Ashley Watts

Dr. Watts' research aims to understand the causes and consequences of mental illness (psychopathology), with a specific focus on addiction. Her research aims: 1) to improve how we classify various forms of mental illness, 2) to identify causes of mental illness and addiction, 3) to understand what contributes to overlap among addiction and other forms of psychopathology, and 4) to characterize risk profiles for substance involvement across the lifespan. To inform these topics, Dr. Watts draws on methods from a wide array of disciplines, including developmental and adult psychopathology, behavioral and molecular genetics, quantitative modeling, psychometrics, and psychiatric epidemiology.