Alcohol and Addiction Training at the University of Missouri NIH/NIAAA Training Grant
The Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri offers intensive predoctoral and postdoctoral training in research on alcohol-related behavior and addictions supported by an institutional training grant through the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Our goal is to provide high-quality, multidisciplinary training in research on alcohol and other substance use and prepare trainees for careers as independent investigators.
Predoctoral Training:
Our training grant supports six students in four primary areas of graduate study through the Department of Psychological Sciences.
- Cognition and Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Quantitative Psychology
Students interested in alcohol and addictions are enrolled in one of the psychology training areas and focus their research on alcohol and addiction-related topics under the mentorship of one of the training grant faculty members. There is no degree in addiction research or alcohol studies. They also attend specialized seminars and research training workshops.
Trainees receive a stipend and funds for travel and training-related expenses according to established NIH guidelines for 2-3 years of study. Information on stipend levels and similar topics can be found on the NIH website.
Students interested in alcohol and addictions also receive training support through research assistantships and university scholarships. The program also provides support for trainees to apply for Individual National Research Service Awards (F31s) from NIH. Our trainees have been highly successful in securing these competitive fellowships. Students in the clinical training area are also provided opportunities to acquire clinical experience working with individuals with substance use disorder.
Postdoctoral Training:
The Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri (MU) has five postdoctoral research fellows in alcohol and addictions research. Postdoctoral research fellows undertake advanced training in addictions and pursue their own research interests under the supervision of one or more faculty preceptors.
The positions are funded through an NIH Institutional Training grant (only US citizens and permanent residents can be considered) or by the University of Missouri (without residency limitations).
Doctoral candidates and recent Ph.D.s interested in research opportunities offered by the training grant faculty are encouraged to contact us for more information. Information on postdoctoral traineeship stipends and requirements, including service payback, is available at grants.nih.gov and researchtraining.nih.gov.
The training faculty have diverse interests in a number of sub-disciplines of psychological science. Trainees can work in these research domains:
- Behavioral pharmacology
- Ambulatory assessment (ecological momentary assessment)
- Quantitative methods
- Behavioral and molecular genetics
- Nosology and comorbidity
- Neuroscience of addiction
- Dissemination and Implementation research
- Clinical interventions for alcohol and substance use
- Personality and individual differences
- Developmental approaches
- Decision making
- Psychophysiology
We are recruiting POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWS IN ALCOHOL AND ADDICTION RESEARCH. Our training grant has been supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) since 2002 (T32AA013526). Positions are available through both the NIH training grant (only US citizens and permanent residents can be considered) and the University of Missouri (no residency limitations).
Please submit the following application materials as a single (one) combined PDF to Carol Waudby at waudbyc@missouri.edu:
- Statement of research/training interests – summarize your current interest and expertise, long-term career goals, how postdoctoral training would facilitate those goals, the mentors with whom you would like to work, and how your work incorporates or applies to people of historically underrepresented backgrounds (including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and the differently abled). The statement should be no longer than 3-4 pages.
- List of 3-5 professional references
- Curriculum vitae
Please contact Denis McCarthy at mccarthydm@missouri.edu with questions or concerns. You are also welcome to contact your proposed future research mentor directly.
The University of Missouri does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, disability, status as a disabled veteran, or veteran of the Vietnam era.
MU Alcohol Research Training Summer School (MU-ARTSS) (NIH/NIAAA R25AA023687)
The MU-ARTSS program is designed for undergraduate students interested in alcohol research and possible careers as alcohol researchers.
The Department of Psychological Sciences at the MU hosts a diverse cadre of psychologists dedicated to researching the etiology and course of alcoholism and related disorders. MU-ARTSS professors represent a wide array of expertise in the science of alcohol and addiction, including genetics, personality, psychopathology, social and affective neuroscience, and social network analysis.
Students participating in the MU-ARTSS program are part of the larger MU Summer Undergraduate Research Program (MU-SURP), which hosts approximately 100 students from universities and colleges across the nation every year. Students participating in the program develop a research abstract and create a poster to present at the Summer MU Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum.
MU-ARTSS is structured into a week-long didactic program providing an intensive introduction to alcohol research followed by an 8-week research internship in the lab of an MU-ARTSS professor. The program is set up to provide an independent learning experience and offer the intern an opportunity to get a sense of a ‘grad school’ working environment.