Dr. Ikemoto received his PhD from Bowling Green State University for studying neuropharmacological mechanisms of reward and received postdoctoral training in animal models of drug self-administration at Indiana University School of Medicine and Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He joined the Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch at NIDA as Research Fellow in 1998 and became a Tenure-track Investigator in 2004 and Senior Investigator in 2010. Dr. Ikemoto's research focuses on neurobiological mechanisms of motivation and reinforcement, using neuropharmacological, electrophysiological and electrochemical approaches. He is particularly interested in defining brain reward circuitry with respect to neurotransmitters, regions and connectivity. He also seeks to elucidate theoretical (conceptual) issues on functions of dopamine and related systems in motivated behaviors.