Prof. Kent Berridge currently gives lectures as James Olds Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. He is granted many awards with his contributions to the field and elected as one of the last members of the National Academy of Sciences in 2024.

Berridge Lab aims to improve understanding of neural mechanisms of emotion, motivation, learning and reward, including the topic of psychology and neurobiology of pleasure and desire, with implications for motivational disorders such as drug addiction and eating disorders.

Dr. Thomas Boraud, MD, PhD, is a neuroscientist specializing in decision-making, action selection, and procedural learning within the cortex-basal ganglia loop. His research combines electrophysiological recordings across species with computational analysis, focusing on neural network evolution and disorders like Parkinson’s and OCD. Joining CNRS in 2001 and becoming Directeur de Recherche in 2008, he established his research team in 2011, publishing over 80 papers and securing funding from organizations like the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He has served as President of the International Basal Ganglia Society and is an editor for PLoS ONE and Frontiers in Neuroscience. His awards include the CNRS Prime d’Excellence Scientifique. Dr. Boraud explores the ethical responsibilities of scientists and authored “How the Brain Makes Decisions.” Since 2012, he resumed clinical work at Bordeaux University Hospital and leads the Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease.

Dr. Mark Griffiths, a Chartered Psychologist and Distinguished Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University, is also the Director of the International Gaming Research Unit. With 37 years of experience, he is an internationally recognized expert on gambling, gaming, and behavioral addictions. He has published over 1,500 peer-reviewed research papers, six books, more than 200 book chapters, and 1,500 other articles. His work has earned him 25 national and international awards, including the John Rosecrance Prize (1994), Joseph Lister Prize (2004), US National Council on Problem Gambling Lifetime Research Award (2013), and the ISSBA Lifetime Achievement Award for Behavioral Addictions (2023). Dr. Griffiths is also a prolific freelance journalist, having appeared on over 3,500 radio and TV programs and written over 400 articles for various media outlets.

Antonio Jesús Molina Fernández, PhD in Social Psychology, general health psychologist and social anthropologist. Professor in the Department of Social, Work and Differential Psychology at the UCM and tutor professor at the UNED in the MadridSur center, subject Philosophical Anthropology. Collaborator in official masters on addictions (with and without substances) and adolescents at risk. He has been director, coordinator, supervisor and evaluator of centers, programs and networks for intervention in addictions, both recovery and harm reduction, including care services and for people with dual pathology. Trainer, researcher and evaluator in international projects and forums (DG Justice, European Commission, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Civil Society Forum against Drugs).

Dr Tom Carpenter is a resident doctor in Psychiatry based in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at the University of Glasgow. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Evolutionary Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh after initially studying Human Sciences (University of Oxford), completing a Master’s degree in research in Animal Behaviour (Newcastle University) and having a brief career in marketing. He has worked in a specialist addictions service in Glasgow and currently works in an early intervention in psychosis service. He has current research and engagement projects around the usefulness and impact of evolutionary psychoeducation for mental health clinicians.

Dr. Fuehrlein, an M.D./Ph.D. graduate from the University of Florida, completed his psychiatry residency at UT Southwestern and addiction psychiatry fellowship at Yale. Currently an Associate Professor and Director of the psychiatric emergency room at VA Connecticut, he focuses on addiction psychiatry and education. He has received the Irma Bland Award (2017) and the Clerkship Faculty Teaching Award (2018) for excellence in teaching. Dr. Fuehrlein is also recognized for his work on opioid use disorder in emergency settings and was inducted into the American College of Psychiatrists in 2019.

Dr. Grodin is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. She earned her PhD in neuroscience from Brown University and NIH through NIH’s Graduate Partnerships Program and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA’s Addiction Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding the neural and behavioral mechanisms of alcohol use disorder (AUD) to develop effective treatments. Dr. Grodin’s work includes studies on medication development, phenotypes and biomarkers for targeted treatments, and the role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in AUD. She has received awards from several societies and authored over 80 publications in clinical neuroscience and AUD.

Dr. Caprioli, an associate professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Sapienza University of Rome, holds an MSc in General and Experimental Psychology and a PhD in Pharmacology. He has worked as a research associate at the University of Cambridge and a post-doctoral fellow at NIH Baltimore. His expertise lies in the pharmacology and neuroscience of drug addiction, focusing on the behavioral, environmental, and neural mechanisms of drug relapse. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, he combines behavioral, cognitive, neuropharmacological, and anatomical techniques in rats, and leads several clinical trials. He has received awards including a Researcher Award from Regione Lazio and a Fellows Award from NIH.

Professor Rafael Maldonado, founder of the Laboratory of Neuropharmacology (NeuroPhar) at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in 1999, has an extensive research background from his 11 years in France and the USA. His work focuses on the neurochemical and anatomical mechanisms of drug dependence, particularly opioids, cannabinoids, and nicotine, and also extends to affective disorders, neuropathic pain, and eating disorders. With over 380 published scientific articles, Prof. Maldonado serves as a reviewer and editorial board member for several journals, and collaborates with public authorities and private companies on research policy, drug abuse, and pain management.

