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Kafui Dzirasa

A. Eugene and Marie Washington Presidential Distinguished Professor
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences
Box 3209 Medctr, Durham, NC 27710
Bryan Research Bldg, Room 361, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Grants


Neurobiology Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Child Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Program (DN-IPT)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Duke University Psychiatry Physician-Scientist Residency Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

The Impact Neuroscience Program: an Inclusive Multi-Dimensional Program to Advance Career Training (R25)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMECollaborator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2023 - 2028

Brain Network States Underlying Cocaine Craving

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2027

Mitochondrial Regulation of Brain Network Dynamics in Stress

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2027

Duke Preparing Research Scholars in Biomedical Sciences- Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2022 - 2027

Medical Scientist Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2022 - 2027

University Training Program in Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1994 - 2027

Precise neural circuit editing using engineered electrical synapses

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health - BIRCWH

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2002 - 2027

Regulating brain networks that mediate depressive states

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Hope for Depression Research Foundation · 2023 - 2026

MULTIREGIONAL ELECTRICAL ENCODING OF SOCIAL AGGRESSION

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2021 - 2026

Brain Networks for Addiction

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2025

Pharmacological Sciences Training Grant

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025

Interrogating the cholinergic basis of opioid reinforcement with subcellular precision

ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025

Duke CTSA (TL1) Year 5

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2024

Networks that mediate addiction behavior

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 2022 - 2024

Elucidating the brain state underlying repetitive behaviors in mouse models of ASD

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Hartwell Foundation · 2022 - 2024

Dissecting and modifying temporal dynamics underlying stress dysfunction

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2024

Reversing Brain Network Mechanisms Underlying Depression Vulnerability and Depression Pathology

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Hope for Depression Research Foundation · 2020 - 2023

Molecular and circuitry mechanism underlying autism behaviors in Shank3 mouse models

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Yale University · 2019 - 2023

Uncovering Population-Level Cellular Relationships to Behavior via Mesoscale Networks

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2023

Engineering gap junctions for the study and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Burroughs Wellcome Fund · 2018 - 2023

2019 Gilliam Fellowship - Elise Adamson

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 2020 - 2023

Engineering Gap Junctions for the Study and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by United Negro College Fund, Inc. · 2019 - 2023

A console for magnetic resonance histology

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2021 - 2023

Network Dynamics of Negative and Positive Valence Systems in Decision Making

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2022

Medical Scientist Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1997 - 2022

A FULLY BIOLOGICAL PLATFORM FOR MONITORING MESOSCALE NEURAL ACTIVITY

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Burroughs Wellcome Fund · 2019 - 2021

Identifying Convergent Networks Underlying Sleep Disruption In Autism Spectrum Disorder Mouse Models

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · 2020 - 2021

Network Dynamics of Negative and Positive Valence Systems in Decision Making

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Burroughs Wellcome Fund · 2019 - 2021

A fully biological platform for monitoring mesoscale neural activity

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2021

Environmental Toxins and Microglia-Synapse Interactions in Autism

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2021

Neuromuscular Control of Primate Eye Movements

ResearchClinical Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2021

Multilevel integration to understand, treat, and prevent depression

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Hope for Depression Research Foundation · 2019 - 2020

Unmasking a Role for Cortical Dopamine D4 Receptors in Controlling Circuit Dynamics and Behavior

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2020

Hartwell Fellowship

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Hartwell Foundation · 2018 - 2020

Unraveling the neural gate to consciousness

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by W.M. Keck Foundation · 2016 - 2020

Akt/GSK-3 Signaling Cascade and the Actions of Dopamine

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2005 - 2020

The neurophysiology of impulsive sensation seeking

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Pittsburgh · 2018 - 2020

Simultaneous and Bidirectional Chemogenetic Control of Mesolimbic and Nigrostriatal Circuits

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2020

Molecular and circuitry mechanism underlying autism behaviors in Shank3 mouse models

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2019

Network Dynamics of Positive and Negative Valence Systems in Decision Making

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Ruth K. Broad Biomedical Research Foundation · 2018 - 2019

Environmental Toxins and Microglia-Synapse Interactions in Autism

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Massachusetts General Hospital · 2016 - 2019

Enabling Stress Resistance

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2012 - 2018

Basic predoctoral training in neuroscience

Inst. Training Prgm or CMETraining Faculty · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1992 - 2018

A novel neural circuit analysis paradigm to model autism in mice

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2017

BRAIN EAGER: Bayesian Models of Translational Neural Networks: Motivation and Reward

ResearchAdvisor · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2014 - 2017

The 5-HT theory of depression tested in a naturalistic model of 5-HT deficiency

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2006 - 2017

Characterizing sensorimotor gaiting dysfunction in mouse models of schizophrenia

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2013 - 2016

External Relationships


  • Brain and behavioral research foundation
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Foundation
  • Cell Press
  • Dana Foundation
  • Fearless Sports
  • Grass Foundation
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
  • Krikland and Ellis
  • One mind
  • Retina AI-Health
  • Rosa Li and Associates

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.