Area of Research
Melinda’s research focuses on individual differences in cognitive and affective processes that support social connection. Specifically, she is interested in how people regulate their emotions in social contexts and how differences in regulatory processes influence the quantity and quality of social relationships. Melinda earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before joining Columbia University, she served as a lab manager for Dr. Abigail Marsh at Georgetown University. There, she conducted research with altruistic kidney donors and individuals with clinically significant psychopathic traits to examine individual differences in the neural, cognitive, and social underpinnings of prosocial behavior.
