CLINICAL ADDICTIONS RESEARCH LABORATORY
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People

Find information about our current and former laboratory members, below, or click here to see information about joining our research team.

Principal Investigator

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Andrea C. King, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Biological Psychology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Professor
Director of Clinical Addictions Research Laboratory

Tel: 773-702-6181
Email: aking@bsd.uchicago.edu


Dr. King is a tenured professor at U Chicago Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and has been on faculty since 1997.  She is also co-leader of Cancer Prevention and Control at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, director of the tobacco treatment program at the University of Chicago, and developer of the Courage to Quit® tobacco cessation program delivered by the Respiratory Health Association across the Chicagoland area.  Dr. King is a licensed clinical psychologist and treats patients with tobacco, alcohol, and substance use disorders and other co-morbid mental health conditions. She is currently Principal Investigator of several grants from the NIH, including tobacco cessation in underserved smokers and cancer patients, examination of e-cigarette use as a smoking cue, neurobiological substrates of alcohol and aggression, and laboratory and longitudinal assessment of binge drinkers.  She has served on numerous study section panels at the NIH and received several awards for her academic excellence at the University of Chicago.  In her spare time, Dr. King provides educational lectures in schools to youth about cigarette smoking, vaping, and addiction. 

Current Laboratory Members

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Dan Fridberg, Ph.D.
Ph.D, Indiana University Bloomington
Associate Professor; Co-investigator
Tel: 773-834-3598
Email: dfridberg@bsd.uchicago.edu

Dr. Daniel Fridberg has served on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago since 2014. He is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of addictive behaviors and comorbid mental health conditions. Dr. Fridberg is also the co-director of the Tobacco Cessation Program at the University of Chicago where he helps patients quit smoking using the Courage to Quit® program. Dr. Fridberg has an active research program focused on how individuals differ in their responses to alcohol, and how those differences may contribute to risk for alcohol misuse and dependence. He is especially interested in using technology, such as smartphones and alcohol biosensors, to measure real-world alcohol use, responses, and related outcomes. Dr. Fridberg’s work has been funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and he has presented his findings in multiple peer-reviewed papers and at invited talks and presentations around the country.
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Emma Brett, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Oklahoma State University
Staff Scientist
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Emma received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University and has completed her postdoctoral training in the Clinical Addictions Research Laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Andrea King. She is interested in factors that influence engagement in substance use, such as cue reactivity, with a focus on nicotine/tobacco products. She has received a NIDA K99 training grant to develop an online vaping treatment intervention.
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​Nathan Didier, MS
Research Analyst
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Nathan completed a B.A. from Wheaton College (IL) in 2019, where he studied psychology and chemistry. In 2021, he completed an M.S. in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Chicago. He enjoys visualizing data and building models to examine risk factors for alcohol and nicotine abuse. Two current projects are building software to analyze transdermal alcohol content and creating a web-based app for collecting substance use data. 

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Drew Fischer, MA
Laboratory Director

Drew graduated from Amherst College in 2019 with a B.S. in Psychology and English and later received his M.A. in 2021 from the University of Chicago.  He is interested in the relationship between contextual factors and addiction, as well as treatment interventions.  
Zoe Lee
Project Coordinator
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Zoe graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests include the etiology and treatment of addiction, as well as the effects of electronic cigarette use, particularly in adolescent populations. ​

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Layne Robinson
Research Assistant


Layne received her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Kentucky in 2022. She is interested in genetic contributions to addiction and the efficacy of current treatment/prevention methods for addictive behaviors.
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Riya Thomas
Research Assistant

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Riya graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022 with a B.S. in neuroscience and minor in Japanese. Her research interests include novel behavioral and pharmacological combination treatment interventions for addiction and other mental illnesses. 

Former Laboratory Members Since 2013

Name CARL Tenure Current Position
Ashley Vena, PhD Scientific Director, 2017-2022 Associate Project Leader-Scientist for Emmes, LLC, Austin, TX
Abbey Feather Project Coordinator, 2019-2022 PhD candidate, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Meghan Howe Project Coordinator, 2017-2020 PhD candidate, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL
Krista Miloslavich Project Coordinator, 2017-2020 PhD candidate, University of Illinois at Chicago
Melissa Liu Project Coordinator, 2016-2018 PhD candidate, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Patrick McNamara Assistant Director of CARL, 2004-2019 Clinical Operations Manager, Northwestern University, Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Patrick Smith, MD Research Assistant, 2014-2017, 2018-2019 Medical Resident, Lewis McChord Army Base, Tacoma, WA
Jesus Chavarria, PhD Postdoctoral Scholar, 2017-2019 Assistant Professor, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
Lia Smith Research Assistant, 2013-2016 Psychology Intern, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA

Honorary Laboratory Members

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Holland

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Belle

Eleanor
Junior assistant to the research
assistants (probationary)
Olivia
Feline Emeritus​
Georgia
Full of Hops
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  • Home
  • Research
    • Chicago Social Drinking Project (CSDP)
    • Mobile Alcohol Response Study (MARS)
    • Virtual Interaction Project (VIP)
    • Past Studies
  • Publications
  • Contact
    • Directions
    • People
    • Opportunities
  • Media
  • Donate