Graduate Research Assistant
University of Kentucky
Carleigh Litteral, MS, BS, is a second-year PhD student in Experimental Psychology – Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Kentucky. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in neuroscience and psychology from the University of Louisville and a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology – Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Kentucky, completed in 2025.
Carleigh’s passion for addiction research is rooted in both personal experience and professional practice. Her own recovery journey and work as a Patient Engagement Specialist at a substance use treatment center have profoundly shaped her academic and professional goals. These experiences not only deepened her empathy for individuals struggling with substance use, but also ignited her drive to understand the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to addiction.
Originally on a pre-med track, Carleigh shifted her career goals after working in research labs focused on spinal cord injury, bipolar disorder, and SARS-CoV-2’s psychiatric impact. These early research experiences—combined with her clinical work—led her to pursue addiction neuroscience, with the goal of contributing to more effective, evidence-based interventions.
Her current research explores the intergenerational transmission of substance use problems, including familial substance preferences, escalation patterns, and sex-specific inheritance. She received a $10,000 pilot grant from the Center for Health Equity Transformation to investigate how family history, psychiatric comorbidity, and social determinants shape addiction risk across three generations.
Carleigh has earned national recognition for her work, including travel awards from ASAM, CPDD, NNDC, and APA Division 50. She has presented her findings at leading conferences, co-authored multiple manuscripts currently under peer review, and earned top awards in science communication competitions such as 3-Minute Thesis and GradResearch Live!.
Her long-term goal is to become an independent investigator advancing the prevention and treatment of addiction through research that integrates neuroscience, public health, and lived experience.