CSBS Retiree: Raymond Kesner
Dr. Raymond Kesner was appointed as assistant professor in the department of psychology
in July of 1967. Kesner received tenure in 1971, achieved the rank of full professor
in 1975, and received numerous awards at the University including the highly prestigious
Distinguished University of Utah Research Award in 2000 and the College of Social
and Behavioral Science Superior Research Award in 1989.
His commitment and excitement for research have been infectious and his laboratory has been described as a place of high energy. His lab has consistently been the place where numerous dedicated undergraduate research assistants begin their psychology career. Graduate students and undergraduates alike use words like "enthusiastic" "supportive," "friendly" and "high energy" to describe his research activity.
Kesner's international reputation brought many trainees to the University of Utah where he trained over 20 Ph.D. students in his lab. Kesner's high level of productivity and scholarship really served as a model for others in his department and college. His nearly 300 publications are found in the most prestigious journals in his field, Science, Psychological Bulletin, Neuroscience, and Behavioral Neuroscience.
In addition, Kesner's research has been funded regularly by NIH, NIMH, NSF, and NIDA, with his most recent grant "Hippocampus and relapse associated with drug addiction " funded in 2011 by NIDA. His international reputation really put the psychology department at the University of Utah on the map in terms of our understanding of the field of neuroscience.