Mary Olmstead

Mary C. Olmstead is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and a cross-appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at Queen's University, where she bridges neuroscience and psychology to study the interaction between motivation and cognition. Her research focuses on how rewarding stimuli influence learning, particularly in the context of drug addiction. She is affiliated with the Centre for Neuroscience Studies and the Leahurst College Charitable Foundation.

• Post-doctoral training: University of Cambridge (Experimental Psychology/Anatomy, 1997), Concordia University (Behavioural Neuroscience, 1995)
• Doctorate: Psychology, McGill University (1995)
• Master's Thesis: Psychology, McGill University (1991)
• BScH: Music/Psychology, University of Toronto (1989)

Her work investigates the breakdown of the balance between motivation and cognition in disorders like addiction, using complementary theoretical and empirical approaches. Recent studies explore opioid tolerance, cannabinoid receptor modulation, stress-induced eating behaviors, and the neurobiological impact of long-term conditions like post-COVID sequelae.

While no specific awards are listed, her publications indicate a focus on interdisciplinary neuroscience, behavioral pharmacology, and molecular mechanisms underlying addiction. She has collaborated with institutions in France, including the Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire and the Centre d'écologie fonctionnelle et évolutive.

Mary's laboratory addresses neural systems mediating cognitive-motivational interactions, with a strong emphasis on opioid and cannabinoid receptor systems. Her team employs animal models to dissect the neurochemical underpinnings of reward, pain, and stress-related disorders.