About the Program

The UB Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions postdoctoral program offers:

• Interdisciplinary training emphasizing:
  • etiology and course of alcohol use and misuse
  • treatment for alcohol use disorders
• Guidance of qualified mentors while fellows develop and pursue their independent research interests
• Seminars on alcohol use disorders and current alcohol research
• Grant writing and publishing workshops
• Career planning and development
• Negotiable start dates

The mainstays of CRIA’s scientific endeavors are the senior research scientists who develop and conduct research on the etiology, prevention and treatment of addictive behaviors. There are nearly 30 doctoral-level staff representing a variety of disciplines, including sociology, psychology (social, organizational, developmental, physiological and clinical), epidemiology and neuroscience.

Established in 2000 through a NIAAA grant of nearly $1.2 million, the training program was renewed in 2005 with a grant of nearly $1.7 million, in 2010 with a $1.76 million grant, and in 2016 with a $2 million grant.

CRIA offers:

• Interviewing, conference and social interaction laboratory facilities with state-of-the-art audio-visual recording equipment
• Addiction Treatment Services clinic providing outpatient services
• Experimental bar and family laboratory settings
• Biological and animal behavioral laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art biochemical, electrophysiological, mircrodialysis and optogenetic equipment to conduct cellular/molecular to behavioral studies
• Capabilities to conduct studies in neuroimaging, pharmacological modeling and genetics of addictive disorders
• Computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) capability
• Dedicated computer services department
• Graphics and communications services

For nearly 50 years, CRIA has conducted groundbreaking research on significant addiction issues. Our scientists have made and continue to make important and widely recognized contributions to our knowledge regarding addictive behaviors.

CRIA’s diverse research portfolio includes topics related to the following:

• etiology, prevention and treatment of addictions
• neuroscience of addictions
• role of alcohol and other drugs in violence and sexual violence
• needs of special populations, including minorities, women, LGBTQ and youth
• family functioning, including interpersonal violence
• social and psychological aspects of addictions
• health and medical aspects of addictions

Learn more about CRIA’s current and previous research endeavors.

CRIA scientists are working on a variety of multi-year, federally funded projects that represent a range of interdisciplinary studies. Methodologies used include surveys, basic research techniques, ecological momentary assessment, clinical outcome studies and sophisticated statistical techniques.

Our faculty come from diverse yet complimentary disciplines such as psychology, social work, public health and the psychobiological sciences. All faculty have extensive alcohol research experience and are productive researchers with current grants or substantial external support.

A national leader in the study of addictions since 1970, CRIA is a center of research excellence at the University at Buffalo. CRIA occupies a five-story building on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. This urban medical campus, located on 100 acres just outside the downtown district, includes several of the region’s major health care and research-related institutions.

The Buffalo Niagara region includes world-class architecture, delicious regional and international cuisine, superb theatre, major league sports, the amazing Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Niagara Falls and annual summertime festivals that run from May to October. Housing, hotels, galleries, restaurants, entertainment, transportation and the cost of living in Buffalo are all nearly 10 percent below the national average.

Learn why we love the Buffalo Niagara region.

Interested individuals are encouraged to contact either Kenneth E. Leonard (CRIA director), or Gregory Homish (chair, Department of Community Health and Health Behavior), co-training directors, in advance of submitting application materials. Email Brandon Kuhn at bjkuhn@buffalo.edu.

Applications including a vita, representative reprints, two to three letters of reference, and a cover letter describing research interests and training goals may be forwarded to:

Alcohol Research Postdoctoral Training Committee
Attn: Kenneth E. Leonard and Gregory Homish
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior
3435 Main Street
322 Kimball Tower
Buffalo, New York 1421

Applicants must be citizens or noncitizen nationals of the U.S. or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. AA/EOE