Skip to main content

Research

The NIAAA is the lead agency for U.S. research on the causes, consequences, prevention and treatment of alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related problems.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Division of Neuroscience and Behavior (DNB)

The Division of Neuroscience and Behavior (DNB) promotes research on ways in which neuronal and behavioral systems are influenced by genetic, developmental, and environmental factors in conjunction with alcohol exposure to engender alcohol use disorder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does your research proposal align with the NIAAA mission?
Answer: We advise you to contact a Program Director listed either below or on a particular Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to discuss your research interests before preparing your application. This will not only help determine whether your proposal is of interest to NIAAA, but will aid in the preparation of your grant application.

Who should I contact within the Division about my research proposal?
Answer: Below is a list of Program Directors and their areas of research interests. The best way to contact a Program Director whose interest aligns with your own is via email. Alternatively, if you would like to speak by phone, please indicate this in an email and a Program Director will contact you soon thereafter.

What is the process for applying for funding?
Answer: When submitting a grant application to NIAAA, extramural researchers can find instructions in the Notice of Funding Opportunity to which they are applying.  See the NIAAA application process homepage for information about grant applications, the peer review process, and understanding how applications are selected for funding.

Our Staff

Name Position Focus Area*
Antonio B. Noronha, Ph.D.
Director
Director, Division Neuroscience & Behavior 
Nagaraja Sethuraman Balakathiresan, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Alcohol Interaction with TBI, PTSD, Psychological Disorders and Depression; Biomarkers; Cellular and Molecular Mechanism of PTSD and TBI
Mark D. Egli, Ph.D.
Deputy Division Director
Behavioral Neuroscience; Deputy Division Director; Pain; Preclinical Medication Development
Mohammed Akbar, Ph.D.
Program Officer
GPCR Signaling; Metabolism and Stress; Neurodegeneration; Neuroendocrinology; Neuronal Signaling
Changhai Cui, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Molecular neuroscience; Neurocircuits; Neuroimmune Interactions; Neuromodulation; Neurotechnology; Signaling transduction
Ivana Grakalic, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Aggression; Behavioral Control; Comorbidity and Polysubstance Use; Learning & Memory
Shailesh Kumar, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Genetics and Genomics of Animal and Human Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
Qi-Ying Liu, MD, M.S.
Program Officer
Cellular Neurobiology & Neurocircuitry; Neuroadaptation; Neuromodulation; Synaptic Plasticity
Dominique Lorang-Leins, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Animal Genetic Models; Genomics and Epigenetics; Molecular Neurobiology and Genetics
John A. Matochik, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience; Computational Neuroscience; FAS/FASD; Neuroimaging
Abbas Parsian, Ph.D.
Program Officer
G x E; Genetic Networks; Human Genetics & Genomics; Next Generation Sequencing
Elizabeth Powell, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Developmental Neurobiology; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Benjamin Xu. Ph.D.
Program Officer
Cognitive Neuroscience; Functional Neuroimaging

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov