Nikki Crowley

Nikki Crowley is an Associate Professor at Pennsylvania State University, holding positions in Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurosurgery. She directs the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park and holds the Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology & Neural Engineering. Her research focuses on neuropeptidergic transmission's role in stress, alcohol use disorder, and cortical circuit dysfunction.

• Education: PhD in Neurobiology from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
• Postdoctoral training under Dr. Bernhard Luscher at Penn State

Research Interests:
Investigates how peptides like somatostatin modulate neuronal signaling and behavior, particularly in addiction and stress contexts. Uses cell-specific and pathway-specific techniques to study prefrontal cortex circuits and their dysregulation by alcohol or aging.

Recent Article Trends:
Focus on adolescent alcohol exposure's long-term effects, sex differences in neurobiology, and translational pharmacology for alcohol use disorder. Highlights the role of somatostatin in cortical circuit regulation and exploratory behavior.

• Key Grants: $2.9M NIH grant (2024), W.M. Keck Foundation grant (2025)

Awards:
Includes Early Career Chair appointment, Neuropsychopharmacology award, and multiple NIH grants recognizing her work on neuropeptide systems.

Lab Team:
Guides graduate students like Avery Sicher and Julio Flores Cuadra. Collaborates across disciplines in Penn State's Neuroscience Institute, Center for Neural Engineering, and Reproductive Biology & Health.