Shrikanth (Shri) Narayanan is a University Professor and holder of the Niki and Max Nikias Chair in Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC), serving as the inaugural Vice President for Presidential Initiatives. He leads the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab (SAIL) and holds joint appointments in Computer Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. His research focuses on speech and audio processing, behavioral signal processing, and real-time MRI of speech production, with applications in healthcare, education, and technology. Education: B.E. in Electrical Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy (Chennai, India, 1988); M.S., Engineer, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from UCLA (1990, 1992, 1995). Research interests span computational linguistics, machine learning, and multimodal human behavior analysis. He pioneered technologies for speech biomarkers in mental health, real-time MRI of speech production, and wearable sensor systems for longitudinal health studies. His work in speech emotion recognition, forensic interviews, and clinical applications has been recognized through over 40 awards, including the IEEE Flanagan Award and ISCA Medal. He has published extensively in journals like Proceedings of the IEEE , Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , and PLOS One . Key Grants: NSF CAREER, Okawa Research, IBM Faculty, Google/Amazon awards. Labs/Teams: Signal Analysis & Interpretation Lab (SAIL), USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI), Google Visiting Faculty Researcher.
Rhonda Goldman is a Full Professor in the Clinical Psychology Department at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. She is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Illinois and runs her private practice, Emotion-focused Therapy, Chicago, where she sees both couples and individuals. Dr. Goldman is a founding board member of the International Society of Emotion-focused Therapy and serves as President of the Emotion-focused Therapy Institute. Dr. Goldman earned her academic credentials from York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in 1987, Master of Arts in 1991, and Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology in 1997. She taught at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology for 22 years before transitioning to her current position at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology following the closure of the Illinois School. Dr. Goldman is a leading expert in Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), a therapeutic approach that integrates elements of client-centered therapy, Gestalt therapy, and modern emotion theory. Her research focuses on EFT for couples, emotional processes, empathy, vulnerability, depression, case formulation, and self-soothing. She has authored six texts on EFT and two professional videos published by the American Psychological Association. Dr. Goldman teaches graduate courses in Humanistic and Experiential Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy Seminars, and Emotion-Focused Therapy, emphasizing the importance of emotional processing in therapeutic change. Dr. Goldman's publications demonstrate a consistent focus on advancing Emotion-Focused Therapy through both theoretical development and practical application. Her work spans individual therapy, couples therapy, case formulation, and therapist training, with recent emphasis on adapting EFT for online delivery. Her research shows how emotional awareness and processing serve as central mechanisms of change in psychotherapy, with applications across various clinical issues including depression and relationship distress. Dr. Goldman is actively involved in professional organizations that support the development and dissemination of Emotion-Focused Therapy. She serves as a founding board member of the International Society for Emotion-focused Therapy, past-president of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration, Action-Editor for the Journal of Person-centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, and member of the Society for Psychotherapy Research. As an educator and clinician, Dr. Goldman has mentored numerous professionals in the field of psychotherapy. She travels internationally conducting training workshops for mental health professionals in Emotion-focused therapy for Couples and Individuals across Europe, Asia, and North America. Her work bridges research and practice, emphasizing the importance of emotional processing in therapeutic change while maintaining a strong commitment to evidence-based practice. Dr. Goldman co-founded the Emotion-focused Therapy Institute (EFTI), which facilitates and fosters training and educational opportunities for psychologists and therapists interested in incorporating EFT into their professional practices. Through EFTI and her international workshops, she has created a global community of practitioners dedicated to advancing Emotion-Focused Therapy.
