Dr. Bickel earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1983. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 1984-85. After this training experience, he was a member of the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine for two years. In 1987, he joined the faculty of the University of Vermont. Dr. Bickel is the Co-Director of the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, the Substance Abuse Treatment Clinic, and the Training Program in Human Behavioral Pharmacology. He has received awards for his work from the American Psychological Association and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, among others.Dr. Bickel has published more than 60 articles and chapters since 1995, and over 185 in his career. He is the Principal Investigator on four grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Two of his current research projects include applying the principles of economics to further understanding of drug abuse, and studying the efficacy of buprenorphine an alternative to methadone), and behavior therapy in the treatment of opiod dependence. His newest efforts are directed at developing a computer-based substance abuse prevention program that employs computer-assisted instruction and simulation technologies for school-based applications. Dr. Bickel is presently co-editing a new book, The Economic Analysis of Substance Use and Abuse, which is based on a Robert Wood Johnson funded conference.

(1998). Polydrug abuse in heroin addicts: A behavioral economic analysis.Addiction, 93, 321-335.(1998). Marijuana use and treatment outcome among opioid-dependent patients.Addiction, 93, 493-503.(1996). Drug Policy and Human Nature: Psychological Perspectives on the Control, Prevention, and Treatment of Illicit Drug Use. (edited with DeGrandpre, R. J.). New York: Plenum.