Talia Lerner, Ph.D.
Background
Talia received her B.Sc. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCSF. Her graduate work in Anatol Kreitzer’s lab focused on understanding the molecular pathways that connect dopamine, as well as another neuromodulator, adenosine, to striatal synaptic plasticity. In particular, she identified a key signaling molecule, RGS4, that is required for dopamine and adenosine to influence synaptic plasticity in the striatum.
In her postdoctoral research with Karl Deisseroth at Stanford University, Talia studied the regulation of dopamine release in specific basal ganglia subcircuits. She demonstrated that distinct information is transmitted by dopamine neurons projecting to different functional subregions of the striatum, the dorsomedial striatum (DMS; known for its role in goal-directed behavior) and the dorsolateral striatum (DLS; known for its role in habitual responding). Recognizing that dopamine neurons projecting to the DMS and DLS signal differently in vivo begs the question of how these different signals are generated and disseminated more generally, both across a wide range of behaviors and from individual to individual.
In her laboratory, now at CAMH in Toronto, Talia and her team use a wide range of technological approaches to dissect dopaminergic connectivity motifs and in vivo activity patterns. The Lerner Lab seeks to understand how differences in dopaminergic signaling across striatal subregions influence individual differences in motivation and learning. The Lab has a significant interest in understanding how such individual differences arise, especially in responses to stress. Identifying the precise circuitry underlying these variations in behavior will ultimately allow the Lerner Lab to identify principles of neural function that can be used to improve psychiatric treatments and positively impact human well-being.
Senior Scientist
Scientific Director of Preclinical Neuroscience at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto
Lab founded:
2017
Location:
Toronto, ON
Team size:
15 people
Honors
2024
One Mind Rising Star Award
2024
Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences
2024
Associate Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
2023
Gordon & Rose McAlpine Foundation Award for Neuroscience Research
2022
Janett Rosenberg Trubatch Career Development Award, Society for Neuroscience
2022
Elected Vice-Chair of the 2024 Gordon Research Conference on Basal Ganglia
2019
NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2)
2019
Winter Conference on Brain Research Panelist Travel Fellowship
2018
Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology, Finalist
2018
ACNP Travel Award
2017
NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
2017
Searle Leadership Fund Award, Northwestern University
2016
NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
2015
Sammy Kuo Award for Neuroscience Research, Finalist
2014
Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship
2014
Alan Alda Center Flame Challenge, Honorable Mention
2013
Helena Anna Henzl-Gabor Young Women in Science Travel Fellowship
2012
Stanford Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellowship
2011
Earle C. Anthony UCSF Graduate Division Travel Award
2007
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention
2006
UCSF Graduate Dean’s Health Science Fellowship
2005
Yale College Dean’s Research Fellowship
Media
2024
The Coaching Lab Podcast – “Dopamine Unplugged!”
2022
Breakthroughs Podcast – The Role of Dopamine in Habit Formation and Compulsive Behavior
2018
K-12 Engineering Podcast – Tracing Brain Circuits for Mental Health
Fun!
In my free time, I enjoy art, writing, exercise, anything involving the outdoors, good food, good wine and good company.
Scientific and mentoring philosophy
The best science results from a combination of hard work and creativity. Although a career in science can sometimes require you to work long or odd hours in the lab, you should not make a habit of it. Doing so is more likely to harm your mental health than advance your career. Work the hours that are required, then get out and free your mind so that you can continue to innovate, to learn, and to be creative and happy and motivated.
For my part, I will not monitor the hours my trainees spend physically in the lab. Instead, I will judge you by the substantive progress you are able to make on your project, including your ability to troubleshoot problems resourcefully, overcome setbacks honestly and resiliently, and sort through initially confusing results with grit and creativity.
I expect all of my trainees to be responsible lab citizens: to keep the lab clean and organized and to be generous in sharing their expertise with others. Teamwork and collaboration are indispensable to a successful lab dynamic. Treat every person you work with, no matter their current job title, as someone who may one day be your faculty colleague.
As your mentor, I pledge to support your career through all the stages of its development. I’m not perfect and I may not have all the answers, but I will strive to listen to you and steer you as best I can. I will always remember that you are first a person and second a student or employee. I hope that you will always feel free to speak to me about issues that come up during your time in the lab and involve me as a partner in resolving those issues.
The lab
Join the Lerner Lab
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
© 2026 Lerner Lab, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. All rights reserved.