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Psychology Faculty

Our faculty are a unique blend of researchers, educators and professionals who are proven experts in their fields.

Natalia A. Baires, Clinical Assistant Professor and Online Program Director

Behavior Analysis Therapy (Online)

Dr. Natalia Baires (pronounced "by-res") is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Director for the online Behavior Analysis and Therapy programs. An English-Spanish bilingual, doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D), Dr. Baires earned her Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University in 2020. Her research interests include culturally adapted and culturally responsive interventions for culturally and linguistically diverse individuals, social justice and equity within and outside the field of behavior analysis, compassionate approaches within behavior-analytic services and supervision/mentorship, the role of language and cognition from a Relational Frame Theory framework (particularly for bilingual speakers), and the use of Acceptance and Commitment Training to ensure sustainable behavioral flexibility and psychological well-being.



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Natalia A. Baires

Office: Life Science II, 281
Phone: 618-453-3529
natalia.baires@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Paige S. Boydston, Clinical Assistant Professor

Behavior Analysis Therapy (Online)

Dr. Paige Boydston earned her Ph.D. in Psychology at Southern Illinois University, with an emphasis on Behavior Analysis and Therapy. She has worked with individuals and families impacted by autism for over 15 years in home, community, school, and residential settings. Dr. Boydston continues to provide clinical services to individuals in rural and remote areas in addition to teaching. Research interests include parent training, telehealth, applications of early intensive intervention procedures to older children and adolescents, and gender equality in the field of behavior analysis.



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Mary Louise Cashel, Associate Professor and Program Director

Clinical Psychology

Dr. Cashel specializes in assessment and interventions for youth and adolescents, with a focus on youth violence prevention, trauma and delinquency. She recently concluded a project funded by the National Institute of Justice designed to prevent bullying and enhance school climate in schools throughout much of the Southern Illinois region. She has conducted studies on risk assessment, trauma and PTSD among male and female delinquents.

 



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SIU Psychology Mary Louise Cashel

Office: Life Science II, 271D
Phone: 618-453-3553
mcashel@siu.edu
SIU Youth Violence Prevention Lab

YouJung Choi, Assistant Professor

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

YouJung Choi received her Ph.D. from the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri under the supervision of Dr. Yuyan Luo. She previously was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at Yale University collaborating with Drs. Yarrow Dunham, Laurie Santos, and Karen Wynn. Right before joining at SIU, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University working with Dr. Elizabeth S. Spelke.



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SIU Psychology YouJung Choi

Office: Life Science II, 212
Phone: 618-536-2302
youjung.choi1@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Social Cognitive Development Lab (SCD Lab)

Lisabeth DiLalla, Professor

School of Medicine; Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Clinical Psychology

Lisabeth DiLalla (Ph.D., 1987, Developmental Psychology, University of Virginia) completed a post-doctoral fellowship in behavior genetics at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics at the University of Colorado. Since then she has been at SIU, currently as a Professor in the School of Medicine. Her research on preschoolers has focused on aggressive and cooperative peer behaviors, behavioral adjustment to school, and play and imagination. Other research interests include delinquency and cognitive development. Dr. DiLalla focuses on twins in her research to better understand the contributions of genes and environment to the behaviors she studies. She also teaches child development and behavior genetics to undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. Dr. DiLalla is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and a Charter Fellow of the Midwestern Psychology Association (MPA). Dr. DiLalla is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and a Charter Fellow of both the Midwestern Psychology Association (MPA) and Sigma Xi, the National Scientific Research Honor Society.



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SIU Psychology Lisabeth DiLalla

Office: Lindegren, 210A
Phone: 618-453-1855
ldilalla@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
SI Twins & Siblings Study

Reza Habib, Director, School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences; Associate Professor

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Dr. Reza Habib received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Toronto in 2000 working with Dr. Endel Tulving. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto. He joined SIU as an assistant professor in the Fall of 2003. Dr. Habib 's research interests include brain imaging (fMRI) and statistical methodology, and long-term learning and memory.



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SIU Psychology Reza Habib

Office: Life Science II, 279
Phone: 618-453-3529
rhabib@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Memory & Cognition Lab

Camilo Hurtado-Parrado, Assistant Professor

Behavior Analysis and Therapy (On-campus)

Dr. Hurtado-Parrado’s research focuses on the understanding of human and nonhuman learning and behavioral processes, especially how they are regulated by aversive events (e.g., effects of aversive stimuli on memory, self-control, problem-solving, verbal behavior, rule following, and conciliation).



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SIU Psychology Camilo Hurtado-Parrado

Office: Life Science II, 281
Phone: 618-536-2302
camilo.parrado@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Michael Hylin, Associate Professor and Program Director

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Dr. Michael Hylin received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Behavior from Northern Illinois University in 2010. After which he was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Pramod Dash at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. Dr. Hylin’s research focuses on the biochemical systems that underlie neurocognitive dysfunction following traumatic brain injury (specifically mild and repetitive injury). This includes pathways associated with the extracellular matrix, inflammation and axonal injury. The goal of his research is to determine how manipulation of dysfunctional pathways can lead to behavioral recovery. Part of this strategy involves researching the mechanisms involved in memory recall in order to develop novel strategies for neurocognitive rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury. Another strategy is combining environmental enrichment and cognitive rehabilitation with pharmacological treatments in order to induce functional recovery.