Tanzeem Choudhury is a Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech, specializing in Information Sciences. She co-founded HealthRhythms Inc. and directs the People-Aware Computing lab, focusing on machine learning for human activity and social network analysis. Her work pioneered the 'Reality Mining' field, leveraging mobile sensors to model social interactions. Choudhury holds a Ph.D. from MIT's Media Lab and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rochester. Her research spans wearable tech, mental health interventions, and ubiquitous computing. Notable projects include affective touch wearables for anxiety reduction, stress detection systems (e.g., StressSense), and the BeWell app for well-being monitoring. Choudhury has been recognized as an ACM Fellow and SIGCHI Academy member, with impactful contributions to healthcare technology and sensor-based behavioral analysis. Current lab initiatives include developing closed-loop interventions for mental health, equity-driven sensing systems, and exploring AI integration in psychotherapy. She advises PhD students on topics like digital biomarkers, burnout detection in healthcare workers, and smartphone-based mental health assessment. Education: Ph.D. in Media Arts & Sciences (MIT), M.S. (MIT Media Lab), B.S. in Electrical Engineering (University of Rochester) Lab Team: Includes PhD candidates (Dan Adler, Yiran Zhao) and researchers focusing on health AI, wearable devices, and clinical applications. Major Awards: ACM Fellowship (2020), SIGCHI Academy (2018), Best Paper Awards at Ubicomp and MobileHCI conferences. Key Projects: OptoBeat (skin-tone calibrated blood oxygen sensor), EmotionCheck (anxiety intervention), and Affective Touch devices.
Tim Althoff is an Associate Professor at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Human-Centered Computing. His research focuses on behavioral data science, combining Data Science Natural Language Processing Social Computing Human-Centered AI Ethics & Fairness to extract insights about health and well-being. Recent publications highlight advancements in: Mental health support through AI Wearable sensor health monitoring Online community analysis Reproducibility in data science Public health interventions with notable papers in ACL, Nature Machine Intelligence, and NeurIPS. Scientific recognition includes: ACL 2023 Outstanding Paper Award WWW 2021 Best Paper Award Double ICWSM 2021 Best Paper Awards SIGKDD Dissertation Award 2019 Fulbright Scholarship German National Merit Foundation Actively mentoring postdoctoral researchers and seeking PhD students in areas like neural representation learning, NLP applications to psychology, and mobile health technologies through his Behavioral Data Science Group .
Nuno Conceição serves as an Invited Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon (FP-UL), where he has taught since 2011. His clinical work focuses on adults with complex trauma, personality disorders, and structural dissociation of the personality. He earned his BA (1999), MA (2006), and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (2011) from FP-UL, following his Abitur at the German School of Lisbon (1994). BA: FP-UL (1999) MA: FP-UL (2006) Ph.D.: FP-UL (2011) His research centers on Psychotherapy Integration, examining General Change Processes, Case Formulation, Emotional Change in Trauma Therapy, and Ecological Dimensions in Psychotherapy. He investigates how experiential processing facilitates change in personality pathology through integrative clinical decision-making. Key trends in his 2016-2023 publications reveal consistent focus on transdiagnostic mechanisms, termination processes, and musical interventions for emotional processing, primarily using qualitative case studies to advance psychotherapy integration frameworks. No scientific awards were documented in the source material. Conceição has supervised over 50 master's research projects and designed the Integrative Perspectives in Psychotherapy curriculum. He directs the Paradigmatic Complementarity Lab—a practice-based research network using process coding to train clinical skills—and serves as a therapist trainer/supervisor at OneSession.org. Supervision: >50 master's projects Curriculum Development: Integrative Perspectives in Psychotherapy Professional Training: OneSession.org The Paradigmatic Complementarity Lab drives his research agenda, utilizing process-coding methodologies to study change mechanisms in complex trauma and personality disorders within real-world clinical settings.
Andrea Reiter is a Professor at the Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, holding the W1-Professur für Lernprozesse in der Entwicklungspsychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Prävention. Her research focuses on decision-making processes in clinical populations, lifespan changes, and the impact of stress/social influences. She employs computational modeling combined with fMRI and EEG. Education: Dr. rer. nat. (summa cum laude, 2016) from University of Leipzig, Master of Advanced Studies in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (University of Bern), and Diploma in Psychology from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (2012). She also studied Literature and Educational Sciences alongside Psychology. Professional Experience includes a research position at TU Dresden (since 2015), guest research at Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (since 2015), and PhD work at IMPRS NeuroCom (2012-2015). She has clinical experience as a Psychologist at Kreiskrankenhaus Tauberbischofsheim. Research Awards: Austrian Academy Grant (2016), Poster Award (2014), DZ Banken Career Prize (2013), and IMPRS PhD stipend (2012-2015). Her publications (2013-2016) emphasize neuroimaging studies on decision-making deficits in disorders like binge eating and alcohol dependence, with methodological strengths in computational modeling and EEG/fMRI integration.
