Sam Vaillancourt received his B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from UC Davis where he worked in the lab of Dr David Olson developing photoswitchable molecular tools for studying neuroplasticity. At Stanford, Sam’s interests currently lie in neurocircuitry, mechanism of action, and behavioral changes induced by psychoactive drugs. He is currently uncovering MDMA’s mechanisms of action for reward and sociability in dopamine and serotonin circuits, investigating ketamine’s antidepressant interactions with the endogenous opioid system, and studying reproducibility of basic behavioral paradigms with psilocybin in collaboration with UCSF and UC Berkeley. Sam looks forward to pursuing a PhD in a related Neuroscience field.