IGSP Faculty

Ahmad Hariri, PhD

Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience

Ahmad Hariri is Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience and Investigator in the Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy at Duke University. Prior to joining the faculty at Duke this summer, Dr. Hariri served as the director of the Developmental Imaging Genetics Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hariri received both a BS and MS from the University of Maryland where he studied evolutionary biology. In 2000, he completed his PhD in Neuroscience at UCLA working with Dr. Susan Bookheimer. He joined the faculty at Pitt in 2003 after working as a research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Danny Weinberger at the NIMH.

Dr. Hariri's research is focused on using modern molecular genetics and neuroimaging methods to identify specific biological pathways that help shape individual differences in temperament and personality as well as related risk for neuropsychiatric disease. His program of research also employs pharmacological challenge fMRI paradigms and multimodal PET/fMRI neuroimaging to identify specific molecular mechanisms through which individual differences in behaviorally-relevant brain function emerges. The long-term goals of Dr. Hariri's research program are to identify neurobiological pathways mediating variability in complex behaviors and related risk for neuropsychiatric disease that will allow for the development of more effective, individually tailored disease treatment and, ultimately, prevention.

Findings from Dr. Hariri's program of research have been published in Science, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Journal of Neuroscience, Archives of General Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Trend in Cognitive Sciences and the Annual Review of Neuroscience. In August 2009, Dr. Hariri's contributions to the science of individual differences will be recognized by the APA who will be presenting him with the Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology.

Recent Publications