Faculty, Graduate Students, and Alumni

Education
University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR (2012)

Research Interests
Etiology of anxiety and problematic substance use; co-occurring anxiety and alcohol use among adolescents; developmental psychopathology. How significant facets of adolescence (e.g., puberty) relate to the onset/maintenance of anxiety psychopathology and drinking behaviors; advancing methodological rigor via a convergence of techniques (e.g., experimental psychopathology, multi-modal assessment).

Current Grant Funding
Current funding is in...

Email: heidemarie.blumenthal@unt.edu 
Office: Terrill Hall 349

Heidemarie's Curriculum Vitae Heidemarie's Grant History Heidemarie's Lab Website

Education
North Carolina State University - Raleigh, NC (2002)

Post Doctoral
Duke University - Durham, NC (2002-2006)

Research Interests
My primary research interest is coping with trauma, with an emphasis on autobiographical memory. We focus on three primary areas of trauma: 1) perceptions of posttraumatic growth (the idea that some trauma survivors grow in important ways as a result of going through adversarial events), 2) the etiology of PTSD, and 3) various coping strategies trauma survivors engage in and their impact on mental and physical well-being.

Email: adriel.boals@unt.edu
Office: Terrill Hall 363

Adriel's Curriculum Vitae Adriel's Grant History

Education
Ohio University - Athens, Ohio (1992)

Postdoctoral Fellowship
University of Texas Medical School in Houston - Human Psychopharmacology (June 1992 - May 1995)

Research Interests
Dr. Dougherty is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of North Texas and an internationally recognized translational scientist with more than 30 years of continuous NIH-funded research experience. His work focuses on alcohol and substance use disorders, integrating laboratory science, clinical trials, behavioral pharmacology, and biomarker development to better understand drinking behavior and improve intervention strategies. His experience includes large-scale clinical and translational infrastructure awards from NIH (e.g., PI on CTSAs and KL2 Career Training Awards). His current work examines objective alcohol monitoring technologies, short-term abstinence interventions, and biomarker-linked health outcomes, bridging basic behavioral science with clinically meaningful endpoints.

Beyond his own research program, Dr. Dougherty has held senior research leadership roles in academic medical centers, where he built research infrastructure, led mentorship initiatives, and supported faculty in securing federal funding. His work is driven by a commitment to advancing translational science and expanding the impact of human behavioral research on public health.

Current Grant Funding
"Phosphatidylethanol and Other Ethanol Consumption Markers” (R01-AA-022361).
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (09/15/24 to 08/31/28, $3,458.486).

Email: donald.dougherty@unt.edu
Office: Terrill Hall 333

 Donald's Curriculum Vitae Donald's Grant History Donald's Lab Website

Education
The University of Southern Mississippi - Hattiesburg, MS

Post Doctoral
University of Southern California, (2013-2016)
Research InterestsDr. Guillot's Disposition, Emotion, & Addiction Research Laboratory (DEAR Lab) investigates the etiology and the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral effects of substance use and other addictive or impulsive behaviors (e.g., behavioral addictions and aggression/self-harm).

Research Page: https://psychology.unt.edu/disposition-emotion-addiction-research-dear-l...

Email: casey.guillot@unt.edu 
Office: Terrill Hall 382

Education
University of Kentucky, earning her Ph.D. (1988).

Professional Positions: 

• Associate Professor, University of North Texas. University of North Texas. (1998 - Present).
• Assistant Professor, University of North Texas. University of North Texas. (1991 - 1998).
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Strong Memorial Hosp. Rochester, NY. Strong Memorial Hosp. Rochester, NY. (1988 - 1991).

Professional Memberships: 

• American Association for the Advancement of Science. (Present).
• International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology. (Present).
• New York Academy of Sciences. (Present).
• Psychoneuroimmunological Research Society. (Present).

Email: Kimberly.Kelly@unt.edu
Office: Terrill Hall 347

Dr. Messman is a behavioral health scientist interested in investigating the biobehavioral and psychosocial determinants of healthy aging across adult development. He completed a Ph.D. in behavioral science at the University of North Texas in 2024 and was a NIA T32 postdoctoral fellow in the Pathways Program at the Pennsylvania State University, Center for Healthy Aging. Dr. Messman is the director of the Ambulatory Healthy Aging (AHA Lab). The long-term research goals of the AHA Lab are to: 1) investigate how modifiable health behaviors (e.g., sleep) change in response to daily challenges (e.g., stress, negative emotions) across the lifespan; 2) identify the extent to which changes in health behavior responsiveness to daily challenges influence age-affiliated health trajectories (e.g., immunosenescence, accelerated biological aging, cognitive decline); and 3) evaluate potential mechanisms underlying these associations (e.g., inflammation). To investigate related research questions, we use ecological momentary assessment, ambulatory psychophysiological assessments (e.g., actigraphy, EEG, cardiovascular monitoring), biological assays (e.g., inflammation, viral load), longitudinal data analysis, and secondary data analysis/harmonization studies.