Estelle Barbier, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Docent at Linköping University in Sweden. Her research integrates multidisciplinary methods to study alcohol use and anxiety disorders at behavioral, circuit-specific, and transcriptomic levels, with a focus on epigenetic mechanisms. Notably, she discovered the role of the enzyme PRDM2 in both alcohol- and anxiety-related behaviors, suggesting its involvement in their comorbidity. She began her graduate studies at the University of Picardie Jules Verne in France, studying early-life alcohol exposure, and conducted postdoctoral research on epigenetic mechanisms at NIH. Since 2014, she has led a team at Linköping University investigating the neurobiology of alcohol use and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Foojan Zeine is an internationally renowned psychotherapist, speaker, and author with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a license in Marriage & Family Therapy. Her expertise lies in Intimate Relations and Addictive Behaviors, with extensive experience in treating Depression, Anxiety, Traumas, and Domestic Violence. As a pioneer in Online Therapy, Dr. Zeine has made significant contributions to the field of psychology, most notably as the originator of the Awareness Integration Theory (AIT), a multi-modality approach aimed at minimizing depression and anxiety while enhancing self-esteem and self-confidence.

Dr. Zeine's academic influence extends to her roles as a lecturer at California State University Long Beach and Université Paris Cité. She has authored six books, contributed to ten peer-reviewed journal publications, and is a frequent guest speaker at prestigious institutions including Harvard, MIT, UCLA, and USC.

Dr. Vera Tarman, is an addiction physician and Medical Director of Renascent, one of Canada’s largest treatment centres for drugs and alcohol abuse. She has been speaking, teaching and writing about the clinical aspects of food addiction for the last 15 years. She is author of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction, co host to Food Junkies Podcast, moderator of a free vibrant Facebook group, I'm Sweet Enough: Sugar Free for Life. You can also check out her videos on YouTube: veratarman md. She is also a food addict in recovery for over 15 years.

Zeinab A. Abbas holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) from the Lebanese University, a Master’s in Clinical Pharmacy and Epidemiology, and a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Montpellier. She currently works in the Narcotics Department of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, contributing to the National Opioid Substitution Treatment Program, and is a postdoctoral research fellow at LAU’s School of Medicine. Previously, she lectured at the Lebanese International University and the Addictovigilance Center in France. Her research focuses on substance use, addiction behavior, and addictovigilance, with numerous publications on substance use and mental health.

Dr. Robert-Constantin Zgarbura is a practicing psychiatrist currently pursuing doctoral studies on "The effect of rTMS in Migraine comorbid with Depression." This research exemplifies his interest in the intersection of neurology and mental health. As a Teachers Assistant in the department of Health Psychology at the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Dr. Zgarbura contributes to educating future healthcare professionals, sharing his expertise and passion for mental health.
Dr. Zgarbura's main interests span a diverse range of challenging areas in psychiatry and neurology, including neuropathic pain, noninvasive brain stimulation, addiction, and borderline personality disorder. His work in these fields involves exploring complex mechanisms, investigating innovative treatment options like rTMS, studying the neurobiological basis of addictive behaviors, and researching improved therapeutic approaches for personality disorders. This multifaceted expertise makes Dr. Zgarbura a valuable contributor to the field of neuropsychiatry and an exciting addition to the NeuroCon 24 panel.

Dragos is a psychologist with over 15 years’ experience in strategic development, management and evaluation of addiction recovery programmes. He has worked across all three sectors of industry and is particularly interested in how they can combine in creating recovery-oriented systems of care and sustainable frameworks of intervention within the mental health and addiction landscape. This entails a critical analysis of current paradigms, envisioning future trends, and leading initiatives that set new benchmarks. His vision is grounded in uncovering what works best in addiction recovery interventions, focusing on innovative and impactful evidence-based approaches. He is committed to exploring new frontiers in addiction care through his research and is constantly seeking out projects that allows him to apply creative solutions for complex challenges.

Alina Dumitriu is a distinguished social activist and healthcare advocate who has been making significant impacts at both national and European levels. As the founder of Sens Pozitiv Association, established 18 years ago, she has dedicated her career to providing comprehensive psycho-social services and system navigation support to individuals living with chronic conditions including HIV, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other STIs. Her work extends to supporting high-risk populations, including people who inject drugs, sex workers, homeless individuals, LGBTQIA+ and Roma communities, those living in extreme poverty, as well as the general population. Recently, she has expanded her services to include refugees and economic migrants in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

A trained social worker and patient navigator with expertise in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy, Alina has been instrumental in facilitating access to vital healthcare resources for marginalized communities. For the past 14 years, she has been at the forefront of a crucial initiative to import and distribute free HIV medications and treatments for other severe pathologies to patients who have been denied their right to health and life-sustaining treatment by authorities. Her unwavering commitment to health equity and social justice has made her a powerful advocate for those whose voices often go unheard in the healthcare system.