Avinash V. Ramprashad serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, with clinical practice based at the University of Maryland Treatment Center. His educational background includes: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from New York University (2011) Doctor of Medicine from SUNY Upstate Medical University COM, Syracuse, NY (2016) General Psychiatry Residency at University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt (2020) Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at University of Maryland (2021) Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis Fellowship Program (2020) Dr. Ramprashad specializes in addiction psychiatry with deep expertise in substance use disorders and evidence-based treatments including buprenorphine and methadone management. His clinical work integrates psychodynamic psychotherapy with innovative telemedicine applications, particularly in tele-addictions and tele-buprenorphine services, expanding access to care for underserved populations. He actively contributes to medical education and psychotherapy research within academic psychiatry. His professional recognition includes: George Balis Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education (2018) Dr. Donald Ross Award for Outstanding Psychotherapy Paper (2020) As a member of the Maryland Addiction Consultation Service (MACS), he participates in statewide initiatives providing expert consultation on complex addiction cases while advancing telehealth implementation in psychiatric practice.
Douglas K. Snyder is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences within the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. He previously served as Director of Clinical Training from 1991 to 2012 and has been internationally recognized for his research on marital assessment and outcome research on marital therapy, particularly through his development of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory. Dr. Snyder earned his bachelor's degree from Wittenberg University in 1974, received his doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978, and completed his internship at Duke University Medical Center. Prior to his appointment at Texas A&M, he served on the faculty at Wayne State University in Detroit and at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he also served as Director of Clinical Training and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Snyder's research emphasizes the assessment, treatment, and prevention of couple relationship distress. His work centers on the Marital Satisfaction Inventory, a multidimensional measure of relationship accord now published in several languages and used worldwide. His treatment research focuses on tailoring therapy to specific partner and relationship characteristics by integrating cognitive, behavioral, emotion-focused, and insight-oriented interventions. His specific clinical interests include treating difficult couples with emotional, behavioral, and health problems, with particular attention to military and veteran couples and those dealing with infidelity. Dr. Snyder's recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in couple therapy, with emphasis on evidence-based approaches, treatment of infidelity, military couples, and cross-cultural applications of couple assessment tools. His work spans theoretical advancements and practical clinical applications. Outstanding Research Publication Award, Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 1991 Professor of the Year Award, Texas Psychological Association - Division of Students, 1993 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Family Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2005 Outstanding Contributions to Science Award, Texas Psychological Association, 2008 Distinguished Alumnae Award, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), 2012 Distinguished Psychologist Award for Lifetime Contributions to Psychotherapy, American Psychological Association, 2015 Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 5, 12, 19, 29, 43) Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Fellow of the Society for Personality Assessment Dr. Snyder has served as Editor of the Clinician's Research Digest and as Associate Editor for the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and the Journal of Family Psychology. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, with significant focus on military couples and relationship distress. He has developed evidence-based approaches for assessing and treating relationship problems across diverse cultural contexts. Dr. Snyder is affiliated with the Personality Processes research cluster at Texas A&M University, focusing on objective personality assessment and clinical assessment of couples and families. His work bridges research and clinical practice, with emphasis on developing practical assessment tools and treatment approaches for clinicians working with distressed couples.
