Erik Willcutt is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research focuses on the genetic and neurobehavioral underpinnings of ADHD, learning disabilities, and developmental psychopathologies. He holds positions at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics and the Center for Neuroscience. Education: PhD in Psychology from the University of Denver (1998). Research Interests: Etiology and assessment of ADHD, reading disabilities, and developmental psychopathologies. His work integrates behavioral genetics, neuroimaging, and longitudinal twin studies to understand cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Key topics include neuroanatomical correlates of ADHD, genetic influences on dyslexia, and comorbidity between learning disabilities and psychiatric conditions. Publications highlight advanced methods like genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and phenotype harmonization (e.g., Rosetta method). His work bridges molecular genetics with clinical psychology, emphasizing translational research. Lab/Affiliations: Active in the Institute for Behavioral Genetics and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams studying neurodevelopmental disorders. Office located at Muenzinger D451B.
Padhraic Smyth is a Distinguished Professor and Hasso Plattner Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), holding joint appointments in the Department of Computer Science and Department of Statistics. He leads the DataLab research group, focusing on machine learning, AI, and their applications in climate science, healthcare, and education. His research spans probabilistic modeling, deep learning, and human-AI collaboration. Education: PhD in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (1988), MSEE (1985), and BEng (1984). Prior to UCI, he worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1988–1996). Research Interests: Machine learning, AI, pattern recognition, Bayesian methods, climate science applications, algorithmic fairness, and human-AI interaction. He has published over 200 papers and co-authored textbooks like Modeling the Internet and the Web . Awards: ACM Fellow, IEEE Fellow, AAAI Fellow, AAAS Fellow, and ACM SIGKDD Innovation Award recipient. He has held leadership roles in UCI's Center for Machine Learning and Data Science. Key Projects: Human-AI collaboration frameworks, robustness in deep learning, climate modeling using spatio-temporal data, and AI fairness with missing attributes. Collaborates with institutions like NASA and industry partners (e.g., Google, eBay). Labs/Teams: Director of UCI’s Data Science Initiative and HPI Research Center in Machine Learning. Supervises a vibrant PhD program with over 30 alumni in academia and industry.
Dr. Megan Renna is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University's Teachers College and completed a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the National Cancer Institute at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on the bidirectional relationship between psychological and physical health, particularly how emotion regulation and negative emotionality contribute to chronic disease risk in breast cancer survivors and healthy adults. Education: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (2019) and M.Ph. (2018) from Teachers College, Columbia University Training: Predoctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center Her work bridges clinical psychology, psychophysiology, and behavioral medicine through studies on inflammation, autonomic dysfunction, and cancer survivorship. Recent publications examine metabolic syndrome, smartwatch body composition metrics, and couples' health dynamics. Key research themes include stress reactivity, emotion regulation therapy, and biobehavioral pathways linking mental states to physiological outcomes. Dr. Renna teaches Advanced Psychopathology and can be reached at Megan.Renna@usm.edu. Her methodological expertise spans experimental worry inductions, longitudinal studies, and psychometric scale development, with a focus on reducing distress disorders through emotion regulation interventions.
Qimin Liu is an Assistant Professor at Boston University, serving as Lab Director of the Quantitative Psychopathology Laboratory. He holds a PhD in Psychological Sciences from Vanderbilt University with specializations in Clinical Science and Quantitative Methods. His research focuses on emotional disturbances across development, statistical methodology development, and health equity with an emphasis on intersectional marginalization. He has expertise in analyzing intensive longitudinal data and has published extensively on topics like irritability, suicidality, and mental health disparities among sexual and gender minority populations. Dr. Liu’s work frequently integrates advanced statistical techniques such as latent variable modeling, network analysis, and machine learning. His recent studies explore the temporal dynamics of affect, the impact of stigma on mental health, and the role of childhood adversity in psychiatric outcomes. Notable contributions include developing methods for analyzing zero-inflated longitudinal data and creating algorithms for digital phenotyping of mood disorders through mobile device usage patterns. His scholarship emphasizes bridging clinical phenomena with rigorous quantitative approaches, addressing gaps in understanding how social determinants and individual differences shape mental health trajectories. He has collaborated on large-scale datasets like the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiological Surveys and contributed to interdisciplinary research on public health outcomes among aging sexual minority men. Dr. Liu’s methodological innovations include the DACF framework for ceiling/floor effect data and the lamme package for log-analytic multiplicative effects modeling. He actively publishes in high-impact journals such as Psychological Methods and Journal of Abnormal Psychology , focusing on both empirical findings and statistical best practices.
