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William Giardino
Assistant Professor (Research), Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Sleep Medicine
Member, Bio-X
Member, Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
Member, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
PhD, Oregon Health and Science University, Behavioral Neuroscience
BS, University of Washington, Psychology
Affiliation:
Committee:
Dr. Giardino is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Principal Investigator of the Giardino Laboratory, and faculty member of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed postdoctoral training at Stanford after earning a Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Oregon Health & Science University and a B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Dr. Giardino’s research program aims to uncover the neurobiological mechanisms driving maladaptive changes in stress reactivity and sleep/wake architecture that increases susceptibility for substance use disorders. He previously received an NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence career development award and F32 & F31 NIH NRSA postdoctoral & predoctoral fellowships to fund training on the neural circuit mechanisms of peptide signaling molecules in stress and addiction. Dr. Giardino serves as an academic and research mentor for several postdoctoral, graduate level, and undergraduate trainees, and is active in teaching neuroscience coursework at Stanford. In addition, he serves as faculty chair of the committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for the Stanford Neurosciences PhD program.
The Giardino Laboratory aims to decipher the neural mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions of stress, addiction, and sleep disturbances. To accomplish this, our work is distinguished by expert proficiency with physiological, neuroanatomical, viral, genetic, pharmacological, and computational approaches. We leverage these strategies to monitor, manipulate, and map the neural circuits, synapses, and signaling mechanisms that underlie sleep/wake regulation, the stress response, approach/avoidance behaviors, drug-seeking, food intake, and social dynamics. We are especially focused on the behavioral functions of modulatory neuropeptide molecules acting throughout the circuitry of the extended amygdala, particularly in a heterogeneous brain region called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST).
Dr. Giardino’s research program aims to uncover the neurobiological mechanisms driving maladaptive changes in stress reactivity and sleep/wake architecture that increases susceptibility for substance use disorders. He previously received an NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence career development award and F32 & F31 NIH NRSA postdoctoral & predoctoral fellowships to fund training on the neural circuit mechanisms of peptide signaling molecules in stress and addiction. Dr. Giardino serves as an academic and research mentor for several postdoctoral, graduate level, and undergraduate trainees, and is active in teaching neuroscience coursework at Stanford. In addition, he serves as faculty chair of the committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for the Stanford Neurosciences PhD program.
The Giardino Laboratory aims to decipher the neural mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions of stress, addiction, and sleep disturbances. To accomplish this, our work is distinguished by expert proficiency with physiological, neuroanatomical, viral, genetic, pharmacological, and computational approaches. We leverage these strategies to monitor, manipulate, and map the neural circuits, synapses, and signaling mechanisms that underlie sleep/wake regulation, the stress response, approach/avoidance behaviors, drug-seeking, food intake, and social dynamics. We are especially focused on the behavioral functions of modulatory neuropeptide molecules acting throughout the circuitry of the extended amygdala, particularly in a heterogeneous brain region called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST).