Department Leadership & Staff

Chair

David Kearns Professor and Department Chair, Psychology CAS | Psychology

Research interests:Learning, behavior, addiction.Recent publications:Beasley, M. M., Gunawan, T., Tunstall, B. J., & Kearns, D. N. (2022). Intermittent access training produces greater motivation for

  kearns@american.edu

  (202) 885-1711

Program Directors

Full Time Faculty

Last name starts with A

Anthony Ahrens Professor CAS | Psychology

My continuing interests include gratitude and mindfulness, especially the relation of gratitude to the desire to be independent of others. I also have two relatively new interests. (1) Non-Buddhist co

  ahrens@american.edu

  (202) 885-1714

Last name starts with B

Laurie Bayet Assistant Professor CAS | Neuroscience

Dr. Bayet is a developmental cognitive neuroscientist interested in infant cognitive development and high-level vision. Her lab combines electro-encephalography (EEG), behavioral methods, and computat

  bayet@american.edu

  (202) 885-1719

Last name starts with C

Nicole Caporino Associate Professor CAS | Psychology

Dr. Caporino’s primary research interest is maximizing the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders in children and adolescents. This involves iden

  caporino@american.edu

  (202) 885-6358

Michele Carter Professor CAS | Psychology

Dr. Carter received his doctorate and master’s degrees from Vanderbilt University and his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. He completed a clinical internship at the Palo Alto V.A. foll

  mcart@american.edu

  (202) 885-1712

Thomas Costello Assistant Professor CAS | Psychology

Thomas Costello is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at American University. He studies where political and social beliefs come from, how they differ from person to person–and, ultimately, why they

  tcostello@american.edu

Alice Coyne Assistant Professor CAS | Psychology

Alice Coyne is an Assistant Professor of Psychology who joined the department in 2023. Dr. Coyne completed her PhD at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed her postdoctoral training at

  coyne@american.edu

Last name starts with D

Laura Duval Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | Psychology

Dr. Duval earned her bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College and her MS and PhD in Social Psychology from Tulane University. As the new Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology

  duval@american.edu

  (202) 885-1726

Last name starts with E

Noemi Enchautegui de Jesus Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | Psychology

Dr. Enchautegui-de-Jesus received her MA and PhD in Community Psychology from New York University. She was a postdoctoral fellow with the NIMH’s Family Research Consortium III at the University of Mic

  enchaute@american.edu

  (202) 885-1773

Last name starts with F

Bryan Fantie Associate Professor CAS | Psychology

After completing an Honours thesis on motivational systems in the brain guided by Dr. Roy Wise at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, Dr. Fantie did his graduate work at Dalhousie University in

  bfantie@american.edu

  (202) 885-1790

Last name starts with G

maria Gomez Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer (Continuing) CAS | Psychology

Dr. Gomez-Serrano was born and raised in Madrid where she obtained her Veterinarian degree specializing in animal husbandry and genetics. Right after obtaining her degree, Dr. Gomez-Serrano moved to W

  mgomez@american.edu

  (202) 885-2681

Kathleen Gunthert Professor CAS | Psychology

Dr. Gunthert’s program of research focuses on the influence of everyday stress and coping on depression and anxiety. Specifically, she has used intensive daily monitoring techniques to address how eve

  gunthert@american.edu

  (202) 885-1701

Last name starts with H

David A. F. Haaga Professor CAS | Psychology

Dave Haaga is a Professor of Psychology and has been a faculty member at American University since 1989. Dr. Haaga received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California an

  dhaaga@american.edu

  (202) 885-1718

Erica Hart Professorial Lecturer CAS | Psychology

Erica teaches a range of psychology courses including Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Personality Psychology, Introduction to Clinical Psychology and Research Methods. Throughout these courses

  hart@american.edu

  (202) 885-1418

Nathaniel Herr Associate Professor CAS | Psychology

Nathaniel Herr is an Associate Professor of Psychology who joined the department in 2012. Dr. Herr received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and received p

  nherr@american.edu

  (202) 885-1724

Last name starts with J

Laura Juliano Professor CAS | Psychology

Laura M. Juliano earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her

  juliano@american.edu

  (202) 885-1715

Last name starts with K

David Kearns Professor and Department Chair, Psychology CAS | Psychology

Research interests:Learning, behavior, addiction.Recent publications:Beasley, M. M., Gunawan, T., Tunstall, B. J., & Kearns, D. N. (2022). Intermittent access training produces greater motivation for

  kearns@american.edu

  (202) 885-1711

Last name starts with L

Nicole Lorenzo Assistant Professor CAS | Psychology

Dr. Lorenzo studies relationships between parenting and early childhood social-emotional and behavioral functioning. The goal of her research is to aid in the early identification of children at risk

  nlorenzo@american.edu

Last name starts with P

Zehra Peynircioglu Professor CAS | Psychology

Zehra Peynircioglu received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Stanford. She started graduate studies in cognitive psychology, specializing in memory, at Princeton (and received an MA) and fo

  peynir@american.edu

  (202) 885-1713

Last name starts with S

Last name starts with T

Jonathan Tubman Professor of Psychology CAS | Psychology

My research and practice training is in the areas of applied developmental psychology, addiction studies and social work. My research program focuses on health risk behaviors, substance use and mental

  jtubman@american.edu

  (202) 885-3778

Last name starts with Y

Brian Yates Professor CAS | Psychology

Dr. Yates has published or has in-press 104 articles, book chapters, and online pieces, including 6 books. Most of his publications apply cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analysis to the systematic

  byates@american.edu

  (202) 885-1727