Paul J. Kenny

Paul J. Kenny
Kenny in 2025
CitizenshipIrish
Alma materKing's College London
EmployerIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Known forneurobiology of obesity and drug addiction
Websitehttps://labs.neuroscience.mssm.edu/project/kenny-lab/

Paul J. Kenny is the Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Friedman Brain Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) in New York City.[1][2][3][4][5] Kenny also serves as Director of the Drug Discovery Institute and the NIDA T32 Training Program in Substance Use Disorders at ISMMS.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Dr. Kenny's research focuses on the neurobiology of addiction, obesity, and psychiatric disorders. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and has an h-index of 71 with over 20,000 citations.[8]

Biography

Education

Kenny earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Trinity College Dublin in 1996, followed by a Ph.D. in Neuropsychopharmacology from King’s College London in 2000.[5] He subsequently moved to the United States for postdoctoral research in neuropharmacology at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California (2000–2005).[5][9]

Career

After completing his postdoctoral fellowship, Kenny joined The Scripps Research Institute as a staff scientist (2005–2006), later rising to Assistant Professor (2006), Associate Professor (2008), and Associate Professor with tenure (2011) in the Department of Molecular Therapeutics.[10] In 2014, Kenny joined the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, serving as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics before becoming Chair of the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience in 2016.[10][11] He currently holds the Nash Family Professorship of Neuroscience and directs both the Drug Discovery Institute and the NIDA-funded T32 Training Program in Substance Use Disorders.[11][12] In 2025, Kenny was appointed Interim Director of the Friedman Brain Institute. Kenny is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and has served on multiple National Institutes of Health advisory councils, editorial boards, and scientific advisory committees. Kenny is also a co-founder of Eolas Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for substance use disorders.[13]

Research

Kenny's research examines the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance use disorders, overeating and obesity, and psychiatric disorders, including the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.[14][15] The Kenny Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai was among the first to identify the role of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors in the neurobiology of substance use disorders.[16][17]

Affiliations and Positions

Kenny has served in editorial and advisory capacities within the neuroscience and pharmacology communities. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of several scientific journals and is Deputy Editor of Biological Psychiatry.[18]

At the national level, Kenny has served on National Institutes of Health (NIH) study sections and advisory councils, including the advisory councils of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).[19][20][21] He also served on the NIH Council of Councils (CoC), which provides strategic guidance and broad oversight across the entire agency.[22] Kenny was also an invited scientific delegate to the Neuroscience Caucus of the US Congress.[23]

In addition to his NIH service, Kenny has participated on scientific advisory boards for research foundations and biotechnology companies focused on addiction and neuropsychiatric therapeutics. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) and is a member of the ACNP Council.[24]

Awards and Honors

Partial list:

Books and publications

Books

  • 2020 Pierce, R. Christopher; Unterwald, Ellen; Kenny, Paul J., eds. (2020). Addiction, Second Edition (Perspectives CSHL). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. ISBN 978-1-621823-50-6. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  • 2020 Nestler, Eric J.; Kenny, Paul J.; Russo, Scott J.; Shaefer, Anne, eds. (2020). Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, Fourth Edition. McGraw Hill. ISBN 9781260456912. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

Publications

References

  1. ↑ "Meet The Director Paul J Kenny, PhD". The Friedman Brain Institute. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Mount Sinai Hospital Doctor Profile". Paul J. Kenny, PhD. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Mount Sinai Renames Department of Neuroscience". Mount Sinai Today. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Aspen Ideas". Paul Kenny. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "The Chemistry and Pharmacology of Drug Abuse (CPDA) Conference". Dr. Paul Kenny. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "Mount Sinai Training Program in Substance Use Disorders". T32 Addiction Program. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "National Institute on Drug Abuse-Training Program in Substance Use Disorders". 9 April 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Google Scholar Citations". Kenny PJ. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  9. ↑ "Frontiersin". Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Cure Addiction Now - Research Scientists". Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Mount Sinai Newsroom". Paul J. Kenny, PhD, Named Chair of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Drug Discovery Institute". Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  13. ↑ "Eolis Therapeutics - Company Profile". Tracxn. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Kenny Laboratory". The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "Nicotine Addiction: Unexpected Cells, Circuits, and Sicknesses". University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Events. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  16. ↑ Tuesta, LM; Chen, Z; Duncan, A; Fowler, CD; Ishikawa, M; Lee, BR; Liu, XA; Lu, Q; Cameron, M; Hayes, MR; Kamenecka, TM; Pletcher, M; Kenny, PJ (3 April 2017). "GLP-1 acts on habenular avoidance circuits to control nicotine intake". Nature Neuroscience. 20 (5): 708–716. doi:10.1038/nn.4540. PMC 5541856.
  17. ↑ Duncan, A; Heyer, MP; Ishikawa, M; Caligiuri, SPB; Liu, XA; Chen, Z; Micioni Di Bonaventura, MV; Elayouby, KS; Ables, JL; Howe, WM; Bali, P; Fillinger, C; Williams, M; O'Connor, RM; Wang, Z; Lu, Q; Kamenecka, TM; Ma'ayan, A; O'Neill, HC; Ibanez-Tallon, I; Geurts, AM; Kenny, PJ (16 October 2019). "Habenular TCF7L2 links nicotine addiction to diabetes". Nature. 574 (7778): 372–377. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1653-x. PMC 9851388.
  18. ↑ "Editorial board - Biological Psychiatry | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier". www.sciencedirect.com.
  19. ↑ "New NIH Council of Councils Members Named" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "Advisory councils of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)" (PDF).
  21. ↑ "Minutes of the 153rd Meeting of the NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)". www.niaaa.nih.gov.
  22. ↑ "NIH Council of Council - Working Group Members" (PDF).
  23. ↑ "American Brain Coalition - Congressional Neuroscience Caucus".
  24. ↑ "American College of Neuropsychopharmacology" (PDF).
  25. ↑ "Jacobi Medallion, Mount Sinai Alumni Association and Icahn School of Medicine". 2025 Jacobi Medallion Ceremony. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  26. ↑ "Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Disease, Ochsner Health". Healthcare Journal New Orleans. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  27. ↑ "Daniel H. Efron Research Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology". American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  28. ↑ "Tom Connor Distinguished Investigator Award, Neuroscience Ireland". Neuroscience Ireland. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  29. ↑ "Mathilde Solowey Lecture Award in Neurosciences, NIH/FAES". The Scripps Research Institute News & Views. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  30. ↑ "Jacob P. Waletzky Memorial Award, Society for Neuroscience". National Institute on Drug Abuse. November 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  31. ↑ "Jarvik-Russell Award, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco". SNRT - Society for Research On Nicotine and Tobacco. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
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