Kristia Wantchekon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgetown University's College. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Yale University. Her research focuses on ethnic-racial identity development, particularly among adolescents, and its intersection with academic adjustment, discrimination experiences, and intergroup contact. She explores how identity processes and contextual factors influence youth mental health and educational outcomes, with a special emphasis on designing school-based interventions to foster inclusive environments. Her work analyzes how teachers and educators navigate race-related conversations, curriculum design, and professional development to address systemic inequities. Recent studies investigate Colombian adolescents' academic adjustment through an ethnic-racial lens and contextual moderators of identity interventions, including family socialization and ethnic background. Key themes in her publications include the role of ethnic-racial identity in mitigating discrimination impacts, the psychometric validation of identity measures for marginalized groups, and the moderating effects of identity centrality on intervention efficacy. Her research consistently bridges developmental, social, and educational psychology to promote equity in academic settings. No scientific awards or grant details are listed in the provided materials. She has not yet disclosed advising relationships or lab affiliations.
Dr. Kelsey A. Bonfils is a Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professor and Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she directs the Social Cognition & Recovery in Schizophrenia (SCORS) Lab. Her academic journey includes a PhD and MS in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and a BS from the same institution. Dr. Bonfils' research focuses on social cognition mechanisms in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, examining contributing factors like sleep disturbance and developing interventions to improve recovery outcomes. Her work spans clinical psychology applications for adults with serious mental illness, psychosis risk, and emotion regulation processes. She maintains active professional affiliations with the American Psychological Association, Society for Research in Psychopathology, and International Society of Interpersonal Psychotherapy. Her publication portfolio demonstrates strong research trends in: Social cognition and metacognition in psychotic disorders Sleep-psychopathology relationships Innovative psychotherapies for serious mental illness Mental health disparities and treatment accessibility Veterans' mental health services Dr. Bonfils has received the distinguished Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professorship recognizing her contributions to clinical psychology research. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses including Abnormal Psychology, Clinical Psychology Practicum, and Adult Psychotherapy. At the SCORS Lab, Dr. Bonfils leads research on social cognitive processes and recovery-oriented interventions for individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, with current projects investigating sleep-social cognition interactions and metacognitive therapies.
Rick Hoyle is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, where he serves as Associate Chair of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. He is also a Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. His academic career spans decades, with significant contributions to understanding self-regulation and adolescent development. Dr. Hoyle earned his B.A. from Appalachian State University (1983), followed by an M.A. (1986) and Ph.D. (1988) from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He progressed from Assistant to Associate to Full Professor at the University of Kentucky from 1989 to 2003 before joining Duke University. His research focuses on how adolescents and emerging adults manage goal pursuit through self-regulation, taking a broad view that accounts for personality, environment, cognition, emotion, and social influences. He employs longitudinal methods with repeated assessments, sometimes spanning years with data collection multiple times per year, or intensive studies with assessments several times daily. His lab develops innovative measurement tools including self-report measures of self-control and grit, as well as unobtrusive approaches using mobile phones and wearable devices to track goal pursuit in natural settings. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on self-regulation in digital contexts, adolescent substance use, socioeconomic influences on development, and innovative measurement approaches. His work increasingly integrates technology (social media analysis, wearable devices) with traditional psychological research methods to understand real-world behavior. Fellow, Association for Psychological Science (2013) Dr. Hoyle has secured numerous research grants totaling millions of dollars, including the current Real-Time and Randomized Tests of Social Media and Mental Health Links in Early Adolescence (2024-2029), NCCU Duke - Substance Use Research & Education (2024-2029), and Mid-Life Health Inequalities in the Rural South: Risk and Resilience (2023-2028). His grant portfolio demonstrates sustained funding for research on adolescent development, substance use, self-regulation, and health disparities. He teaches advanced courses including Applied Structural Equation Modeling and Psychology and Neuroscience Grant Writing, mentoring the next generation of researchers in quantitative methods and research design. His work through the Center for the Study of Adolescent Risk and Resilience (2008-2025) has established a significant research infrastructure for longitudinal studies of adolescent development. Current projects examine social media effects on mental health, substance use patterns, and the impact of environmental factors on adolescent well-being using innovative digital tracking methods.
