Overview
My research focuses on understanding how emotional events modulate cognitive processes in the human brain. We aim to identify brain regions that encode the emotional properties of sensory stimuli, and to show how these regions interact with neural systems supporting social cognition, executive control, and learning and memory. To achieve this goal, we use a variety of cognitive neuroscience techniques in human subject populations. These include psychophysiological monitoring, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), machine learning, and behavioral studies in healthy adults as well as psychiatric patients. This integrative approach capitalizes on recent advances in the field and may lead to new insights into cognitive-emotional interactions in the brain.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Robert L. Wilson Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
·
2026 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
·
2010 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
·
2021 - Present
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences,
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience
·
1999 - Present
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience,
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Affiliate of the Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis
·
2007 - Present
Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center,
Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2018 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Recent Scholarly Works
Investigating the relationship between affective valence and reinforcement learning.
Journal article iScience · August 2026 Affective valence and reinforcement learning (RL) are increasingly recognized to be closely connected, yet the exact nature of their relationship remains unclear. Here, we investigated how RL-related computations contribute to affective valence, and how af ... Full text CiteDissociable Neural Responses to Conditioned Social Threats are Modulated by Spatial Proximity in PTSD and MDD.
Journal article bioRxiv · July 16, 2026 The brain's response to potential threats is shaped by the egocentric spatiotemporal distance to the threat. While distal threats recruit evaluative, cognitive-fear networks for strategic planning, proximal threats engage evolutionarily conserved reactive- ... Full text Link to item CiteShared and specific associations of amygdala nuclei volumes with PTSD symptom domains and childhood trauma: An ENIGMA-PGC PTSD mega-analysis.
Journal article Mol Psychiatry · July 2, 2026 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that may develop after trauma exposure. PTSD is characterized by considerable clinical heterogeneity. The amygdala's key role in fear conditioning makes it an important focus for investigating ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
A smart lens platform for real-world event capture and synchronized deep brain dynamics
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 20312/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University
ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences · 2025 - 2030Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Child Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Program (DN-IPT)
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2024 - 2029View All Grants
Education
New York University ·
1996
Ph.D.
Lafayette College ·
1990
B.A.