Martha Ann Bell

Martha Ann Bell is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology and College of Science Faculty Fellow at Virginia Tech. She leads the Cognition, Affect, and Psychophysiology (CAP) Lab, focusing on developmental cognitive neuroscience and the integration of emotion and cognition in early development. Her work examines EEG/ECG biomarkers, executive function, temperament, and maternal-child interactions.

Dr. Bell holds a PhD in Human Development from the University of Maryland (1992), an MS in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee (1983), and a BS in Home Economics from Carson-Newman College (1978). She has held progressive roles from Assistant Professor (1996) to her current distinguished title.

Her research interests include developmental changes in brain-behavior relations, neurophysiological correlates of emotion regulation, and longitudinal predictors of child development. Recent work explores maternal emotion coaching, EEG neuromarkers of ADHD, and the neurodevelopmental impacts of nutrition.

Key awards include the Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professorship (2021) and College of Science Faculty Fellowship (2019–2025). Her publications span developmental psychobiology, neuroimaging methods, and temperament-behavior links.

Dr. Bell’s advising and grants focus on interdisciplinary developmental science. The CAP Lab collaborates on projects involving infant neuroimaging, maternal-child physiology, and early childhood interventions.