Melissa A. Cyders

Melissa A. Cyders is a Professor of Psychology at Indiana University’s School of Science. Her research focuses on the multidimensionality of impulsivity, particularly the UPPS-P Model, and its role in maladaptive risk-taking behaviors such as substance use, eating disorders, and gambling. She investigates neurobiological mechanisms underlying emotion-based urgency using neuroimaging techniques and explores translational approaches to prevention and treatment across diverse populations.

Education: B.A. Psychology and Spanish (Ohio University, 2003); M.S. Clinical Psychology (University of Kentucky, 2005); Ph.D. Clinical Psychology (University of Kentucky, 2009); Clinical Psychology Internship at VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Medical School.

Research emphasizes urgency as a transdiagnostic endophenotype linked to disorders like Borderline Personality Disorder and ADHD. Her work bridges clinical, neurobiological, and community-engaged studies, including school-based interventions targeting youth risk-taking and long-term recovery factors in Opioid Use Disorder. Affiliated with the Indiana Alcohol Research Center and IU Center for Neuroimaging.