The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) has awarded the University of Cincinnati’s Matthew J. Robson, PhD, with its 2026 Neuropharmacology Early Career Award.
The award recognizes and honors a young independent investigator who is working in any area of neuropharmacology and is open to early-career stage independent investigators from all types of organizations, including academia, industry, private or government institutes.
“As a long time ASPET member, this award means a lot to me personally. The receipt of this award is not solely based upon the efforts of myself but also stems from the efforts of those that have made up my independent laboratory here at the University of Cincinnati," said Robson, associate professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences in UC’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy. "I have been blessed to have many trainees and students that have contributed greatly to the laboratories’ success and pushed our science forward."
Robson earned his doctorate in Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences from West Virginia University prior to completing his postdoctoral work at Vanderbilt University and the Florida Atlantic University Brain Institute. At UC, Robson has appointments in both the College of Pharmacy Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the College of Medicine Neuroscience Graduate Program.
Robson’s research focuses on understanding the molecular underpinnings of neurologic disorders following traumatic brain injury (TBI), specifically how serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission and 5-HT neurons themselves are impacted by various forms of neurotrauma. Research within the Robson Laboratory has been provided funding by private foundations, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health.
"This award is really the culmination of the efforts of many and highlights the impact that our research has had and will have going forward," Robson said. "I cannot wait to build on the successes that led to my receipt of the ASPET Neuropharmacology Early Career Award and I am truly looking forward to what the future has in store here at the University of Cincinnati.”
The award is presented annually at the ASPET Annual Meeting. ASPET is a 4,000-member scientific society whose members conduct basic and clinical pharmacological research and work for academia, government, pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies and nonprofit organizations. ASPET is a global pharmacology community that advances the science of drugs and therapeutics to accelerate the discovery of cures for disease.
Selection is made by the current members of the Neuropharmacology Executive Committee, a committee comprised of leading scientists in the area of neuropharmacology.