Dr. Zara Ersozlu is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education within the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia. With a distinguished international career spanning multiple continents, she has held academic positions at prestigious institutions including North Carolina State University (USA), Gazi and Gaziosmanpasa Universities (Turkey), National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan), The University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, and Deakin University. Her academic journey includes tenured positions as an Associate Professor and leadership roles as Department Head and Chair in teacher education disciplines. Currently, she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in mathematics education, including Effective Pedagogies in Primary Mathematics, K-6 Mathematics, K-6 Numeracy, and Digitally Supported Learning. Dr. Ersozlu earned her Doctor of Philosophy from Firat University in Turkey and her Master of Art from Sakarya University. Her extensive academic preparation is complemented by five years of practical teaching experience in public schools prior to entering academia. This blend of theoretical knowledge and practical classroom experience informs her approach to teacher education and educational research. At the broadest level, Dr. Ersozlu's research investigates solutions to real-life problems impacting people's well-being, success, and capacity to achieve. Her scholarly work spans primary and secondary mathematics education, the psychology of mathematics (including metacognition, self-regulation, and anxiety), cross-cultural educational studies, teacher education, virtual simulated learning environments, and educational assessment. She has increasingly focused on the transformative potential of AI and machine learning in education, exploring how these technologies alter teaching, learning, and research processes. Her methodological expertise encompasses both quantitative and qualitative approaches, allowing her to effectively analyze both small and large educational datasets. Analysis of Dr. Ersozlu's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on mathematics anxiety, teacher education, and the integration of technology in learning environments. Her work demonstrates a consistent focus on practical applications of educational research to address real-world challenges in mathematics education. The interdisciplinary nature of her research connects educational psychology, technology integration, and cross-cultural perspectives, with particular attention to how these elements intersect in teacher preparation and student learning outcomes. 2023 ATEA Research Recognition Award from the Australian Teacher Education Association 2021 Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE, UK) 2010 Fellowship Program for Postdoctoral Researchers from the Council of Higher Education of Turkey Dr. Ersozlu is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scholars, currently supervising four PhD students and having successfully guided ten students to completion. Her grant portfolio includes significant funding for projects such as Best Practice Guidelines for RPL in Initial Teacher Education Programs ($60,000), Exploring the Reciprocal Relationship Between Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematical Resilience ($2,599), and multiple conference travel awards. She serves as an Associate Editor for several prominent journals including the International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education and as Editor for Interdisciplinary STEM Education. Her editorial work reflects her standing as a respected voice in mathematics education research. Dr. Ersozlu's academic leadership extends to her role in developing innovative teaching approaches that integrate virtual simulation technology and learning analytics. Her work with TeachLivE™, a mixed-reality classroom simulation platform, demonstrates her commitment to creating authentic learning experiences for teacher education students. Through these initiatives, she bridges the gap between educational theory and classroom practice, preparing future educators to effectively implement evidence-based teaching strategies in diverse learning environments.
Kenneth Rice is a Professor and holds the Ken and Mary Matheny Endowed Professorship in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at Georgia State University's College of Education & Human Development. He co-directs the Ken Matheny Center for the Study of Stress, Trauma, and Resilience. His research focuses on perfectionism, stress management, and psychological resilience, with studies addressing diverse populations such as STEM students, international students, and adult learners in literacy programs. He has held faculty positions at Penn State, Purdue, Michigan State, and the University of Florida. Education: B.S. with High Honors in Psychology, University of Florida (1986) Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, University of Notre Dame (1990) His research explores how personal traits (e.g., perfectionism), emotion regulation, and relational factors influence health, mental health, and academic/work outcomes. He has developed psychometric tools for use in educational and clinical settings. His work emphasizes underrepresented groups and cross-cultural comparisons, such as sociodemographic factors impacting stress during the pandemic. Publications span journals like Journal of Counseling Psychology , Journal of Personality Assessment , and Psychotherapy . He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. His lab, the Personality, Stress and Adjustment Lab, investigates adaptive and maladaptive responses to stress. Collaborations include the Ken Matheny Center, focusing on trauma and resilience interventions.
