Dr. Nina Cooperman, a BHI member and faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, has been promoted to Professor I with tenure. Dr. Cooperman focuses on developing and evaluating novel interventions for substance use and other health behaviors, currently researching a mindfulness-based intervention for opioid use and chronic pain among people in methadone treatment, peer recovery support for opioid overdose survivors in the emergency department, and an intervention to link people impacted by opioid use to employment.

Dr. Victoria Abraira, a BHI member and faculty member in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Abraira uses mouse molecular genetics to study the sense of touch, from pain to pleasure and everything in between. Visit the Abraira Lab

Dr. Brian Daniels, a BHI member and faculty member in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Daniels’ lab studies immunological responses in the central nervous system using cell culture and mouse models of viral encephalitis and neurodegeneration. Visit the Daniels Lab

Dr. Alison Bernstein, a BHI member and faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Bernstein’s lab focuses on how epigenetic modifications mediate neurotoxicological effects and gene-environment interactions underlying sporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurological disorders. Visit the Bernstein Lab

Dr. Huijuan Hu, a BHI member and Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at New Jersey Medical School, has been granted tenure. Dr. Hu studies Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels in nociception, peripheral and central mechanisms of pain sensitization.

Dr. Michal Schnaider Beeri, Director of the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at the BHI, has published a new paper in Alzheimer’s & Dementia titled “Emotional response to amyloid beta status disclosure among research participants at high dementia risk.” The study shows that learning about one’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease may not lead to emotional distress, but motivation to maintain healthy lifestyle changes tends to fade over time, even in people at high risk. Read more on Rutgers Today. 

Dr. Mark Rossi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Center for NeuroMetabolism at RWJMS, Resident Scientist at Child Health Institute of NJ, and BHI core member, has published a new paper in Nature Communications titled “Energy state guides reward seeking via an extended amygdala to lateral hypothalamus pathway”. The study shows that a brain circuit connecting emotion and hunger centers adjusts food cravings based on energy needs, and its disruption may lead to overeating.

ABC News features Dr. Petros Levounis, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at NJMS and BHI member, discussing the recent drop in U.S. drug overdose deaths—and the work that still lies ahead. “We should have a guarded enthusiasm here because what we're seeing is almost the return to the overdose death rates that we had before the pandemic,” said Dr. Levounis. “So essentially, we have corrected the bump and the increase in overdose deaths we experienced with the pandemic.”

A review article by Dr. Peng Jiang, Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at the School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers New Brunswick and BHI member, was recently published in Neuron. Dr. Jiang and his trainees summarized the status of cutting-edge neuroscience research involving the use of human-rodent chimeric brain models. These unique “sci-fi” sounding models, created by transplanting human tissues or stem cells into rodent brains, help scientists understand brain development and complex disorders like autism and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Jiang’s lab has been working on these novel chimeric brain models for over a decade, supported in part by pilot grant funding from the BHI. Among the authors of the review article is Dr. Alessandro Stillitano, who was recently awarded a $500 travel grant from BHI, highlighting BHI’s commitment to training the next generation of neuroscience leaders.

Nitya Kathiravan, an 11th grader from Rutgers Preparatory School, won 1st Place in the 2025 Newark NJ Regional Brain Bee and 7th place at the USA Brain Bee Championship! In this video, Dr. Steven Levison, Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience at NJMS and BHI core member, interviews Nitya about her passion for neuroscience and what fuels her curiosity about the human brain. The Newark NJ Regional Brain Bee is sponsored by the BHI and coordinated annually by Dr. Levison to help inspire and cultivate the next generation of brain scientists.

Drs. Gary Aston-Jones and Anna Konova were invited keynote speakers at the Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine Annual Research Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Aston-Jones, Director of the BHI and Strongwater Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and Brain Health, presented “Role of the Brain Orexin System in Addiction: Preventing Prescription Opioid Use Disorder.” Dr. Konova, Co-Director of the Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive NeuroPsychiatry (CCNP) at the BHI and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at RWJMS, presented “Leveraging Longitudinal and Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Approaches to Advance Addiction Understanding and Treatment.”

