Dr. Jessica Weafer
Dr. Weafer received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2004 from Boston University. She received her PhD in 2012 from the University of Kentucky under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Fillmore, where she studied the acute cognitive, behavioral, and subjective effects of alcohol in relation to heavy drinking. She then completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago in Dr. Harriet de Wit’s Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, where she investigated the relationship between behavioral and neural correlates of inhibitory control and sensitivity to drug reward. In 2023, Dr. Weafer moved her lab to The Ohio State University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, where she is associate professor. Her current research combines behavioral, hormonal, and functional neuroimaging methods to identify sex differences in neurobiological factors underlying risk for alcohol use disorder. Ultimately, she hopes that this line of research will allow for the identification of sex-specific risk factors, and the development of sex-specific prevention and treatment efforts, for alcohol and substance use disorders.
Current Lab Members
Chloe Willett is a first-year graduate student in the Cognitive Neuroscience Ph.D. program at Ohio State University. She received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Missouri in May of 2023. She is interested in utilizing neuroimaging techniques to investigate the biological and hormonal differences that make women especially vulnerable to the detrimental effects of substance use. Outside of research, Chloe enjoys watching movies, reading books, and playing with her two cats.
Chloe Willett - Graduate Student
Megan Sweet began her nursing career in 2018 as an LPN. She received her RN in 2020 from Columbus State and her BSN from OSU in 2022. Throughout this time, she has gained experience through family practice and specialty clinics, pediatric clinics, neuro bedside nursing, assisted living, case management, and clinical research. Her professional goal is to improve community health through dedicated research and delivering high-quality care. In her spare time, she enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and cheering on the Buckeyes.
Megan Sweet - Research Nurse
Libby is a Clinical Research Assistant in the Weafer Lab. She graduated from the University of Dayton in 2024, where she got her B.S. in Biology and Psychology and minored in Neuroscience. She is currently interested in the neurobiological and cognitive underpinnings of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, and how these can be leveraged when developing and considering treatments. She hopes to eventually pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys running, collecting records, and traveling with friends and family.
Libby Chevalier - Research Assistant
Noah is a Clinical Research Assistant in the Weafer Lab. He graduated from the University of South Florida in 2024 with a B.A. in Psychology. He is interested in substance use disorders and their long-term effects on psychopathology and neurobiology. He hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future. Noah enjoys weightlifting, hiking, and spending time outside with his dogs in his free time.
Noah Dray - Research Assistant
Fiona Gallagher - Undergraduate Research Assistant
Fiona Gallagher is second-year undergraduate student at The Ohio State University. She is studying Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. She is interested in discovering more about psychiatric mood and substance use disorders and the underlying neural mechanisms associated with them. She hopes to attend a physician’s assistant program in the future to eventually become a psychiatric clinician. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, listening to music, and exploring local coffee shops.
Lab Alumni
Julie Roberts - Research Nurse (2023-2024)
Michelle Nkansah-Wiafe - Research Assistant (2024)