Tomiko Yoneda is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on understanding how personality traits, social relationships, and lifestyle factors influence health and cognitive outcomes in older adults. She employs interdisciplinary methods, including longitudinal studies and coordinated data analyses, to explore topics like personality-cognition links, social determinants of health, and aging disparities. Dr. Yoneda is also committed to fostering inclusive academic environments and mentoring students from diverse backgrounds. Her work spans multiple domains: (1) Personality dynamics in aging, examining traits like neuroticism and conscientiousness as predictors of health and longevity; (2) Social relationships' impact on physiological health (e.g., cortisol regulation in couples); and (3) Cross-cultural studies of aging in Japan and North America. Notable contributions include systematic reviews on personality-allostatic load relationships and meta-analyses linking personality to mortality risks. Received EDITOR'S CHOICE recognition in Psychoneuroendocrinology (2024) and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2022) Principal investigator of the Yoneda Lab at UC Davis Dr. Yoneda emphasizes translational research that bridges psychological and biomedical perspectives. She collaborates internationally on projects analyzing cognitive healthspan, dementia risk factors, and interventions to promote healthy aging. Her teaching focuses on lifespan development and research methodologies.
Dr. Daniel J. Bauer is a Professor and Director of the Quantitative Psychology Program and L.L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on advancing quantitative modeling techniques for studying negative social behaviors, health outcomes, and psychopathology, with expertise in generalized and nonlinear latent variable models, including multilevel models, structural equation models, and mixture models. His work emphasizes methodological innovations such as Bayesian regularization, measurement invariance evaluation, and the integration of deep learning with psychometrics. Bauer advises doctoral students in quantitative psychology and collaborates with developmental psychology programs. He leads the Thurstone Laboratory, one of the oldest quantitative psychology training programs in the U.S., emphasizing rigorous methodological training and applications in behavioral sciences. Bauer’s research trends span computational advancements in latent variable analysis, regularization for bias detection, and dynamic modeling of developmental processes. His advising includes over a dozen doctoral students now in academia and industry roles. He contributes to labs and initiatives like the Center for Developmental Science, advancing interdisciplinary research in psychological measurement and intervention evaluation.
Laura E. Brumariu is a Professor and Associate Dean for Professional Programs and Student Advancement at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University. She holds a Ph.D. from Kent State University and completed postdoctoral research fellowships at Harvard Medical School. Her office is located in the Hy Weinberg Center, and she is licensed as a psychologist in New York State. Education: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School/CHA/MGA (2013) Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Clinical Attributions, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School (2012) Ph.D., Kent State University (2010) Her research adopts a developmental psychopathology perspective, focusing on how parent-child attachment influences emotional and social development, particularly in middle childhood. She investigates emotion regulation, anxiety, disorganized attachment, role-confusion, and family processes related to borderline personality features and dissociation. She developed the Middle Childhood Attachment Strategies Coding System and leads the Child and Adolescent Research (CARE) Lab. Her recent work emphasizes meta-analytic reviews on emotion socialization, attachment, anxiety, and empathy. Her most recent publications reflect trends in attachment theory, emotion regulation, parenting, and internalizing disorders across development, often using meta-analytic and longitudinal methods. Much of her work integrates international collaboration, especially with Romanian researchers. Scientific Awards and Honors: Clinical Research Training Program, Harvard Medical School, Research Fellow (2010–2012) The Jeanette and Louis Reuter Fellowship in Developmental Sciences, Kent State University (2008–2009) She has mentored numerous doctoral students whose research spans topics such as gratitude, empathy, emotion socialization, and trauma. She teaches courses in psychological research, family therapy, and doctoral thesis supervision. She has secured research funding and collaborates extensively on studies related to child and adolescent mental health, though specific grants are not detailed in the text. Her professional activities include frequent presentations at major psychological conferences such as the Association for Psychological Science and the International Attachment Conference. Labs and Research Teams: She directs the Child and Adolescent Research (CARE) Lab at Adelphi University, which focuses on attachment, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in children and adolescents. The lab conducts both observational and survey-based research and trains graduate students in developmental and clinical methods.