Email: brett.messman@unt.edu
Office: Terrill Hall 357

Dr. Ryan Olson joined the University of North Texas as an Assistant Professor in fall 2016. He received his B.S. in Kinesiology and Health Promotion from the University of Wyoming prior to completing his Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University. His research interests center on the fields of Sport and Exercise Psychology, with an emphasis on implementing psychophysiological techniques, including electrocardiography (ECG) and electroencephalography (EEG), to identify neural biomarkers of disease. Specifically, Dr. Olson focuses on: 1) the effects of acute and chronic exercise for improving neurocognitive function and mental health, and 2) examining neurocognitive deficits and autonomic function in at-risk populations, especially in concussed and obese individuals.

Lab website: https://appliedphysiologylab.unt.edu/facilities/psychophysiology 

Email: Ryan.Olson@unt.edu
Office: Terrill Hall 

https://psychology.unt.edu/unt-neurocognitive-laboratory 

PhD: Colorado State University, 2012
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Research Summary: In my research program, I seek to advance understanding of how explicit and implicit processes operate and interact in episodic memory. Relatedly, this research involves investigating how executive functioning and subjective awareness of memory (or lack of awareness) relates to behavior, brain function, and quality of life in both healthy and cognitively impaired populations. In my research I use integrative research methods including computerized experimentation, eye tracking, electrophysiology (EEG and ERPs), neuroimaging, and europsychological assessments.

Email: anthony.ryals@unt.edu
Office: Terrill Hall 371

https://shellab.weebly.com/ 

PhD: The Pennsylvania State University, 2017
Research Interests: Dr. Slavish is a health psychologist interested in examining the behavioral and physiological pathways linking sleep, stress, and health over time. In the Sleep and Health in Everyday Life (SHEL) Lab, we investigate a number of research questions, including: 1) why some people experience impaired sleep, both generally and day-to-day, 2) how inflammation may be a mediator between sleep, circadian disruption, and disease, 3) how emotion and stress reactivity are bidirectionally associated with sleep, and 4) how these relationships vary across different populations. To assess these constructs, we use experience-sampling designs (e.g., ecological momentary assessment), ambulatory psychophysiology assessments (e.g., actigraphy, EEG), and longitudinal data analyses.

Email: Danica.Slavish@unt.edu
Office: Terrill Hall - 372

I am a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Behavioral Science program. My research broadly focuses on sleep, health, and stress, with a particular emphasis on immigrant populations.

Major Professor: Dr. Danica Slavish

Hi,  My name is Alexis. I am a first-year PhD student in the Behavioral Science program.
My research interests center on anxiety and stress psychopathology, particularly in children and adolescents, and the impact on developmental and health outcomes.

Major Professor: Dr. Heidemarie Blumenthal.

I’m a first-year Ph.D. student in Behavioral Science program here at UNT. My research interests focus on the intergenerational transmission of trauma, particularly how parental PTSD and chronic stress impact mental health outcomes in children.

Major Professor: Dr. Adriel Boals

I am an incoming first-year graduate student who received a B.S. in Psychology from Santa Ursula University (Brazil) in January 2024. My research interests broadly include associations between sleep disturbances, stress, and trauma. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, reading, watching series, running, and exploring new places.

Major Professor: Dr. Danica Slavish

My name is Daniel Kalanyos, and I am passionate about improving people's lives through research. My research interest is Mentorship (Peer Support) as a Pathway to Heal Trauma and the Brain. I am currently in my first year, and excited for what's to come. 

Major professor: Dr. Adriel Boals

Ruth King is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Behavioral Science Ph.D. program, conducting research under the mentorship of Dr. Anthony Ryals (UNT) and Dr. Rex Wright (UT Dell Medical School). Her work examines how traumatic experiences influence motivation in war-impacted populations, such as veterans and refugees. Her current research investigates the effects of military-related trauma on impulse control responses in service members. 

Major Professor: Dr.Anthony Ryals

I started studying in the Behavior Science doctoral program in Fall 2024. I earned my MS degree from Arizona State University and am a board certified and licensed behavior analyst. My research interests include delayed discounting and behavioral interventions for risky behaviors, such as substance abuse.

Major Professor: Dr. Donald Dougherty

My name is Riley Petherbridge and I am an incoming first year student. My current research interests involve understanding how depressive disorders can influence cognition and the risk for developing cognitive deficits, as well as preventative measures for cognitive decline.

Major Professor: Dr. Anthony Ryals.