Riley M. Quinlan

Raised in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Riley graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a student athlete with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in anthropology. As an undergraduate research assistant, Riley investigated the behavioral and neural mechanisms contributing to substance use disorders (SUDs) using methods such as behavioral modification, electroencephalography (EEG), and noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS). At the Yale Stress Center, Riley assists with pharmacology trials for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and has completed research projects examining the efficacy of pregnenolone as a novel neurosteroid intervention for AUD, as well as neurobiological mechanisms underlying stress, craving, anxiety, pain, and sleep deficiency in addiction. She hopes to further explore these mechanisms and advance precision medicine for SUDs in a clinical psychology PhD program. In her free time, Riley likes to play soccer, paint, sew, go to antique/thrift stores, eat good food, and pet her dogs.