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SIU Psychology Michael Hylin

Office: Life Science II, 77B
Phone: 618-453-3516
mhylin@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Lab

Eric Jacobs, Associate Professor

Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Applied Psychology; Behavior Analysis and Therapy (On-campus)

Eric A. Jacobs (Ph.D, 1997, Experimental Psychology, University of Florida) completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Vermont and is now an Associate professor in the Applied Psychology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences programs. His research interests include human operant behavior, quantitative analyses of choice and decision-making (e.g., delay discounting, "self-control", & "impulsivity"), applied behavior analysis, behavioral economics, behavioral ecology, and behavioral pharmacology.



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SIU Psychology Eric Jacobs

Office: Life Science II, 275A
Phone: 618-453-3555
eajacobs@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Operant Conditioning and Learning Lab

Tamara Kang, Assistant Professor

Clinical Psychology

Dr. Tamara Kang received her Ph.D. in Legal Psychology, M.A. in Clinical Psychology, and Quantitative Certificate from the University of Texas at El Paso. Prior to coming to SIUC, Dr. Kang completed her postdoctoral fellowship developing and implementing a Youth Needs and Progress Scale (YNPS) on Dr. Robert Prentky’s Department of Justice funded grant at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Broadly, Dr. Kang is interested in psychology and law. Specifically, Dr. Kang’s Barriers to Reducing Crime Lab is committed to: (1) developing innovative strategies to communicate research on how to effectively reduce crime (science communication); (2) effective implementation of evidence-based practices; (3) mental health stigmatization; (4) judgment and decision-making in the criminal justice system; (5) special needs that pose barriers to reducing crime; and (6) assessment and rehabilitation of offenders with a mental disorder.



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SIU Psychology Tamara Kang

Office: Life Science II, 281
Phone: 618-453-2301
tamara.kang@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Barriers to Reducing Crime Lab

Jeffrey Kellogg, Adjunct Assistant Professor

Dr. Jeffrey Kellogg, a clinical child psychologist, received his Psy.D degree from Rutgers University, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, in 1982. He interned in clinical child psychology at the University of Alabama College of Medicine department of Psychiatry. After directing child, adolescent and family services for a regional mental health clinic in rural Alabama, followed by a position providing cross cultural and mental health services to expat families living in Malaysia, Dr. Kellogg moved to southern Illinois and began to work with children and their families 33 years ago. Before attending Rutgers he served in the US Peace Corps in Jamaica, West Indies training guidance counselors and developing a child psychiatric unit at the national hospital.



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Michelle Kibby, Professor

Clinical Psychology; Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Dr. Kibby received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Memphis with specialized training in clinical neuropsychology and clinical child psychology. She interned at Brown University, specializing in both areas. She completed a clinical post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at the Medical College of Georgia and a research post-doctoral fellowship in child neuropsychology at the University of Georgia under George W. Hynd. Dr. Kibby is a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.



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Usha Lakshmanan, Professor

Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Linguistics

Dr. Lakshmanan received her Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1989. She joined SIU in 1990 and is currently Professor of Psychology, with a cross-appointment in the department of Linguistics. Her research interests encompass the interrelated areas of psycholinguistics, bilingualism, child first language acquisition, child and adult second language acquisition, language and cognition, and the language of youth media. In her research, which focuses on the relationship between psycholinguistic theory and language acquisition, she has addressed several aspects of grammatical development and language processing from a cross-linguistic perspective.



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SIU Psychology Usha Lakshmanan

Office: Life Science II, 275C
Phone: 618-453-3574
usha@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Psycholinguistics and Language Acquisition Lab

Eric Lee, Assistant Professor

Clinical Psychology

In 2019 Eric received his Ph.D. in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at Utah State University. He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Anxiety Disorders Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital before joining SIUC as an Assistant Professor. His research interests include Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Contextual Behavior Science, Process-based therapy, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He has authored numerous publications, book chapters and presentations (refer to his CV).



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SIU Psychology Eric Lee

Office: Life Science II, 268
Phone: 618-453-3551
eric.lee@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Personalized Mental Health Lab

Yueh-Ting Lee, Professor and Program Director

Applied Psychology

Yueh-Ting Lee (aka “Li Yue-Ting”) is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale, where he has also served as the Dean of the Graduate School since 2015. Before he came to SIU, Dr. Lee had served as an administrator in various capacities, including Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Associate Vice President at the University of Toledo, Ohio, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Minot State University in North Dakota.



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SIU Psychology Yueh-Ting Lee

Office: Life Science II, 275F
Phone: 618-453-4180 or
618-453-3564
leey@siu.edu
Applied Culture and Evolution (ACE) Lab

Robert Morgan, Dean, College of Health and Human Services; Professor

Clinical Psychology

Dr. Morgan completed his Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Oklahoma State University and a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Missouri Department of Mental Health. After 21 years at Texas Tech University, he joined Southern Illinois University in 2021 as the Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences and as a Professor in the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Morgan’s research and scholarly activities include treatment and assessment of justice involved persons with mental illness, effects of incarceration including in restricted housing units, and forensic mental health assessment. 



