William Stoops

Dr. William Stoops, Dr. William R. Willard Professor in Behavioral Science, is a faculty member in the Departments of Behavioral Science, Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Kentucky. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Davidson College in Davidson, NC and his Master’s degree and PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Kentucky. His research, continuously funded by NIH since 2008, evaluates the behavioral and pharmacological factors that contribute to drug use disorders, focusing primarily on stimulant drugs. He recently completed a clinical trial evaluating non-abstinence outcomes in cocaine use disorder and has now begun a similar project focused on methamphetamine use disorder. He is also leading human laboratory studies determining the role of various neurotransmitter systems (e.g., glutamate, orexin) and neuroinflammation in the behavioral pharmacology of a range of drugs of abuse from stimulants to opioids to alcohol. Dr. Stoops received a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2021 for his contributions to the field and was named the MedAssociates Brady-Schuster Awardee by APA Division 28 in 2025. On campus, Dr. Stoops is Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and is Associate Director for Clinical Research of the University of Kentucky Substance Use Priority Research Area. He is Treasurer of both the College on Problems of Drug Dependence and the Association for Clinical and Translational Science.