Vaibhav Gujar, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Dr. Gujar joined NIDA IRP as a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow in June, 2023. He joined the Addiction Biology Unit in June, 2025. His research integrates behavioral neuroscience, molecular biology, and transcriptomics to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance use disorders. By combining well-established animal models of substance use disorders with pharmacological, molecular, and transgenic approaches, his research aims to elucidate the neural circuit and cell type-specific mechanisms underlying drug reward, reinforcement, and relapse. His work focuses on defining the roles of μ-opioid receptors, cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors, and dopamine D3 receptors, which are expressed in distinct neuronal populations and neural circuits that mediate the behavioral and neurobiological effects of opioids, cannabinoids, and psychostimulants. Through behavioral, molecular, and circuit-level analyses, he seeks to identify novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of substance use disorders.