PSY Grad Student Bing Mo Receives Neuroscience Award

June 17, 2026 - Shelly DeJong

Congratulations to Bing Mo, a fourth-year graduate student in the Behavioral Neuroscience research area in the MSU Department of Psychology, on being awarded the Duncan McCarthy Award by the Michigan Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.  

Given by the Michigan Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, this award recognizes Bing's research accomplishments as a graduate student. As an awardee, Bing had the opportunity to present a 15-minute slide presentation during the annual chapter meeting held at Western Michigan University. 

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award and to have had the opportunity to present my research at the conference. It was my first time speaking in front of such a large audience, and although I was nervous, it was one of the most valuable learning experiences of my graduate career,” said Bing. “This project represents years of work investigating how memory processes can influence cocaine-seeking behavior, so it is especially meaningful to have our research recognized by scientists in the field.” 

Bing received her bachelor’s degree in Developmental Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and her Master’s in Anatomy & Neurobiology from Boston University. She joined the MSU Department of Psychology under the guidance of Dr. Alexander Johnson in 2022.  

As a PhD candidate, Bing studies addiction as a form of maladaptive learning and memory, with a particular focus on how associative learning processes contribute to cocaine-seeking behavior. Her current research examines mediated devaluation as a potential strategy to reduce cocaine seeking by modifying drug-associated memory representations, as well as the neural circuits underlying these effects, including the mesolimbic dopamine system. 

“I am grateful to my mentor, Dr. Alex Johnson, lab members, and collaborators who supported me along the way,” said Bing. "It motivates me to continue pursuing research aimed at improving our understanding of addiction and developing more effective treatment.”