Erin S. Calipari

2026 National Award Finalist — Faculty

Erin S. Calipari

Current Position:
Professor

Institution:
Vanderbilt University

Discipline:
Neuroscience

Recognized for: Redefining dopamine’s role in the brain, revealing how the brain determines what deserves attention and reshaping understanding of learning, behavior, addiction, and disease. 

Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Dopamine, Motivation, Addiction, Systems, Neuroscience, Pharmacology

Previous Positions:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Advisor: Eric Nestler)
PhD, Wake Forest School of Medicine (Advisor: Sara Jones)

Research Summary:

Learning from experience is essential for survival, yet scientists have long debated how the brain determines which events matter enough to shape behavior. Erin Calipari, PhD, has transformed this understanding by demonstrating that dopamine—a brain chemical traditionally associated with reward—primarily signals the significance, or salience, of events, determining when the brain is primed to learn. Using advanced imaging, molecular, and computational tools, Calipari has revealed how dopamine coordinates learning across neural circuits and stabilizes memories. These discoveries are reshaping neuroscience’s foundational models of learning and providing new insights into addiction, psychiatric disorders, and other diseases involving disrupted dopamine signaling.

“My research asks how meaningful experiences change the brain and behavior. By defining how the brain determines what is important, we can understand how pathological states, such as addiction, alter these processes and identify opportunities to restore adaptive learning.”

Key Publications:

  1. MG Kutlu, JE Zachry, P Melugin, B Kutlu, SA Cajigas, KC Thibeault, L Tian, CA Siciliano, ES Calipari (2021) Dopamine in the nucleus accumbens core signals perceived saliency. Current Biology. 31(21), 4748-4761.e8 
  2. MG Kutlu, JE Zachry, P Melugin, S Cajigas, A Isiktas, CA Siciliano, G Schoenbaum, MJ Sharpe, ES Calipari (2022). Dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens core mediates latent inhibition. Nature Neuroscience. 25, 1071–1081. 
  3. JE Zachry, MG Kutlu, HJ Yoon, MZ Leonard, M Chevee, DD Patel, A Gaidici, V Kondev, KC Thibeault, R Bethi, JT Tat, PR Melugin, AU Isiktas, ME Joffe, DJ Cai, PJ Conn, BA Grueter, ES Calipari (2024) D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens core have distinct and valence-independent roles in learning. Neuron. 112(5):835-849.e7. 
  4. BA Christensen, J Tat, MZ Leonard, SD Emerson, S Roberts, EB Holmgren, A Konomi-Pilkati, HB Elam, DM Gomez, L Zheng, HJ Yoon, SF Lago, AL Carr, LJ Brady, M Chevée, ES Calipari (2026) Sex and ovarian hormone cycles alter effects of stimulant drugs on mouse dopaminergic signaling. Journal of Clinical Investigation. In press.

Other Honors:

2025 Daniel H. Efron Research Award, American College for Neuropsychopharmacology
2025 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, The White House
2024 Jacob P. Waltezky Award, Society for Neuroscience
2023 American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology, American Psychological Association (APA)
2020 Neuropsychopharmacology Editor's Early Career Award (NEECA), American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)/Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP)
2020 ASPET Early Career Investigator Award, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
2019 Avenir Award in Genetics and Epigenetics, National Institute on Drug Abuse
2019 Daniel X. Freedman Prize Honorable Mention, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
2018 Whitehall Foundation Research Grant, Whitehall Foundation

In the Media:

Website