Ashli Owen-Smith is a behavioral scientist affiliated with the School of Public Health at Georgia State University , where her research focuses on mental health disparities, suicide prevention, and integrative/complementary approaches for complex mental-physical health conditions. She works with underserved populations including refugees/immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and LGBTQ+ communities through community-based participatory research and mixed-methods frameworks. Her current projects are funded by CDC , DBHDD , and DPH . Education: Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences (Emory, 2009), S.M. in Public Health (Harvard, 2005), B.A. in Psychology (Smith College, 2001) Her research spans mental health , trauma , suicide prevention , and mindfulness-based interventions . Recent work examines telehealth adaptations for chronic pain and mental health, vaccine hesitancy in refugee communities, and social determinants of suicide . She leads studies on gender-affirming care and health disparities in LGBTQ+ populations. Key article trends include epidemiological analysis of suicide risk factors, COVID-19 impacts on mental health, ICD-10 coding for autism, and complementary medicine in trauma recovery. Subfields span telehealth , health equity , mental-physical comorbidity , and community engagement . Students she has mentored include C.A. Scarlett , T. Griner , and M.M. Sesay . Her work integrates public health policy , clinical research , and health systems analysis .
Univ-Prof. Dr. med. Malek Bajbouj serves as Director of the Institute for Affective Neuroscience and Emotion Modulation at Charité – University Medicine Berlin's Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), operating within the Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (CC 15). His position integrates clinical leadership with translational neuroscience research focused on severe mental illnesses. Dr. Bajbouj's research program centers on affective neuroscience and emotion dysregulation mechanisms in psychiatric disorders, particularly schizophrenia spectrum conditions and depression. He pioneers multimodal intervention approaches combining neuromodulation (tDCS), oxytocin augmentation, mindfulness therapies, and digital health tools. His work emphasizes translational biomarker development using neuroimaging, machine learning, and physiological stress parameter analysis to personalize treatment for treatment-resistant populations. Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals three dominant research trajectories: (1) novel treatment combinations for negative symptoms in schizophrenia (oxytocin + mindfulness, yoga therapy); (2) real-world implementation of neuromodulation (at-home tDCS protocols, technical efficacy monitoring); and (3) global mental health responses to crises (pandemic impacts on vulnerable groups, culturally adapted refugee interventions). His methodology consistently employs rigorous randomized controlled trials with embedded biomarker studies. As director of his eponymous institute, Dr. Bajbouj leads a multidisciplinary team conducting neuroimaging studies, clinical trials, and international collaborations focused on emotion modulation pathways. The institute coordinates research across CC 15's clinical infrastructure at CBF Building V, with particular emphasis on bridging laboratory neuroscience with clinical psychiatry through the DepressionDC and OXYMIND trial frameworks.
Dr. Ariel Lang is a Professor In Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and holds an Adjunct Professor position in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health. She serves as Co-Director of the Experimental Psychopathology Track in the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, and directs the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (CESAMH). She co-leads the VASDHS Advanced Fellowship in Women's Health and specializes in evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches for anxiety and trauma-related disorders in military populations. Education: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Psychology, Stanford University (1991) Master of Arts (MA), Clinical Psychology, UCLA (1994) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Clinical Psychology, UCLA (1998) Master of Public Health (MPH), Public Health (Biometry), SDSU (2007) Research Interests: Dr. Lang's work centers on assessing and treating PTSD, anxiety disorders, and trauma-related conditions with a focus on complementary and integrative approaches. Her studies frequently intersect with military/veteran populations, women's health, and public health issues such as systemic racism and environmental exposures. She has pioneered interventions like Compassion Meditation , Adaptive Disclosure , and Mantram Repetition Program , often using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate efficacy. Her research also addresses co-occurring disorders (e.g., PTSD and substance use), pregnancy/postpartum mental health, and intergenerational trauma effects. Publications Trends: Her recent articles emphasize trauma-focused treatments, integrative health modalities, and veteran-specific healthcare challenges. Over 50% of her recent work involves clinical trial methodologies, particularly RCTs evaluating novel interventions. She consistently explores interdisciplinary topics like the intersection of mindfulness and clinical psychology, and the impact of systemic stressors on mental health outcomes. Awards: In 2022, she was honored as the UCSD Dept of Psychiatry Faculty Champion of Diversity . Grants/Advising: She is Principal Investigator on NIH grants exploring compassion meditation and yoga interventions for veterans, and has led projects funded by the VA and DoD. Her role in the 2023 VA/DoD PTSD Clinical Practice Guideline underscores her influence in shaping national healthcare policies. Labs/Teams: Her work is anchored in the VASDHS CESAMH, a multidisciplinary research center focused on stress-related mental health conditions. She collaborates extensively with researchers in public health, neurology, and military medicine, evidenced by frequent co-authorships in these domains.
