Susan M. Ferguson PhD

Dr. Susan Ferguson is the current Director of the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI), and has served in this role since July 1, 2019.

Dr. Ferguson holds a faculty position in the UW School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and serves as faculty in the UW Neuroscience Program. She also leads a research lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

Dr. Ferguson’s research investigates the neural basis of opioid and psychostimulant addiction, as well as polysubstance use. Her research uses a multi-level approach, combining molecular biology, anatomical circuit-tracing and behavioral neuroscience, to understand the development of behaviors associated with drug reward and addiction, as well as in the processes that underlie decision-making, motivation and impulsivity. In addition, she examines how environmental factors, such as extended exposure to sensory stimulation, modulate the development of these behaviors. She’s published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and other publications.

Dr. Ferguson received her undergraduate degree and PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Washington.