People

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PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Dr. Bowen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University. She completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston College. Dr. Bowen’s research focuses on how affective states, specifically emotion and motivation, influence how we form memories and remember past experiences. She is also interested in how the links between emotion, motivation, and memory are impacted by age-related cognitive changes. To understand the cognitive and neural mechanisms that support affect-modulated encoding and retrieval, Dr. Bowen uses multiple methods. This includes behavioral paradigms, computational modeling, and neuroimaging with event-related potentials (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Courses: Memory & Cognition PSYC 3310 | Psychology of Aging PSYC 4339 | Graduate Foundations in Cognition

Email | Google Scholar | Department Profile

Graduate Students

Julie started as a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program in 2021. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Cognitive Science. During her time, she studied the development of identity through personal narratives as a research assistant. Subsequently, she joined UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center as a clinical research coordinator, focusing on the work of neurodegenerative diseases, biomarkers, and neuropsychological assessments to inform on the cognitive trajectories of aging. Her research interests broadly include understanding the mechanisms involved in memory and emotion, and how processes shift with age. Outside of the lab, she enjoys taking trips to Target, scouting out local coffee shops, or catching up with friends and family.

Iris is a fifth-year student in SMU’s clinical psychology Ph.D. program. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in psychology and minors in medical sociology and chemistry. She then worked as a community research assistant at the Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, conducting depression screeners in older adult centers throughout New York City. Her current research interests include family caregiving relationships and cognitive functioning of caregivers. Outside of the lab, you can find Iris rock climbing, practicing yoga, and trying new recipes.

UNDERGRADUATE Research Assistants

Brenna Davidson is a senior at SMU from Chicago, Illinois. She is majoring in psychology with a minor in advertising. Brenna plans to continue her education at the graduate level to pursue a career in counseling. Brenna joined the MAPL lab in August 2026 and has enjoyed working with other lab members on ongoing research projects. She values the opportunity to work directly with participants and is enthusiastic about gaining meaningful hands-on research experience. In her free time, Brenna enjoys staying active, painting, and spending time with friends.

Paulina Perez is a junior at SMU from Miami, FL, majoring in psychology with a minor in cognitive science. She joined the MAPL Lab in the spring of 2025 and is excited to explore topics related to memory and cognitive psychology. In her free time, she enjoys doing pilates, taking walks on the Katy Trail, discovering new coffee shops, and traveling.

Pareeya Sanani is a senior at SMU, double majoring in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies. She joined the lab in Spring 2025 and is currently a Hamilton Scholar. Pareeya plans to go to graduate school for psychology and is especially excited to learn more about memory, cognitive function, and aging. Outside of academics, she loves hanging out with her cat, playing guitar, and learning new things just for fun.

Marian Perez is a senior at SMU from south Texas, majoring in Psychology and Markets and Culture. She joined the MAPL Lab in the spring of 2025 and is excited to learn more about research in the field of cognitive psychology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading books at local parks and coffee shops.

Veronica Seeling is a senior at SMU from Prosper, TX majoring in Psychology with minors in Human Rights, Women & Gender Studies, and Arabic. Veronica joined the MAPL Lab in the fall of 2022. She is very excited to learn more about cognition and to be a part of the MAPL team. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new coffee shops, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Katie Barlow is a senior majoring in biological sciences and psychology with a minor in biomedical anthropology. Katie was very excited to join the MAPL Lab in December of 2023 and learn more about cognitive psychology. In her free time she enjoys painting, working out, traveling, and spending time with friends.

Sabeen Baledina is a senior at SMU from Carrollton, Texas. She is majoring in biology with a minor in neuroscience on the pre-medical track. Sabeen has an interest in learning about neurodegenerative diseases along with the prevention and care of them. In her free time she participates in international beauty pageants where she can compete against women from all over the world and has the opportunity to learn about people from all walks of life.

Marissa Strauss is a senior at SMU from Fairbanks, Alaska. She is majoring in biology with minors in psychology and neuroscience on the pre-medical track. Marissa joined the MAPL lab in August 2022 and has enjoyed working with the other lab members on the current research project. She enjoys directly interacting with participants and gaining hands-on clinical research experience. In her free time, she can be found with a book or spending time with friends and family.

Alumni

Tricia Gower graduated from SMU with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2023. She received her B.A. in psychology from McGill University and her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from SMU. Her research interests include the role of cognitive biases in resilience and growth following trauma. She has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the Baltimore VA.

Diane graduated from Wellesley College in 2015 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in economics. She next worked as a research associate and clinical research coordinator at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, studying the effects of PTSD and TBI on Alzheimer’ Disease in Veterans and the implementation of cogntive therapies for Veterans suffering executive dysfunction due to mild TBI., As a fifth year student in the clinical psychology program, her current interests braodly include memory reconsolidation and prediction error, treatments for trauma disorders, and assessment of cognitive disorders. She will begin her clinical neuropsychology internship at the Northern California VA in August 2024. In her spare time, she enjoys crafts, discovering new restaurants, and playing with her and her husband’s corgi, Ira.

COLLABORATORS

Christopher Madan, University of Nottingham Stephanie Wilson, SMU

Julia Spaniol, Ryerson University Elizabeth Kensinger, Boston College

Kimberley Chiew, University of Denver Ryan Daley, Gordon College

Michael Chmielewski, SMU Angela Gutchess, Brandeis University

Eric Fields, Westminster College Ateka Contractor, University of North Texas