Neil Pembroke is a Lecturer in Studies in Religion at the University of Queensland , affiliated with the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry . His academic work bridges theology, philosophy, and pastoral care, with a focus on spiritual formation, healthcare ethics, and the intersection of psychology and religion. Education : B.Eng (Agric.), B.Th (B.C.T.), BA (Hons), PhD (Edin) Teaching interests : Jung and Human Spirituality, Religion and Health, Mysticism, Psychology of Religion, Religion and Psychotherapies His research explores therapeutic preaching, spiritual maturity, and the role of empathy in Christian and interfaith contexts. He has contributed to organizational spirituality, particularly in church-sponsored healthcare, and examined compassion fatigue through Christian and Buddhist perspectives. Publications include books like Divine Therapeia and the Sermon and Renewing Pastoral Practice , with over 50 journal articles and 10 book chapters. Collaborative projects span international studies on pastoral care models and interdisciplinary dialogues on ethics. Neil Pembroke's work emphasizes the integration of theological and psychological insights into personal and communal spiritual growth, with a particular focus on shame, identity, and the relational Trinity as frameworks for pastoral practice.
Sabine Walper is a Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU Munich), currently on leave as Research Director at the German Youth Institute (DJI) since 2012. Her research focuses on family psychology, particularly divorce and stepfamilies, parental conflict effects on child development, poverty, individuation in adolescence, and parenting skill interventions. Research Director, German Youth Institute (DJI), Munich (2012–present) Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Education, LMU Munich Her scientific work spans family dynamics, mental health, and educational psychology, with a strong emphasis on longitudinal studies and cross-cultural comparisons. She supervises numerous PhD theses and leads major projects like the Relationship and Family Panel (pairfam) and parenting courses for families in separation. Walper holds key roles in advisory boards, editorial positions, and mentorship programs for young female researchers.
Dr. Abby Mulay is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), specializing in forensic psychology within the Community and Public Safety Psychiatry Division. She holds a PhD in clinical psychology from Long Island University and a Bachelor's in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Education: Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Voice Performance (Manhattan School of Music) PhD in Clinical Psychology (Long Island University) Her research focuses on forensic evaluation methodologies, including competency assessments and the clinical utility of the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). She co-edited a seminal text on the AMPD and serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Personality Disorders . Her clinical work includes treating personality disorders using integrative DBT/CBT approaches and supervising trainees in forensic psychology. Awards: SPA John E. Exner Scholar Award (recent recipient) Professional Roles: Representative-At-Large, Society of Personality Assessment (SPA) Board of Trustees Editorial Board Member for multiple personality and criminal justice journals She maintains a small outpatient psychotherapy practice and is actively involved in reptile care and yoga training (Baptiste style).
Nathaniel D. Daw serves as the Huo Professor in Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience and Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Princeton University, based at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. His research integrates computational modeling with experimental neuroscience to investigate fundamental mechanisms of learning and decision-making. Daw's research focuses on computational and theoretical neuroscience, specializing in reinforcement learning, memory systems, and decision-making processes. He examines how neural circuits represent value, update beliefs through experience, and balance model-based versus model-free control strategies. His work frequently bridges theoretical frameworks with behavioral and neural data to explain phenomena ranging from habitual behavior to flexible cognitive control. Analysis of his 2025 publications reveals dominant themes in neural replay mechanisms, individual differences in learning trajectories, and clinical applications to eating disorders. His work increasingly incorporates large language models for psychological assessment while maintaining core focus on interpretable cognitive architectures and hierarchical planning. Daw maintains active research operations through the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, an interdisciplinary hub fostering collaboration between computational modelers, neuroscientists, and psychologists to advance understanding of neural mechanisms underlying cognition.