Dr. Wayne Fisher, Director of the Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES) at the BHI and Henry Rutgers Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at RWJMS, has been awarded the 2025 Brian A. Iwata Award for Outstanding Career Contributions to Applied Behavior Analysis by the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. This highly prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Fisher’s exceptional career achievements and lasting impact on the field. Notably, he is the first living recipient to receive this award, underscoring the significance of his contributions to advancing autism research and behavioral health.

Dr. Maria Chiara Manzini, Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at RWJMS and BHI core member, has received an R21 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health for the project “Molecular mechanisms of sex-specific deficits in neurodevelopmental disease.” This project investigates how sex hormones and signaling pathways contribute to the male-biased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Using CC2D1A mutant mouse models, Dr. Manzini will explore how hormonal influences during development drive sex-specific brain signaling and behavior, with the goal of informing targeted therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Ioana Carcea, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience at NJMS and BHI core member, has been awarded funding through Scialog: Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems for a collaborative project titled “Thermal Priming and Parental Care: Investigating Conserved Neural Pathways of Parental Care Plasticity in Response to Heat.” Dr. Carcea’s project is a collaboration with Dr. Laura Stein (University of Oklahoma) and Dr. Duncan Leitch (UCLA), and focuses on understanding how rising temperatures affect parenting behavior and neural mechanisms across species.

The PAWG is the only working group at the BHI that's dedicated to all Rutgers trainees engaged in neuroscience, brain and mental health research and training. We would like to collect as much trainee (post-doc, PhD student, Master's, undergraduate) information as we can. This database can then serve as a listserv for us to disseminate important information to you, such as symposiums, seminars, travel awards, fellowships, outdoor events and trivia nights, and even instructions on how to file your taxes on a fellowship. This data will also serve YOU. We will compile anonymous trainee stats (# trainees, pubs, fellowships, etc.) for you to use in your grant and fellowship applications when you discuss the BHI. Please complete this survey.

Connecting Persons with Autism with Autism Researchers (2025)

The New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence (NJACE), led by Dr. Wayne Fisher, Director of RUCARES in BHI, aims to help New Jersey researchers connect with individuals with autism and their families who may be interested in participating in research. We anticipate funding up to four seed grants with a maximum of $2,000 per award. Please complete the request form and submit it to Hnorris@childrensspecialized.org to be considered for funding.

The BHI and the RARC are pleased to announce the mock grant review program at Rutgers University. The primary objective of this program is to increase the success of grant proposals submitted to NIH by Rutgers investigators from the BHI and/or the RARC.

Brazilian Aging in New York - New Jersey (BRAINY-NJ) Study

The project investigates risk and resilience factors for mental/brain health and dementia in Brazilian immigrants (55+ years old), a growing Latino population underrepresented in health-related research in the U.S. More info on eligibility attached (and below). Participants may receive up to $125 for compensation. Data collection will occur in Newark or New Brunswick. The BRAINY-NJ study is funded by the Alzheimer's Association, and is part of the Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Research Center (BHI) and the EngAGING lab.

TMS-EEG Study of Eye Movements and Memory

The Brain Modulation & Control Lab is recruiting paid volunteers to perform computer-based tasks while recording electroencephalography (EEG) data and applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to study brain dynamics related to eye movement tasks. If you are interested in this study, please contact bmclab@rwjms.rutgers.edu.

The Rutgers Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is launching a study to understand the characteristics that may place South Asian populations at heightened risk for Alzheimer's disease. This study seeks to recruit individuals with ethnic or racial backgrounds from South Asian countries, aged 45-70, who have one or more parents with AD. Participants at Rutgers can receive up to $175. Participants will undergo comprehensive assessments every two years, encompassing surveys, cognitive and language assessments, motor function tasks, blood tests, physical and neurological exams, as well as brain imaging.

