Pearl Chiu

Pearl Chiu is a Professor at Virginia Tech, holding appointments in the Department of Psychology (College of Science), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine (School of Medicine), and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. She is also the Patricia Caldwell Faculty Fellow. Her research focuses on computational psychiatry, examining how decision-making processes are altered in mental illnesses like depression, addiction, and PTSD.

Education:

• PhD in Psychology (Clinical Science), Harvard University, 2006
• AB in Psychology & Biology, Harvard University, 1998
• Clinical Psychology Internship (Adult Neuroscience Track), Baylor College of Medicine, 2005-2006
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 2006-2007

Research Interests:

Dr. Chiu integrates behavioral assessments, computational modeling, and neuroimaging to study how motivation and social decisions are disrupted in mental health disorders. Key areas include neuroscience of valuation, decision-making under stress, and developing interventions based on biological insights. Her work highlights mechanisms underlying depression, addiction, and PTSD, emphasizing translational applications.

Awards & Honors:

• Patricia Caldwell Faculty Fellow (Virginia Tech)
• NIH BRAINS Award (2010)
• APA Diversity in Neuroscience Fellowship (2006)
• National Public Radio 'Source of the Week' (2015)
• Virginia Tech Scholar of the Week (2012)

Advising & Grants:

Dr. Chiu advises students in Clinical Science and Cognitive Neuroscience. Her lab has secured grants from NIH and NIMH, including a BRAINS Award for innovative mental health research. She mentors students with backgrounds in clinical psychology and computational methods.

Labs & Teams:

Her lab focuses on computational psychiatry within the Center for Human Neuroscience Research at Fralin. Collaborations span clinical and basic science, with projects on neuroimaging-based interventions for addiction and depression.