Carlyle, Molly

Areas of Expertise

Norsk versjon

My expertise lies in psychopharmacology and addiction research, with a focus on how drugs influence cognition, emotion, and behaviour, and the underlying neural mechanisms.

A central theme in my work has been the role of stress – from childhood adversity and acute stress to loneliness and trauma – in shaping vulnerability to substance use and mental health problems.

• Psychopharmacology: Effects of opioids, stimulants, alcohol, cannabis, and MDMA on cognition, emotion, and behaviour.
• Addiction research: Substance use disorders, adolescent and young adult use, treatment outcomes, and polysubstance use.
• Trauma and stress: Impact of childhood adversity, trauma, and social stress on substance use and mental health.
• Trauma-informed interventions: Development and evaluation of clinical approaches for youth and adults in substance use treatment.
• Mental health and psychosocial processes: Links between loneliness, social identity, emotion regulation, and empathy.
• Experimental and translational methods: Laboratory, clinical, longitudinal, and qualitative research designs.

I completed a PhD at the University of Exeter (UK) on social risk factors and trauma in opioid use disorders, before moving to the University of Queensland (Australia) in a role developing trauma-informed addiction treatments for young people.

At the University of Oslo (Norway), my work examined how trauma and acute stress shape drug reward and experience through acute administration studies and social support procedures.

Together, my work bridges experimental and translational research, spanning a wide range of methodological approaches and with the goal of informing novel interventions and preventions for substance use disorders and mental health.

Profile @ ResearchGate

Profile @ Google Scholar