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Dustin Nadler, Clinical Assistant Professor

Applied Psychology

Dr. Dustin Nadler Director of Applied Research Consultants (ARC) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). Originally from the St. Louis metropolitan area, he received his Ph.D. from the Applied Psychology program at SIUC. Since graduating, he has worked at several universities in the greater St. Louis area and as a research consultant, a role which he currently holds. 



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Ryan Redner, Associate Professor

Behavior Analysis and Therapy (On-campus)

Ryan Redner is an Associate Professor and Program Director in the Behavior Analysis and Therapy program. Ryan received his Doctoral degree from Western Michigan University under Dr. Alan Poling and went on to complete a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Vermont in the area of Behavior and Health with Dr. Stephen T. Higgins. He studies the personal health choices that lead to premature death and exorbitant health care costs in the United States (cigarette smoking, physical exercise, and healthy eating). 



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SIU Psychology Ryan Redner

Office: Rehn Hall, 335A
Phone: 618-453-8295
rredner@siu.edu

Kate M. Sadler, Clinical Assistant Professor

Behavior Analysis and Therapy (Online)

Kate M. Sadler is a Clinical Assistant Professor for the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program. Dr. Sadler obtained her PhD from the University of Missouri; Columbia and completed post-doctoral work at the University of Virginia. She has over 25 years of experience working with individuals impacted by developmental disabilities and autism, in various roles (as an early childhood special education teacher, special education teacher, behavior analyst, and psychological examiner).



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Ankita Sahu, Assistant Professor

Clinical Psychology

Ankita Sahu, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor and Program Director in the Counseling Psychology program. Dr. Sahu earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University. She holds an M.Ed. in Prevention Science from University of Oregon, and a B.A. in Psychology from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at The Ohio State University, Counseling and Consultation Service with an emphasis on providing mental health services to Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), and international students using a multicultural and system-level framework of counseling.



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SIU Psychology Ankita Sahu

Pronouns: she/her
Office:
Life Science II, 222A
Phone: 618-453-3529
ankita.sahu@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Lesley Shawler, Assistant Professor

Behavior Analysis and Therapy (On-campus)

Dr. Lesley Shawler is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Applied Behavior Studies - Endicott College in 2019 under the advisement of Dr. Caio Miguel. She completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Neurobehavioral Unit and Clinical Outcomes department. Dr. Shawler has experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses across the lifespan and in a myriad of settings. Her main expertise includes the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior and teaching verbal behavior to individuals with Autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.

 



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SIU Psychology Lesley Shawler

Office: Life Sciences II, 275B
Phone: 618-536-2302
lesley.shawler@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Paul Shawler, Clinical Assistant Professor

Clinical Psychology

Dr. Shawler specializes in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Child and Adolescent Psychology. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and joined the Clinical Psychology faculty in 2022. In addition to teaching and supervising within the Clinical Psychology program, he serves the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at SIU-C as the Supervising Clinical Psychologist where he oversees and conducts Autism screenings and diagnostic services and supervises graduate students. Dr. Shawler is part time at SIU-C and owns a local independent clinical psychology practice, Shawler Psychology, PLLC.



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SIU Psychology Paul Shawler

Office: Life Science II, 271E
Phone: 618-539-2155
paul.shawler@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Jane Swanson, Professor Emerita

Counseling Psychology

Dr. Swanson is an Emeritus Professor of Counseling Psychology. Dr. Swanson’s research interests involve career development and vocational psychology, including adolescent career exploration, perceived career barriers, career counseling, measurement of vocational interests, and career psychology of women. She has authored a book and numerous book chapters regarding vocational psychology, and published research articles in Journal of Vocational Behavior, Career Development Quarterly, Journal of Career Assessment, and Journal of Counseling Psychology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17) of the American Psychological Association, and was formerly chair of the Society for Vocational Psychology and treasurer of the Society of Counseling Psychology. Dr. Swanson retired in 2015 but she continues to teach online classes.



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Yee Pin Tio, Clinical Assistant Professor

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Dr. Yee Pin Tio earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in December 2020. She completed a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology focusing on cognitive decline among the elderly population and memory care services in the Southern Illinois region.



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Office: Life Science II, 285C
Phone: 618-536-2302
yeepintio@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Natalie F. Williams Awodeha, Clinical Assistant Professor

Behavior Analysis and Therapy (Online)

Originally from Oklahoma City, Dr. Williams Awodeha holds a B.A. in Psychology from The University of Oklahoma, M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Langston University, and Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Ohio University. She completed the BACB-approved course sequence at Florida Institute of Technology. Research interests include cultural and linguistic inclusion in ABA, employment disparities for African Americans with cognitive disabilities, and peer-to-peer support groups for women of color with mental health concerns (see CV for complete list of publications).



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School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences | College of Health and Human Sciences | 618-536-2301 |