Katherine Luking

Katherine R. Luking is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Saint Louis University, specializing in neurodevelopmental approaches to adolescent psychopathology. Her research examines how emotion regulation and reward processing develop during pubertal transition, with particular focus on depression and borderline personality disorder risk.

Dr. Luking directs the Luking Lab, which investigates neural mechanisms underlying affective development using multimodal approaches including fMRI, EEG, and behavioral assessments. Current research examines how pubertal timing influences neural responses to social feedback and contributes to suicidal behaviors.

Her publications demonstrate strong emphasis on longitudinal designs examining developmental trajectories of cortical maturation alongside emerging psychopathology. Recent work explores transdiagnostic risk factors including family income buffers for adverse childhood experiences and intergenerational transmission of suicide risk.

Dr. Luking mentors doctoral students in cognitive neuroscience and undergraduate research assistants in projects examining hormonal influences on emotional processing. She serves as Principal Investigator for NIH-funded studies tracking neurodevelopmental changes from middle childhood through adolescence.