Faculty

Research Interests: Our work focuses on understanding and developing interventions for anxiety disorders, stress, and coping with cancer. We study mindfulness and acceptance-based as well as exposure-based behavioral interventions. Click name for full bio.

Research Interests: Dr. Bidwell’s primary research focus is translational studies investigating the effects of abused drugs and how these effects impact psychological and physical health acutely and chronically. Click name for full bio.

Sona Dimidjian, Ph.D. is Director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute and Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on cultivating mental health and wellness among women, children, and families by engaging people’s capacities for learning to care for themselves and their communities. She develops and studies programs and practices in education and healthcare settings, with an emphasis on navigating key developmental transitions, such as the perinatal period, early childhood, and adolescence. She also has a longstanding interest in expanding access, scaling, and sustaining effective programs, using both digital technology and community-based partnerships. Her current research projects focus on preventing depression and supporting wellness among new and expectant mothers, promoting healthy body image and leadership among young women, and enhancing mindfulness and compassion among youth, families and educators. Click name for full bio.

Research Interests: Professor Grotzinger's research focuses on multivariate genomic methods development and their application to psychiatric and cognitive traits.

June Gruber is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado and Director of the Positive Emotion and Psychopathology Laboratory; She was previously an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Yale University. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology 2009 and B.A. in Psychology 2003 from UC Berkeley. Dr. Gruber has authored over 100 articles and chapters, and edited 2 books, that focus on mental health and positive emotion in adolescents and adults, with a focus on bipolar and related mood disorders. Her work has been recognized by national early-career awards including the Association for Psychological Science’s Rising Star Award and Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions, NARSAD Young Investigator Award, and Yale University's Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Junior Faculty. Click name for full bio.

In the Research on Affective Disorders and Development (RADD) laboratory we are working to understand neurocognitive dysfunction in depression, including abnormalities in the structure, molecular signaling, and coordinated activity of brain networks involved in cognitive regulation and learning. We explore these topics from a developmental perspective, with special interest in using neurocognitive risk markers to predict the onset and course of depression or bipolar disorders in teens or young adults. Clinically, we are testing how neurocognitive functioning may be enhanced to foster mood health, with the goal of translating basic science into improved treatment and emotional wellness. Click name for full bio.

Education : PhD (Clinical Psychology), University of Texas at Austin MS, Trent University BA, The University of Winnipeg Dr. Kilimnik is planning to admit a doctoral student for Fall 2024. Dr. Chelsea Kilimnik is a a licensed clinical psychologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department Psychology and Neuroscience and the Renée Crown Wellness Institute. She is also a faculty research affiliate of the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience...

Research Interests : My research interests focus on life span development and aging, particularly the coaction and interplay of genes and environments on cognitive aging and the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD). I engage in longitudinal research, often of twins and adoptees, to examine how and why individuals differ in early life contexts and behavioral health pathways across time and their effects on cognitive functioning. Cognitive resilience...

Research Interests: Etiology of childhood disruptive disorders and substance use disorders. Click name for full bio.

Research Interests: Neuropsychological assessment; cognitive correlates of decline in daily living abilities of older adults and cognitive interventions in older at-risk drivers. Click name for full bio.

Research Interests: Functioning in intimate relationships such as marriage and the onset, course, and treatment of mental and physical health problems, with a focus on depression. Cognitive theory and therapy for depression. Individual and relationship factors and processes associated with the onset, course, and treatment of adverse intimate relationship outcomes. Click name for full bio.

Research Interests: Etiology and assessment of ADHD, learning disabilities, and other developmental psychopathologies. Click name for full bio.