Lauren A. J. Kirby, PhD

 

I became a scientist by accident. I raised my hand to volunteer for a research opportunity, thinking that meant becoming a participant. Instead, the upperclassmen were looking for research assistants. I realized my mistake when I attended the first lab meeting, but kept that confusion to myself. I was nervous and excited, and determined to give my best to this new opportunity. Thus, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Larry Bates at the University of North Alabama and went on to graduate school at Auburn University to work with Dr. Jennifer Robinson, culminating in an appointment at the University of Texas at Tyler. Although these days I am a bit more informed about my research involvement, I still bring that same openness and acceptance to the surprises psychological science brings.

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As evidence of my recent research, you will find to the right a list of my current publications, a link to my PhD Dissertation, and a link to a grant application for which I received an award from the Auburn University Graduate School. I have worked to create a film library for emotion elicitation, and to investigate the effects of brief in-class mindfulness training on cognitive, affective, and physiological variables in college students. I have also investigated the functional segmentation of the hippocampus, and have written about student-centered teaching practices. I plan to continue to integrate my expertise in cognitive and affective neuroscience with my scholarship in teaching and learning, and foresee a strong role for undergraduate research assistants in my future work.