Penn Postdocs in the News: Shannon Wolfman, Ph.D., awarded Hartwell Biomedical Research Fellowship
Penn Postdoctoral Researcher Shannon Wolfman receives Hartwell Biomedical Research Fellowship
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Shannon Wolfman, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, has received a Hartwell Biomedical Research Fellowship. Dr. Wolfman conducts research in the laboratory of John Dani, Ph.D., investigating the neural mechanisms underlying addiction.
At Penn, Dr. Wolfman uses brain-slice electrophysiology and behavioral pharmacology to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying addictive behavior. Her work builds on longstanding research interests in the neural circuitry involved in nicotine use, reward, and aversion.
Dr. Wolfman earned her Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of Chicago in 2016, where she conducted research in Daniel McGehee’s laboratory. Her doctoral work used optogenetics, slice electrophysiology, and behavioral approaches to examine the cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying aversion to high doses of nicotine and how neural circuits mediating aversion interact with those governing reward.
She previously earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Florida, summa cum laude, and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Geneva before joining Penn in January 2018.
The Dani Lab announced Dr. Wolfman’s Hartwell Fellowship in February 2019. Her fellowship is also documented in The Hartwell Foundation’s 2017 Fellows archive, which preserves the history of the fellowship and its subsequent reassignment.
We are proud to celebrate Dr. Wolfman and her contributions to understanding the neurobiology of addiction.