Paolo Campus

Paolo Campus serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Psychology Department at Grand Valley State University, maintaining an office in Au Sable Hall and teaching core undergraduate courses including PSY 101 (Introductory Psychology), PSY 300 (Research Methods), and PSY 330 (Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience).

His academic credentials include:

• B.A. in Cognitive Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome
• M.S. in Cognitive Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome
• Ph.D. in Biopsychology, Sapienza University of Rome

Dr. Campus specializes in Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology, investigating how neurobiological, genetic, and environmental factors contribute to mental health disorders including substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, and PTSD. His research examines the brain's integration of sensory, cognitive, and affective information to generate adaptive behaviors, and how disruptions lead to maladaptive outcomes associated with psychiatric conditions.

Analysis of his 2019-2023 publications reveals consistent focus on neural circuitry underlying addiction, particularly involving dopamine systems, the paraventricular thalamus, and cortico-thalamic pathways. His work employs rodent models to study cue-induced drug seeking, relapse mechanisms, and stress-related neuroplasticity, contributing to understanding of incentive motivation and vulnerability to mental illness.

His research discoveries have received significant scientific media attention through features in Scientific American, Science Daily, and The Scientist, highlighting brain circuits associated with addictive behaviors.

Dr. Campus contributes to departmental operations through undergraduate instruction and active research collaboration, particularly with prominent neuroscience researchers including Flagel, S.B.