury - Nicki Bush, PhD
Lisa and John Pritzker Distinguished Professor of Developmental and Behavioral Health - Depts. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences & Pediatrics
Research focus: impact of early life psychosocial environments on developmental trajectories of health and disease across the life course - Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD
Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor - Depts. of Neurology & Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: brain imaging studies with LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and DMT; and clinical trials of psilocybin therapy for severe mental illnesses - Elissa Epel, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair for Adult Psychology - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: cell aging, psychoneuroendocrinology, stress and coping - Judith Ford, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: brain imaging in schizophrenia - Susanna Fryer, PhD
Associate Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: reward processing in schizophrenia and depression - Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD
Professor - Depts. of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center
Research focus: neuroscience - Marilu Gorno Tempini, MD, PhD
Professor - Depts. of Neurology & Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: behavioral neurology across the lifespan and the neural basis of higher cognitive functions such as language and memory - Andrew Krystal, MD
Professor and Vice Chair for Research - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: pathophysiology of sleep disorders and mood disorders and developing improved treatments for these conditions - Daniel Le Grange, PhD
Benioff UCSF Professor in Children's Health - Depts. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences & Pediatrics
Research focus: psychosocial treatments for adolescents with eating disorders, development and evaluation of manualized treatments - Andrew Moses Lee, MD, PhD
- Assistant Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: OCD, tic disorders, anxiety spectrum disorders, neuromodulation, neural circuits - Kaja LeWinn, ScD
Associate Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: integrating approaches from neuroscience, psychology, and epidemiology to generate generalizable and replicable findings about the experiences in early life that shape risk for psychopathology in pediatric populations experiencing high levels of adversity. - Scott Mackin, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: cognitive functioning and phenotypes of psychiatric disorders, cognitive evaluation and screening techniques - Christina Mangurian, MD
Professor - Depts. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences & Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Research focus: mental health services research, schizophrenia, metabolic effects of antipsychotic medications, health disparities - Carmen Masson, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: health care utilization and quality of treatment for individuals experiencing homelessness and/or substance use disorders - Daniel Mathalon, MD, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Executive Board Member, Resident Research Track Program
Research focus: anxiety disorders, brain imaging, electrophysiology, ERP, mood disorders, prodrome, schizophrenia - Susan Meffert, MD, MPH
Associate Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: global mental health - Bruce L. Miller, MD
Professor - Depts. of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: aging, Alzheimers, behavioral neurology, frontotemporal dementia, neurodegenerative disease, neurology, neuropathological perspectives - Thomas C. Neylan, MD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: brain imaging, clinical trials, neurobiology, neuroendocrinology, PTSD - Aoife O'Donovan, PhD
Associate Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: psychological stress - Michelle Porche, EdD
Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Diversity and Health Equity - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: population mental health, trauma, health disparities - Aric Prather, PhD
Associate Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: relationship between psychological stress and sleep as dynamic predictors of physical and mental health - Derek Satre, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: addiction and mental health services, including behavioral intervention development and testing, studies of screening and treatment in primary care settings, and the use of digital health technology to address alcohol and drug use in vulnerable patient populations with co-occurring mental or physical health problems - James L. Sorensen, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: substance abuse and mental health, prevention and treatment of AIDS and other infectious diseases - Marina Tolou-Shams, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair for Community Engagement, Outreach, and Advocacy - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: developing evidence-based mental health, substance use, sexual, and reproductive health interventions for justice-impacted youth and families - Josh D. Woolley, MD, PhD
Associate Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: understanding the mechanisms and effects of oxytocin and psychedelic compounds to find new therapeutic treatments for a variety of psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, mood, disorders, chronic pain, mood symptoms in Parkinson's disease, PTSD, and substance abuse - Kristine Yaffe, MD
Professor - Depts. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurology, & Epidemiology; Roy and Marie Scola Endowed Chair; DPBS Vice Chair for the Weill Institute
Research focus: aging, cognitive aging - Tony Yang, MD, PhD
Professor - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research focus: neural mechanisms in healthy and depressed adolescents