Ritu Shetty

Ritu Shetty, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), affiliated with the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences. Her expertise spans behavioral pharmacology and addiction research, focusing on substance use disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and rodent behavioral models. She holds a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences (University of Mumbai), an MS in Biomedical Sciences, and a PhD in Pharmacology and Neuroscience (both from UNTHSC).

Research Interests:

• Substance Use Disorders (methamphetamine, cocaine, synthetic drugs)
• Neurodegenerative conditions (Alzheimer's, vascular dementia)
• Drug discrimination and conditioned place preference models
• Genetic markers of drug-seeking behavior

Collaborations include the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded Addiction Treatment Discovery Program and the DEA's assessment of synthetic drug abuse potential. She leads projects targeting methamphetamine dependence and has published widely in Neuropharmacology, Psychopharmacology, and Nature.

Current grants include the REAP New Investigator Grant and NIDA-supported rodent behavioral model studies. Her work bridges preclinical research with translational applications in addiction treatment discovery.