Wendy Heller

Wendy Heller is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the Cognitive Neuroscience Group at the Beckman Institute (part-time), Gender and Women's Studies, Biomedical and Translational Sciences, and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. She previously served as Director of Clinical Training and Department Head in the Psychology Department, and as Provost Fellow for diversity initiatives.

• B.A. in Spanish and Psychology with Honors, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A. and Ph.D. in Biopsychology, University of Chicago

Her research focuses on neural mechanisms of emotion-cognition interactions in psychopathology, particularly anxiety and depression. Using fMRI, EEG, and ERP methods, she investigates brain lateralization, network connectivity, and top-down emotional regulation. A pioneer in inclusive science, she integrates equity considerations into psychology research frameworks.

The 2010-2025 publications demonstrate sustained contributions to anxiety/depression neuroscience, with recurring themes in executive dysfunction, emotion regulation, neural plasticity, and transdiagnostic models. Her work bridges clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience through methodological innovations in machine learning applications to neuroimaging.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Larine Y. Cowan Make a Difference Award (2010)
• Arnold O. Beckman Research Award (2013)
• Executive Officer Distinguished Leadership Award (2019)
• PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (2019-20)
• LAS Impact Award (2021)

As director of the Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience of Psychopathology (CANOPY) Lab, she leads research on brain mechanisms in mental health, funded by NIMH and NIDA. Her team employs multi-modal approaches combining behavioral tasks, neuroimaging, and clinical assessments.