Mariya Cherkasova, Ph.D.

Graduate student opening for 2027-28

Addiction, Decision Making

About

Dr. Cherkasova received her PhD in clinical psychology from McGill University in Montreal. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where she then continued her work as a research associate. She joined the WVU faculty as an assistant professor in 2020.  

Degrees

• PhD McGill University, 2012

Research Interests

Dr. Cherkasova's research focuses on addition neuroscience with an emphasis on psychological and neural mechanisms reward-related behavior. Her research falls into three partially overlapping areas: individual differences in addiction, gambling and problem gambling, and non-invasive neuromodulation as a treatment approach. Visit Dr. Cherkasova's Brain Behavior and Addiction lab website.

Teaching Interests

Dr. Cherkasova teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in behavioral neuroscience (PSYC 426 - Physiological Psychology; PSYC 722 - Biological Aspects of Behavior); clinical neuroscience (PSYC 429 - Clinical Neuroscience; PSYC 696 - Behavioral Neuroscience Seminar on Neural Bases of Behavioral Disorders) and psychopharmacology (PSYC 234 - Drugs and Behavior; PSYC 754 Clinical Psychopharmacology). 

Courses

• PSYC 234 - Drugs and Behavior
• PSYC 426 – Physiological Psychology
• PSYC 696 - Behavioral Neuroscience Seminar on Neural Bases of Behavioral Disorders
• PSYC 722 - Biological Aspects of Behavior
• PSYC 754 Clinical Psychopharmacology

Service Interests