Celia Morgan
Clinical Psychopharmacologist
Papers
Trials
Key Impact
Notable for experimental and clinical research on MDMA/ecstasy effects on social cognition and for translating ketamine and MDMA-assisted approaches into treatments for alcohol use disorder.
Background & Research
Celia J. A. Morgan is a clinical psychopharmacologist whose work spans experimental psychopharmacology, naturalistic studies and clinical trials focused on entactogens (MDMA/ecstasy) and dissociative agents (ketamine). She has led and contributed to multiple studies characterising the socio-emotional effects of MDMA — including empathy, cooperative behaviour and perception of trustworthiness — and has applied these mechanistic insights to clinical research on psychedelic-assisted treatments for substance use disorders.
Her recent research portfolio includes trials and qualitative studies investigating adjunctive ketamine with relapse-prevention psychological therapy for alcohol use disorder, and exploratory and Bayesian analyses of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy outcomes for alcohol use disorder. Morgan's methodological range — from lab-based behavioural pharmacology to randomised clinical trials and patient-centred qualitative work — has contributed to understanding both the acute interpersonal effects of entactogens and the therapeutic potential of these compounds in addiction psychiatry.