Paolo Deluca is a Professor of Addiction Research with a background in cognitive and developmental psychology, bringing over twenty-five years of experience in the addiction field. He earned his degree in Psychology from the University of Padua in Italy and completed a PhD in cognitive development at Lancaster University in the UK in 2000. In 2001, he began his work at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, later moving to St George’s University of London, and rejoined the Institute of Psychiatry in 2007.

Throughout his tenure at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), Professor Deluca has contributed to numerous national and international research projects. His recent accomplishments include securing funding from the NIHR i4i AMI for developing a Virtual Reality-enhanced Cue Exposure Treatment for cocaine dependence (2024-27) and funding from the NIHR MHRG to establish a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2024-29). Additionally, he serves as the deputy lead for the South London NIHR CLAHRC/ARC Alcohol Theme (2018-2026).

Professor Deluca has held significant roles in several key projects. He was a co-applicant and programme manager of the National Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Research Programme for Sensible Drinking for adults (SIPS) and adolescents (SIPS jr). As a co-applicant, he also contributed to the EC-funded AMPHORA project on early diagnosis and treatment, the ODHIN project on optimizing healthcare interventions delivery, and the MRC-funded pilot study on Assertive Community Treatment in Alcohol Dependence (ACTAD).

He has also been awarded grants from the European Commission for various projects focusing on Internet and ICT-based prevention services for novel compound use in vulnerable populations (ReDNet, 2010-2012), marketing strategies of legal highs (ALICE RAP, 2011-2016), codeine misuse (CODEMISUSED, 2013-2017), and real-time monitoring of NPS availability and distribution online (CASSANDRA, 2015-2017). Notably, he led research and was co-principal investigator on the EU-funded Psychonaut 2002 and Psychonaut EWS projects, which developed a web monitoring system for novel psychoactive substances (NPS).

Professor Deluca's expertise spans health service and public health research, with a particular focus on the role of Information Technologies in substance misuse prevention and treatment (eHealth). He is highly skilled in managing national and international clinical trials, developing, delivering, and evaluating interventions.

Research Interests

• Alcohol. 
• New Psychoactive Substances (Legal Highs).  
• Prescription drugs.  
• Screening & Brief Intervention.  
• Electronic Intervention. 
• eHealth & mHealth.  
• Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring. 

Research Groups

Addictions Clinical Academic Group 

Expertise and Public Engagement

Paolo collaborated with the Science Gallery London on the exhibition “HOOKED: When Want Becomes Need!” From gambling to gaming, smartphones to social media, HOOKED questions what makes us as humans vulnerable to addiction and considers the underlying factors and routes to recovery. 

As part of Hooked, he participated as a panellist at an evening debate with young people on Internet based Addiction (10/10/18).