Faculty Expertise
Throughout your time at Washington College, you will work with faculty in classes, lab and field work, internships, and more. Faculty serve as teachers and mentors, and as advisors for your Senior Capstone Experience (SCE). Explore the research interests of our faculty below.
Psychology Faculty
Tia Murphy
Chair of Psychology Department
Associate Professor of Psychology
Advisor Pre-Nursing Program
Areas of Expertise
Social and personality development
Research
My research broadly focuses on parenting and children's social and emotional development. I’m especially interested in how the quality of the parent-child attachment can influence many aspects of a child’s life, including their experiences of empathy and jealousy. I'm also currently examining how maternal burnout can impact children's development.
Cindy Gibson
Associate Professor of Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Models of traumatic brain injury; neurodegenerative disease risks after brain injury
Research
My research uses rats and mice to study the long-term outcomes of traumatic brain injuries and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases—particularly Parkinson's and Alzheimer's—after suffering from one.
Dan Kochli
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Post-traumatic stress disorder; addiction
Research
I am primarily interested in how simple learning processes can underpin complex disordered behaviors, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction. We study these behaviors in rats, and use modern neuroscience techniques to manipulate circuits and record neurobiological changes supporting these forms of maladaptive learning.
Lauren Littlefield
Dr. Carol C. Culp Professor of Psychology
Coordinator of Credit-Bearing Psychology Internships
Areas of Expertise
Child assessment; medical and developmental disorders
Research
I enjoy teaching a variety of practical, clinically-oriented courses such as Psychological Testing, Child Assessment, Medical & Developmental Disorders, Group Processes, Psychology Internship, and Human Neuropsychology. I love advising students and matching them with opportunities in their areas of purpose and passion. I have supervised over 200 Senior Capstone Experience projects and student research teams, culminating in well over 100 peer-reviewed, co-authored paper and poster presentations at regional conferences with students, 12 of which have won regional research awards.
Kevin McKillop
Associate Professor of Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Social Psychology
Research
Self-presentation and Identity
Audrey Weil
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Cognitive neuroscience and substance use
Research
I often work with students on a variety of exciting research initiatives. Recent student-driven research includes projects on how music effects different patterns of brain activity, how traumatic brain injuries impacts attentional control and related brain activity, and the importance of harm reduction education for people who aren't substance users.
Michele Clapp
Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Personality; Health; Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Research
Nicole Hurless
Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Trauma-informed practices, ecotherapy, counselor training and development, multicultural competence, self-care and wellness
Research
I enjoy supporting student researchers investigating topics of adverse childhood experiences, attachment styles, multicultural psychology, and/or nature-based wellness. My advising style is very relational and collaborative - I love when students stop by my office with questions about my work, or just to talk over their research or career plans.