ALCOHOL RESEARCH LAB
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Principal Investigator
Dr. Fairbairn is a Helen Corley Petit Associate Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her doctoral training in clinical-health psychology spanned multiple disciplines ranging from social psychology to biostatistics, a transdisciplinary perspective that has expanded through her years as an independent investigator to encompass fields ranging from machine learning to social neuroscience. In recognition of her alcohol research, she was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, a Lincoln Excellence Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, and was the 2020 recipient of the Early Career Investigator award from the Research Society on Alcoholism. Her work focuses on basic social and emotional processes driving alcohol use as well as the application of novel methods and measures within addiction science more broadly
Catharine Fairbairn, Ph.D.
Dr. Silvia Murgia is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Science, where her interdisciplinary work spanned cognitive neuroscience, child development, and auditory processing, with a particular focus on the effects of acoustic challenges and voice quality on speech understanding and cognitive effort. Her dissertation work utilized EEG to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying auditory processing in challenging listening environments, combining expertise in auditory science and physiological responses. Her current research focuses on leveraging hyperscanning techniques to investigate how alcohol use shapes social and emotional processes. She aims to combine her expertise in EEG and cognitive effort with the lab's work on how brain activity synchronizes between individuals during social interactions, offering new insights into addiction and social neuroscience.
Silvia Murgia, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Graduate Students
Staff
Undergraduate Assistants
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Lab Alumni
Yujung Son served as an honors student and undergraduate lab manager assisting on the Alcohol Friend Group Study for one year (2023-2024). She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Psychology May 2024. She is now a post-bacc research coordinator at the Behavioral Health Research Lab at Carnegie Mellon University.
Rosalie Ruhlmann served as a research coordinator in the Alcohol Research Lab for two years on the Transdermal Biosensor Study (Fall 2022-Fall 2024). She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Interdisciplinary Psychology, before which she was a post-bacc research assistant at a developmental stress psychology lab. Rosalie is currently enrolled in the clinical psychology PhD program at Boston University.
Hieu Nguyen received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Clinical/Community Psychology. He was in the lab through his undergraduate career and served as a post bacc research coordinator on the transdermal biosensor study from Spring 2023 to Spring 2024. He is now a post-bacc research assistant in a sleep lab at Rush University in Chicago.
Anna Garrison received her B.A. in Psychology and Theater from Oberlin College. She served as a post-bacc research coordinator on the Alcohol Friend Group Study for two years (Fall 2021-Fall 2023). Anna is currently getting her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.
James Morris received his B.S. in Criminology and Psychology from Florida State University. James was a research coordinator on the Alcohol Friend Group Study for two years (Fall 2021-Fall 2023). He is currently getting his master's degree in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
Laura Gurrieri received her B.S in Psychology from Truman State University in the Spring of 2020. She was a research coordinator in the Alcohol Research Lab two non-consecutive years (Summer 2020-Spring 2021, Summer 2022-Spring 2023), between which she was a research coordinator at Georgia State University. Laura is currently getting her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Talia Ariss received her B.A. in psychology from the American University of Beirut and an MA in Psychology in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Talia was a student in the Alcohol Research Lab prior to completing her PhD in clinical psychology in 2023. Her research interests focused on investigating the interplay between one’s emotions, cognition, and social interactions as they relate to substance misuse. Specifically, she researched factors that increase one’s likelihood of developing of a substance use disorder. Talia is now a post-doctoral researcher at the Puget Sound VA.
Dani Kang received her B.S. and M.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dani was a graduate student in the Alcohol Research Lab before she completed her PhD in clinical psychology in 2023. Dani studied the socio-contextual and emotional factors that might contribute to understanding the underlying mechanisms of AUD development. Additionally, she integrated electroencephalogram techniques into the lab’s alcohol administration paradigm to investigate the effects of alcohol on individuals’ cognitive processing of social contexts. Dani is now a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
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Rashmi Ghonasgi was an honors student and undergraduate lab manager in the Alcohol Research Lab for one year (2021-2022). She received her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. She is currently a post-bacc research coordinator at the University of Missouri, St. Louis.
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Liz Garrity was a research coordinator in the Alcohol Research Lab for one year (Fall 2021-Spring 2022). She received her B.S. in Psychology and English at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is currently earning her masters degree in psychology at DePaul University.
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Coco Yu was an honors student in the Alcohol Research Lab for two and a half years (2018-2021). She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical/Community Psychology and a minor in Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021. Coco is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
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Zoe Lee was an honors student and undergraduate lab manager in the Alcohol Research Lab for two years (2018-2020). She received her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020. Zoe is currently a research assistant in the Clinical Addictions Research Laboratory at the University of Chicago.
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Sara Mei was an honors student in the Alcohol Research Lab for two years (2018-2020). She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a clinical concentration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020. She is currently a doctoral student in counseling psychology at Colorado State.
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Brynne Velia received her B.S. in Psychology from Stony Brook University in 2017, and was a post-bacc in the Alcohol Research Lab for three years (2017 to 2020). She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Georgia State University.
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Daniel Garcy was an undergraduate student and then a project manager in the Alcohol Research Lab for three years (2015-2018). He received his BS in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2017. He is currently a doctoral student in behavioral neuroscience at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis.
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Kaleigh Wilkins was an honors student and undergraduate lab manager in the Alcohol Research Lab for three years (2016-2018). She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017. Kaleigh is now a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Loyola University, Chicago.
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Konrad Bresin was a graduate student in the Alcohol Research Lab for three years (2015 to 2018). He received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018. Konrad is currently an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Louisville.