Siri Leknes

Siri Leknes is a Professor of Social and Affective Neuroscience at the University of Oslo, Norway, and Senior Researcher at Oslo University Hospital. She completed her D.Phil. at Oxford, UK, and postdoctoral research at Gothenburg University, Sweden. The overarching aim of Leknes’ Affective Brain lab (LAB lab) is to understand how the brain and body give rise to pleasurable and painful feelings. Currently, LAB lab specialises in drug studies, charting how the brain’s neurochemical systems shape hedonic feelings, decisions and behaviour. Leknes is currently funded by an ERC grant to study state-dependent effects of opioids and their relation to social support, stress and dopamine. In addition, LAB lab conducts clinical research, studying mood, stress and pain in groups treated with opioid agonists and antagonists. Leknes’ work on the benefits of acute pain was awarded The Daniel M. Wegner Theoretical Innovation Prize in Social/Personality Psychology. Leknes has served as associate editor for Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience and is now associate editor for Pain. She is the president-elect of the Society for Social Neuroscience.