معرفی
Dan Wesson is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology/Therapeutics at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine. He also serves as Interim-Director of the Florida Chemical Senses Institute and a member of the NIH’s Neuroscience of Learning, Memory, and Decision Making study section. His research focuses on neural mechanisms underlying sensory processing, addiction, and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Wesson holds a Ph.D. from Boston University (2009).
Education: PhD in Neuroscience, Boston University (2009).
Research Interests:
- Neural circuits for odor-driven motivated behaviors
- Olfactory dysfunction in dementia and Parkinson’s disease
- Role of ventral striatum (e.g., olfactory tubercle) in reward and addiction
- Impact of cognitive state (e.g., attention) on sensory processing
Key Awards: NIH Young Investigator Award in Olfaction (2019), recognition from the Association for Chemoreception Sciences.
Grants: Principal Investigator on projects including NIH-funded studies on olfactory mechanisms, dopamine-neuroimmune circuits, and e-cigarette additives. Notable grants include NIDA/NIDCD/NINDS funding for projects on addiction, sensory dysfunction, and Parkinson’s mechanisms.
Labs/Teams: Leads the Wesson Lab, which uses electrophysiology, optogenetics, and behavioral assays to study sensory-motivational circuits. Collaborates with institutions like the Van Andel Institute and Penn Medicine.
