People
MAPL Lab Fall 2025 at SMU
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
HOLLY J. BOWEN, PH.D.
she/her
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
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.
JULIE PHAM
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.
IRIS YANG
Sumaiyah is a fifth-year graduate student in SMU’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Biology and Turkish. Her research investigates chronic stress and early adversity as predictors of inflammatory processes and related cognitive and health outcomes across adulthood and aging. She is also interested in identifying protective buffers that may mitigate these effects and promote resilience. Outside of the lab, Sumaiyah enjoys spending time with loved ones, trying new coffee shops and restaurants, creative writing, and cuddling her cat, Meenu.
SUMAIYAH SYED
Sarah is a second-year graduate student in SMU’s clinical psychology P.h.D program. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in psychology from the University of North Florida. After receiving her degrees she worked as a clinical research coordinator at the University of Florida, Health Jacksonville. As a coordinator she worked on clinical trials surrounding prevention of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenrative impairments. Her current research interest revolve around capturing and understanding the cognitive, emotional, and physiological changes that happen with aging. Outside of the lab, Sarah loves cooking, painting, hearing live music, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.
SARAH CLINE
LAB MASCOT: Pebbles
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.
BRENNA DAVIDSON
Avery White is a senior at SMU pursuing a BS in Biological Sciences, a BS in Health and Society, a BA in Religious Studies (specialization in Religion and Culture), and a minor in Chemistry, with plans to graduate in May 2026. Avery joined the MAPL Lab in June 2024 to learn about the research process outside of the traditional lecture setting and gain experience in cognitive science research. In July 2026, Avery will begin dental school, where she hopes to continue engaging in research.
AVERY WHITE
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.
PAREEYA SANANI
Krithi is a senior undergraduate student at SMU, majoring in Biology and minoring in Neuroscience, and on the pre-health track. After graduating, she plans on applying to medical school. As a research assistant, Krithi assists with tasks such as running visits with participants and entering data. She has also presented results from the lab at multiple undergraduate conferences. In her free time, Krithi enjoys baking, creative writing, reading murder mysteries, and hiking with her dog.
KRITHI BOLLEDULA
URSULA CHUMLEY
Alumni
TRICIA GOWER
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.
DIANE MOON
COLLABORATORS
Christopher Madan, University of Nottingham Stephanie Wilson, UAB
Julia Spaniol, Toronto Metropolitan University Elizabeth Kensinger, Boston College
Kimberley Chiew, University of Denver Ryan Daley, Gordon College
Michael Chmielewski, SMU Angela Gutchess, Brandeis University
Eric Fields, UNC Greensboro Ateka Contractor, University of North Texas