Dr. Bimlesh Wadhwa is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and serves as Assistant Dean for Student Life at Tembusu College. She holds dual affiliations as a Residential Fellow at Tembusu College and an active member of the School of Computing's academic community. Her work bridges software engineering, human-computer interaction (HCI), and computing education. Dr. Wadhwa's research focuses on gender issues in HCI, software design quality, and digital well-being. She has pioneered initiatives like the Code for Community program to bring computing education to underserved groups. Her pedagogical contributions include developing courses on object-oriented design, software engineering principles, and interaction design. She actively engages with professional communities through roles such as Faculty Representative at the Singapore Computer Society Student Chapter and advisor to the Computing Club at NUS. Her recent work addresses pressing societal challenges like technology-facilitated sexual violence and integrates AI into educational contexts. She has organized major competitions including CodeXtreme and the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair, fostering innovation among students. Her interdisciplinary collaborations span healthcare applications, smart city technologies, and educational equity initiatives. Dr. Wadhwa’s scholarly contributions include over 80 publications in top venues such as FSE, CHI, and IEEE conferences. She has co-edited book chapters for Springer and Wiley on HCI and informatics, reflecting her commitment to advancing both technical and societal dimensions of computing. In addition to her academic roles, she leads MakerLab initiatives and contributes to national educational policies on computational thinking. Her work emphasizes bridging academia-industry gaps through projects like the GEAR mobile game-assisted rehabilitation system and cloud service brokerage frameworks.
Dr. Vasileios Stavropoulos is the Associate Dean, Higher Degree Research at RMIT University's Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences. His research focuses on behavioral addictions, digital phenotyping, and the psychological impacts of digital media, particularly in gaming and social media contexts. He supervises numerous research projects addressing topics like cyber-phenotyping via text mining, disordered gaming, and the interplay between digital media and mental health. Key research interests include the psychological mechanisms underlying problematic gaming and social media use, network analysis of addiction symptomologies, and the role of user-avatar bonds in behavioral disorders. His work integrates machine learning and behavioral science to predict and analyze addictive behaviors. Dr. Stavropoulos has published extensively on gaming disorder, social media addiction, and the mental health implications of digital media use. His collaborations span clinical psychology, public health, and computational methods, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to addressing modern behavioral challenges. He is actively engaged in higher degree research governance at RMIT, overseeing doctoral programs and fostering innovation in research methodologies. His contributions include developing scales for measuring addiction behaviors and advancing longitudinal studies on mental health correlations with digital engagement.
Glenn Roisman is a Professor at the Institute of Child Development , University of Minnesota. He holds the Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Robert Holmes Beck Chair of Ideas in Education titles, reflecting his scholarly influence and teaching excellence. Education: PhD (2002), University of Minnesota Roisman’s research examines how early relationship experiences shape lifespan psychological, interpersonal, physical, and cognitive health . His work integrates longitudinal data from birth to adulthood, focusing on normative and atypical caregiving environments. Recent publications analyze the predictive validity of attachment assessments (Strange Situation, Adult Attachment Interview), genetic/environmental contributions to attachment styles, and pathways from early adversity to cardiometabolic health. His projects leverage data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development , Minnesota Longitudinal Study , and Minnesota Twin Registry . Scientific Awards : Distinguished McKnight University Professor Robert Holmes Beck Chair of Ideas in Education Roisman’s collaborations with institutions like Pennsylvania State University and grants from NHLBI , NICHD , and NIA underscore his leadership in developmental science. He is open to advising new PhD students in 2026, emphasizing multi-method and multi-informant research approaches.
