Adriana Galván

Adriana Galván is Professor of Psychology and the Jeffrey/Wenzel Chair in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is also on the Leadership Team and Advisory Board of the Center for the Developing Adolescent. Her research focuses on identifying the neural changes in the developing adolescent brain as they relate to adolescent decision-making and motivation with an eye towards informing policies relevant to young people. She uses brain imaging to characterize the psychological, neurobiological and biological changes across the transition into and out of adolescence. Current projects examine the interactions among social relationships, sleep, and health with adolescent decision-making, motivation and brain development. Her work is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, National Science Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation, TRDRP, Russell Sage Foundation and Jacobs Foundation. It has been featured in prestigious peer-reviewed journals and highlighted in popular outlets such as the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Galván is the recipient of the Cognitive Neuroscience Young Investigator Award, American Psychological Association Early Career Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, is a Fellow for the Association for Psychological Science and a Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Galván earned her B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior from Barnard College, Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Cornell University.