Haley Melikian

Haley Melikian is a Professor of Neurobiology at UMass Chan Medical School, affiliated with the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and multiple institutions including the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute. Her research focuses on dopamine signaling mechanisms in neuropsychiatric disorders and addiction, leveraging mouse models and cutting-edge techniques like optogenetics. She holds grants from NIH/NIDA, including R01DA035224 and R21DA058804, and has published extensively on dopamine transporters, endocytic trafficking, and cocaine addiction. Her educational background includes a PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University and postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School.

• Education:
  • BA/BS Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • PhD Neuroscience, Emory University
  • Postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and Emory University
• Research Interests: Dopamine transporter regulation, neuropsychiatric disorders (addiction, ADHD, Parkinson's), and therapeutic drug targets.

Her lab investigates molecular mechanisms of dopamine dysfunction, with projects on DAT trafficking, mGluR5 signaling in DA neurons, and nociceptin's role in cocaine reward suppression. She mentors students in behavioral assays, molecular genetics, and neuropharmacology.