Almaz Mesghina

Almaz Mesghina serves as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University, specializing in cognitive and affective neuroscience. Her research bridges cognitive, social, and educational psychology to investigate how stress and anxiety disrupt deep STEM learning in classroom environments.

Dr. Mesghina's work focuses on the cognitive mechanisms underlying "choking under pressure," with emphasis on designing social, pedagogical, and emotion regulation interventions. She examines real-world challenges like pandemic-induced disruptions to learning, exploring how phenomena such as math anxiety and Zoom-based instruction impact student engagement and performance across developmental stages.

Her publication record (2017-2023) reveals consistent investigation of anxiety-stress-learning interactions, with recurring themes including math anxiety in children, gender gaps in STEM, digital learning environments, and evidence-based interventions like expressive writing. Much of her recent work addresses pandemic-specific educational challenges while maintaining focus on fundamental cognitive processes.