Holly Bowen

Holly Bowen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University (SMU). She leads the Memory, Affect, and Perception Lab (MAP Lab) and has held academic positions including a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston College. Her work bridges cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Educations:

• Trent University: B.A.
• Toronto Metropolitan University: M.A., Ph.D.
• Boston College: Postdoctoral Fellowship

Research Interests: Dr. Bowen investigates how emotion and motivation shape memory formation and retrieval, particularly in aging populations. She employs behavioral paradigms, computational modeling, and neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI and ERP to uncover cognitive and neural mechanisms. Key themes include negativity bias, self-referential processing, and reward-driven memory modulation. Her recent work explores pandemic impacts and trauma-related memory dynamics.

Articles Trends: Her 2025 publications highlight memory deficits in anhedonia and pandemic framing effects on older adults’ cognition. 2023-2024 articles focus on reward-motivated memory differences across ages and trauma’s role in substance use. Earlier articles (2020-2022) emphasize neuroimaging-based studies of memory modulation by emotion and self-relevance.

Awards: No scientific awards explicitly mentioned in the text.

Advising & Grants: While no specific students or grants are listed, her research indicates active involvement in mentoring through experimental projects. Her work likely involves collaborations requiring grant support, though details are not provided.

Labs/Teams: Director of the Memory, Affect, and Perception Lab (MAP Lab) at SMU, focusing on interdisciplinary studies of memory and emotion.