Wendy Lynch

Wendy Lynch is an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. Her research focuses on elucidating the neurobiological basis of addiction, with particular emphasis on sex differences in vulnerability to drug addiction during phases such as acquisition, maintenance, escalation, and relapse.

Her work integrates behavioral, pharmacological, and molecular techniques to investigate biological factors like hormones, age, and dopaminergic signaling interactions. She also explores pharmacotherapies for addiction, leveraging animal models to inform human treatment strategies and risk identification.

• Key research areas: Addiction biology, sex-based disparities, dopamine pathways, medication development