James G. Pfaus

Originally from the US, Jim Pfaus received his Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver in 1990. After postdoctoral training in molecular biology and behavior at the Rockefeller University in New York City with Dr. Donald Pfaff, he joined Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology at Concordia University in Montréal in 1992 where he is currently a professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, with cross-appointments to the graduate programs in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Exercise Science. His research is generally concerned with the neurochemical and molecular events that subserve sexual behavior and neuroendocrine functions. His particular interests are in the role of brain monoamine and neuropeptide systems in sexual arousal, desire, reward, and inhibition in laboratory animals, and the role played by steroid hormones and cell‑signalling mechanisms in the neuronal and behavioral responses to primary and conditioned sexual stimuli, especially those that induce sexual partner preferences. His research in human sexual function is focused on subjective and objective measures of sexual desire and pleasure in women and men, and exploring the sexual functioning of individuals under stress or with anxiety disorders. His research is funded by operating grants from CIHR and NSERC (Canada), FRQS (Québec), and NIH (USA). In addition, he has held consulting grants from several pharmaceutical and biotech companies to work on the sexual side-effects of different psychiatric medications and on the identification of new drugs to treat male and female sexual dysfunctions. He has published over 120 research papers, reviews, and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals and books, and presented his research at numerous scientific conferences and consultations worldwide. His research into the mechanisms of sexual desire in the brain has received international attention and been the subject of many newspaper, magazine, and television reports. He is interviewed regularly on news reports and syndicated programs such as Sex Files. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine and sits on the editorial boards of the Behavioral Neuroscience, Hormones and Behavior, and Physiology & Behavior. He has served on the program committees for the International Academy of Sex Research, International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (which he chaired for the 2007 meeting), and the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology. He also serves as a member of the Standards Committee for International Society for Sexual Medicine, and was co-chair of the preclinical research committee for the 2009 Paris Consultation in Sexual Medicine. He has served as a member and chair of several grant selection committees for Canadian (CIHR, NSERC) and US (NIH) granting agencies. Dr. Pfaus also serves as the Chair of the Concordia University Human and Animal Research Ethics Committees, and has chaired university site visits across Canada for the Canadian Council on Animal Care. He currently supervises the research of 1 postdoctoral fellow, 12 graduate students, and 16 undergraduates in his laboratory.