Matthew Roesch

Matthew Roesch is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland Medical School. His research focuses on neural mechanisms underlying learning, executive control, decision-making, and their disturbances in addiction, schizophrenia, and aging. He has mentored over 50 undergraduates, 6 graduate students, and 4 post-doctoral researchers, earning awards such as the 'Distinguished Scholar-Teacher' (2022) and 'Excellence in Research Reward' (2018).

• Education: PhD in Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh (Department of Neuroscience and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition)
• Postdoctoral Positions: Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience Postdoctoral Training Grant at University of Maryland Medical School

Key research areas include:

• Value and motivation encoding in brain circuits
• Reward prediction errors and attention in decision-making
• Animal models of addiction, schizophrenia, and aging
• Social recognition of reward and distress
• Conflict and response inhibition mechanisms

His lab combines electrophysiology, optogenetics, and behavioral paradigms to study neural circuits. Recent work explores molecular container compounds (MCCs) as countermeasures for drug overdoses. Over 90 publications, 9,500 citations, and an h-index of 43 (Google Scholar) reflect his impactful contributions.

Awards and recognitions include:

• Outstanding Mentor Award (2017)
• Mentor of the Year (2013)

Grants and funding include NIH-supported projects and seed grants from the University of Maryland. The Roesch Lab collaborates widely, including with Drs. Lyle Isaacs and Joe Cheer on drug sequestration research.