Emma Bales Graduate Student, Industrial-Organizational Program Emma Bales is a second-year PhD student in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Georgia. She graduated in May 2025 with a B.S. in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, earning CURO Undergraduate Research Scholar distinction and the William T. James Award for the most outstanding senior in Psychology at UGA. She has received over $19,000 in scholarships, research awards, conference travel grants, and fellowships, including the CURO Summer Research Fellowship and the Hamilton Lokey Graduate Scholarship. As an early-career researcher, she has already demonstrated success through multiple peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Her research experience spans qualitative and quantitative methods, meta-analysis, agent-based modeling, and work on an NIH-funded R01 randomized controlled clinical trial. Emma has served as a teaching assistant for undergraduate courses in Research Design and Research Analysis using RStudio. In service, she reviews conference submissions for the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and serves as the Social Media Chair for IOPSA, her program’s student-led organization. Emma’s current work explores team dynamics within Human-Artificial Intelligence teams and the role of individual differences in applicant reactions to organizational diversity signaling. Post-grad, she plans to continue research, teaching, and service as a Professor of Psychology.
Ga-Yeong Yun Graduate Student, Social, Developmental, and Health Psychology I am a first-year student working with Dr. Brian Haas in the Culture and Identity Lab. My research focuses on the intersection of cultural psychology, social cognition, and well-being. Specifically, I investigate how individuals across distinct cultural systems, shaped by varying social norms, historical contexts, and environments, perceive, interpret, and recall the same stimuli. By understanding these cross-cultural variations in information processing, I aim to identify the culturally specific determinants that promote and enhance psychological well-being.
Kylee Jenkins Graduate Student, Cognitive Neuroscience Program Research Research Interests: I am interested in the relationship between the environment, stress, and neurodevelopment in youth. I incorporate cognitive tasks and surveys, while operationalizing neuroimaging techniques (DTI, task-based fMRI) to analyze white matter maturation, and biospecimens (cytokine/biomarkers) to understand the impact on neuroinflammation in youth. I am currently looking into how psychosocial threat moderates the association between Default Mode-Pallidum connectivity and later obsessive-compulsive symptoms in adolescence. Within my lab, we emphasize involvement and outreach to bridge the gap between science and the community. Other Information Other Affiliations: SEND Lab Website
Science of Suicide (SOS) Laboratory, Dr. Brian Bauer The SOS Lab focuses both on the prevention of affective crises, how we can best intervene when crises do occur (e.g., behavioral nudges), and what factors affect intervention engagement. Most of our work is done in suicide prevention; however, we also study other types of affective crises (e.g., dissociation). Our research often integrates decision making biases to investigate our outcomes of interest. We typically use multiple methods such as keyboard metadata, ecological momentary assessment, quantitative self-report, clinical interviews, qualitative analysis, electroencephalogram, and virtual reality. Lab site: Visit the SOS Lab Read more about Science of Suicide (SOS) Laboratory, Dr. Brian Bauer
Harvey Louis Gayer Part-time Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Program Dr. Harvey L. Gayer is a licensed psychologist and Director of Positive Outcomes Psychological Services, P.C., a practice he developed in 1998 in Athens, Ga after successful practice development in Valdosta, Ga. He also supervises doctoral students as the Assistant Clinical Professor at UGA’s accredited clinical psychology program in Athens, Georgia. Previously, Dr. Gayer was a member of the faculty of Valdosta State University from 1996 to 1998 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Counseling, where he also had a thriving private practice. He has published articles, and presented at local, state, and national conferences. Frequently referred forensic/court cases, Dr. Gayer has been qualified as an expert witness in nearly two thousand court hearings in Georgia and South Carolina. In addition to general practice, Dr. Gayer has a great deal of experience with complex custody/divorce, psychosexual , parental fitness, bonding, domestic violence, substance abuse, and criminal mitigation cases. He also works with disability issues, police, educator, and other fitness for duty evaluations, and he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, Anger, and Anxiety. His therapy approach is dependent on each individual’s presentation, and leans heavily on evidence based techniques. He often uses Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Behavioral techniques. He supports the community through many forms of philanthropy. Education Education: Dr. Gayer received undergraduate training at Trenton State College, and graduate training at Ball State University (M.A. – 1993; Ph.D. – 1996). His 2000-hour APA-approved internship took place at Norristown (Pa.) State Hospital and his 2000-hour post-doctoral fellowship was conducted in Valdosta, Georgia. Both focused on the evaluation and treatment of children, adults, and their families. Other Information Of note: He has been continuously licensed as a psychologist in Georgia with 40 or more hours of continuing education credits since August of 1997. Dr. Gayer has supervised UGA graduate students in the accredited clinical psychology program since May of 2024.
