Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior
Dr. Wenzel received her B.S. in Psychology from Arizona State University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Behavior from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Wenzel conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore where she earned a National Research Service Award to study the effects of adolescent cannabinoid exposure on reward, reinforcement and dopamine system function. Following her postdoctoral work, Dr. Wenzel joined the Division of Neuroscience and Behavior at the National Institute on Drug Abuse as a Health Scientist Administrator.
Scholarly Work
Dr. Wenzel’s research investigates the neurobiological mechanisms of motivated behavior. She is particularly interested how experiences throughout development (e.g. exposure to stressors or drugs of abuse) alter brain function and behavior and may contribute to disorders of motivation, such as substance use disorder. Dr. Wenzel’s Neurobiology of Motivation laboratory uses rat subjects, behavioral procedures, and cutting-edge neuroscience technologies to manipulate and measure brain circuits in vivo.
Dr. Wenzel received funding from internal research grants at her undergraduate and graduate institutions, a T32 Training Grant from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, as well as an F32 Postdoctoral National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Wenzel Lab website: http://www.wenzellab.org/
Areas of Interest
Dr. Wenzel teaches Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience and the Advanced Research Methods Behavioral Neuroscience Capstone. She hopes to also develop courses on Psychopharmacology and the Neuroscience of Addiction.
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