Megan Fox

Megan Fox, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Penn State College of Medicine with joint appointments in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics. Her research focuses on unraveling neural mechanisms underlying substance use and stress disorders, particularly opioid dependence.

• Education: PhD in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011–2016); Postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (2016–2020).

Dr. Fox’s lab employs a multidisciplinary toolkit, including cell-type-specific transcriptomics, in vivo neurochemistry, and circuit-specific genetic manipulations. Her work bridges complex behaviors with molecular mechanisms in conditions like fentanyl use, depression, and stress susceptibility.

Recent research trends highlight her expertise in fentanyl self-administration, nucleus accumbens transcriptomics, and opioid-stress comorbidity. Key techniques include single nuclei RNA sequencing, transsynaptic viral tagging, and in vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to study dopamine and norepinephrine dynamics.

Grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have funded her projects on fentanyl relapse mechanisms and dendritic remodeling in depression since 2018. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals for Health and Well-Being.

The lab collaborates with the Penn State Neuroscience Institute and international networks, focusing on opioid use disorder and stress-induced vulnerability. No specific scientific awards are listed in the provided text.