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F Joseph McClernon

Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences
3527, Durham, NC 27710
2400 Pratt St., 6th Floor, Durham, NC 27705

Research Interests


  • tobacco use among vulnerable populations (e.g. adolescents, people living with HIV);
  • cognitive and affective neuroscience of substance use disorders;
  • mobile health applications to treat tobacco use and other substance use disorders;
  • experimental clinical research to inform FDA regulation of tobacco products;
  • role of environments in the initiation, progression and cessation of tobacco use.

Selected Grants


Neural correlates and behavioral impact of withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia among people who smoke with and without chronic pain

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030

NCCU Duke - Substance Use Research & Education (ND-SURE)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina Central University · 2024 - 2029

Neurobehavioral mechanisms linking childhood adversity to increased risk for smoking

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute on Drug Abuse · 2022 - 2027

Beta-Adrenergic Modulation of Drug Cue Reactivity: Neural and Behavioral Mechanisms

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center · 2022 - 2026

Predicting response to a U.S. nicotine reduction standard in medical and psychiatric priority populations

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Michigan · 2024 - 2025

Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in AIDS

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2010 - 2025

Impact of new standards for tobacco products among dual e-cigarette/combusted cigarette users

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2025

Duke CTSA (TL1) Year 5

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

Using Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes as a Strategy to Disrupt the Pain-Smoking Reinforcement Cycle

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2024

Hybrid Trial of a Tailored Smoking Cessation Digital Therapeutic for Persons Living with HIV

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2024

Impact of Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes in a Complex Marketplace

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Minnesota · 2018 - 2024

Clarifying the role of tobacco retail outlets on maternal smoking during pregnancy and child secondhand smoke exposure

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Virginia Commonwealth University · 2019 - 2023

Early-phase Studies of a Tailored Evidence-Based Smoking Cessation mHealth App for Persons Living with HIV

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

Paternal Transgenerational Epigenetic Legacy from Use of Cannabis

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by John Templeton Foundation · 2017 - 2022

A High-Performance 3T MRI for Brain Imaging

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2022

Targeting reward dysfunction as a mechanism to improve smoking cessation

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2022

Project 2: Evaluating New Nicotine Standards for Cigarettes - Supplement

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Minnesota · 2017 - 2022

Deep learning-based image analysis for assessing real-time smoking risk

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

Mobile health interventions for varenicline adherence among HIV-positive smokers

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2021

Impact of new product standards for JUUL among dual JUUL/combusted cigarette users

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Center for the Assessment of the Public Health Impact of Tobacco Regulations · 2019 - 2021

Nicotine Withdrawal and Reward Processing: Connecting Neurobiology to Real-World Behavior

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2021

Innovative Smartphone Application for Quitting Smoking among Seriously Mentally Ill

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2020

Neural Correlates of Social Reward in Smoking and Depression

ResearchMentor · Awarded by Brain and Behavior Research Foundation · 2017 - 2020

Reactions to Reduced Nicotine Cigarettes in Young Adult Low-Frequency Smokers

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2020

Bringing PrEP to Campus: Examining Strategies for PrEP Delivery to Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2005 - 2020

Environment Cue-Reactivity: Brain, Behavior and Clinical Outcomes in Tobacco Use

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2020

Prototype Development of CANARIUS - a Flexible, Dynamic, Scaleable, and Low-cost Platform for Surveiling Population Health

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2019 - 2020

Effects of Nicotine Reduction on Smoking Behavior in ADHD Smokers

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2015 - 2019

Neurobehavioral substrates of propranolol's effects on drug cue reactivity

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2019

mSMART: Mobile App based Personalized Solutions and Tools for Medication Adherence of Rx Pills

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Intelligent Automation Inc. · 2014 - 2019

Behavioral and genetic mechanisms of smoking risk in individuals with ADHD

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

Smoking Abstinence in ADHD and non-ADHD Smokers: Assessing the Role of Emotion Dysregulation

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2012 - 2018

Investigating the Effects of E-Cigarette Television Ads on Smokers

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Research Triangle Institute International · 2016 - 2018

Strengthening Instrumental Extinction to Prevent Smoking Relapse

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2015 - 2018

Impact of Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes in a Complex Marketplace

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Minnesota · 2017 - 2017

Acute and chronic nicotine modulation of reinforcement learning

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2013 - 2017

NeuroAIDS research with disadvantaged drug users

FellowshipCo-Sponsor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2017

A Compute Cluster for Brain Imaging and Analysis

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2017

Project 2: Evaluating New Nicotine Standards for Cigarettes - Supplement

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Minnesota · 2014 - 2017

Neurocognitive Impact of Marijuana Use in Patients with HIV/AIDS

FellowshipCo-Sponsor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2013 - 2015

Neurobehavioral and fMRI Research in HIV Infection and Cocaine Dependence

ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2010 - 2015

Development of a Smartphone-Based Virtual Sensor for Detecting Smoking Behavior

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2012 - 2015

Environments as Smoking Cues: Imaging Brain Substrates, Developing New Treatments

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2012 - 2014

Project 1: Evaluating New Nicotine Standards in Cigarettes - Supplement

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Pittsburgh · 2013 - 2014

Elucidating links between ADHD symptoms and tobacco/alcohol use trajectories

ResearchAdvisor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2010 - 2014

Neuropharmacology of Response Inhibition in Comorbid ADHD and Nicotine Dependence

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2014

Neural Substrates of Extinction-Based Treatment for Nicotine Dependence

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2008 - 2014

Optimal Smoking Cessation Treatment in PTSD

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2003 - 2014

Novel Ondansetron Formulation for Combination Treatment of Psychostimulant Abuse

Clinical TrialCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2013

Neurobiology of Nicotine and Non-nicotine Components of Tobacco Addiction

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2008 - 2013

Neuroimaging of Nicotine Dependence, Depression and Emotion Regulation

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2012 - 2013

Genetic basis of smoking abstinence, smoking reinforcement, and inhibitory control

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2012

Supplemental Nicotine Administration for Smoking Cessation in PTSD

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2012

Smoking reinforcement in adults with and without ADHD

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2012

Smoking & Anxiety In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1998 - 2012

Neuropharmacology of Emotion-Cognition Interaction in Nicotine Dependence

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2011

Precision Targeting of fMRI-Guided TMS Using a Robotic Arm System

EquipmentInvestigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2010 - 2011

Mechanisms of Nicotine Dependence in ADHD Adults

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2007 - 2009

Neuroimaging Attentional Impairment During Abstinence

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2004 - 2009

The Effect of Smoking on Startle & PPI in PTSD

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2006 - 2009

Summer Research with NIDA for Underrepresented Minorities

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2004 - 2008

Drug Cue Reactivity in Smokers: An fMRI Investigation

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2002 - 2004

External Relationships


  • University of Vermont

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.