The RARC is partnering with the Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR) to establish a streamlined process for enhanced collaboration among Rutgers researchers who want to partner with RWJBarnabas to analyze substance use disorder outcome data and/or implement new studies in the health system.

The Research Community Partnership (RCP), overseen by the RARC, is a central enrollment hub for community members to participate in Rutgers research projects, and for researchers to recruit for their studies. By signing up for the RCP, individuals agree to be contacted by approved researchers to participate in projects. Participants can choose to accept or decline any project to which they are invited. Anyone who wants to be a part of research can enroll in the RCP.

The newly established Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center in BHI will serve as a hub for collaboration, innovation, and transformative research, with the mission of making meaningful strides in the prevention, diagnosis, and care of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD). If you are interested in learning more or collaborating with the center, please submit the form to provide your contact information.

Director of Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES) at BHI

We seek an outstanding tenure-eligible investigator to serve as the Director of RUCARES. The ideal candidate will be a research leader in autism spectrum disorders with a strong, externally-funded research program who utilizes basic or clinical approaches to address key questions regarding autism and related disorders. One of the primary roles of the Director of RUCARES will be to coordinate and nurture existing research and clinical activities, while striving to grow Rutgers into a world leader in basic and clinical autism research. Applicants must have a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree, with an independent research program focused on autism spectrum disorders.

Director of Neurotechnology Innovation Center at BHI

We seek an accomplished scientist or physician-scientist eligible for the rank of tenured Associate or Full Professor to join the Department of Neurosurgery under new leadership at Rutgers Health and BHI as Director of the new Neurotechnology Innovation Center (NTICe) at BHI. The goal of NTICe is to develop a world-class research center that serves as a platform for interdisciplinary collaborations among basic and translational scientists, clinicians, engineers and industry partners to propel discovery of innovative, groundbreaking neurotechnology that can be brought from the bench to the bedside to treat debilitating neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Director of Center on Research in Pain and Pain Therapeutics at BHI

We seek an accomplished scientist, at the Professor or Associate Professor level, to join the Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) and The Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) as Director of the new Rutgers Center on Research in Pain and Pain Therapeutics (CRPPT). This new center director will have the responsibility to develop a research center focused on mechanisms underlying pain with a goal of developing novel therapeutic approaches. The CRPPT will build collaborations among scientists with the multidisciplinary expertise required to identify novel therapeutic targets, assess efficacy of treatments, and develop precision medicine approaches to diagnose and treat pain.

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor at Rutgers Center for NeuroMetabolism

The newly launched Rutgers Center for NeuroMetabolism (CNM), in collaboration with the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, and the BHI, are seeking to recruit open rank, tenure-track/tenured faculty positions at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor. We seek researchers with expertise in neurometabolism with a focus on mechanisms underlying metabolic, neurological, and psychiatric disorders, as well as their translational potential for clinical therapies.

The Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at the BHI is seeking data scientists for a tenure-track faculty position at the Associate or Full Professor level at RWJMS and BHI within RBHS. We seek a faculty member who is experienced in using advanced statistical and machine learning techniques to analyze datasets related to aging, Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.

The Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at BHI is seeking a neuroimaging leader for a tenure-track position at the Associate or Full Professor level at BHI, and RWJMS within RBHS. We seek a faculty member who is experienced in using neuroimaging techniques to image human brain structure and activity as it relates to aging, Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. The candidate will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, including neurologists, neuropsychologists, and neuropathologists.

The BHI, RUCARES, and Department of Pediatrics at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) are seeking a tenure-track assistant or associate professor for a clinical research program focused on improving interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder. 

The CAHBIR is recruiting for multiple faculty positions at all levels (Assistant/Associate/ Professor). We seek investigators who use innovative MRI approaches to image human brain structure and function. Individuals who utilize additional approaches such as EEG, tDCS, and rTMS to study human brain function would also be attractive.