Fiona Conway, Ph.D.

Dr. Conway is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. Her scholarship explores how overlapping ecological factors, from immediate environmental conditions to broader structural forces, interact to shape both the emergence and persistence of substance use disorders (SUDs). Dr. Conway uses qualitative, quantitative, and community-engaged research methods to center the voices of individuals with lived experience in identifying potential interventions and services to reduce SUD risk and advance sustainable recovery. This line of investigation places special emphasis on examining the social model of SUD recovery, motivations and expectancies of substance use, and the effectiveness of emerging technologies to support long-term recovery. Her interdisciplinary research seeks to facilitate the transfer of new and innovative scientific strategies to practitioners working across the substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery continuum.

Dr. Conway earned her Ph.D. in social work from the Rutgers School of Social Work and completed her postdoctoral training at the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies at Rutgers University. She has received external funding for her work from the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and non-profit foundations. Additionally, Dr. Conway holds faculty affliate positions at the Addiction Research Institute, the Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, and the Moritz Center for Societal Impact.