People

Patty Van Cappellen, PhD.

Patty Van Cappellen, PhD. is an Associate Research Professor in the Social Science Research Institute and in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. Dr. Van Cappellen is also the Director of the Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research Center at Duke University. Dr. Van Cappellen earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology in 2012 from UCLouvain, Belgium. She then moved to do a postdoc with Barbara Fredrickson on positive psychology and psychophysiology at UNC-Chapel Hill where she became Research Assistant Professor.

Dr. Van Cappellen received the Early Career Award from the International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR) in 2017 and the Margaret Gorman Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association Div. 36 in 2019. She was an Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed journal “Archive for the Psychology of Religion” from 2017 until 2021. See her Researchgate profile.

Curriculum Vitae; Contact Patty Van Cappellen, PhD.

Megan E. Edwards

Megan E. Edwards, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Social Science Research Institute and a part of the Belief, Affect, and Behavior Lab. Dr. Edwards earned her PhD in Social and Personality Psychology in 2024 from the University of Missouri with a Life Sciences Fellowship.

Dr. Edwards studies the intersection of emotion, positive, and existential psychology with the goal of understanding human flourishing. Currently, her work has focused on two complex positive emotions: hope and awe. Specifically, examining hope as a resource for meaning in life during difficult life events and the existential implications of awe, such as how it makes us feel (in)significant and (dis)connected from others. Her work also touches on key topics related to the psychology of religion, existential isolation, and meaning in life more broadly.

Curriculum Vitae; Google Scholar Profile; Personal Website

Kunalan Manokara

Kunalan Manokara, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Social Science Research Institute, and a Research Scholar with the Belief, Affect, and Behavior Lab at Duke University. He is currently the Co-Investigator on a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust, examining the role of empathy and other positive emotions in impacting societally relevant outcomes (e.g., prosocial behaviors, intergroup interactions).

Dr. Manokara was awarded his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) in June 2023. He was then a Postdoctoral Visitor at York University (Canada) between 2023-2024. Prior to his doctorate, Kunalan earned his MPhil in Psychology from the University of Queensland (Australia), and MSc in Social Cognition at University College London (United Kingdom) where he graduated on the Dean’s List.

Kunalan conducts research at the intersection of affective science and social identity. He investigates how people make sense of emotions in relation to socio-psychological factors such as race, class, and religion. In recognition of his scholarship, Kunalan was named in the inaugural batch of Graduate Research Fellows by the Social Science Research Council of Singapore in 2021. He currently serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Association for Psychological Science.

Google Scholar Profile; LinkedIn ; Personal Website

Cheryl Tan

Cheryl Tan is a Co-Lab Manager of the Belief, Affect, and Behavior Lab at Duke University. She moved to Durham after graduating with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Washington, Seattle, where she conducted and published an independent cross-cultural study on the dimensions of self during joy (Tan & Titova, 2025). Her research interests are at the intersection of culture, emotion, and well-being, and she plans on pursuing a PhD. in Social Psychology. Outside of academia, she loves trying milk tea stores, baking, and catching up on her favorite shows. **Cheryl is leaving for grad school in May and will attend The Ohio State University!!**

Jenna Faith McClear

Jenna Faith McClear is a Co-Lab Manager for the Belief, Affect, and Behavior Lab at Duke University. After graduating with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she spent some time working in faith-based social work and clinical mental health organizations. From there, she moved on to earn her Master’s in Theological Studies from Duke Divinity School, where her thesis research focused on theological and psychological conceptions of joy. Her research interests include theological and psychological constructs of positive emotion, flourishing, and mental health, and she plans to pursue a PhD in psychology in the future. Outside of reading, writing, and research, she enjoys trying new restaurants and making music with friends.

Natalia Espinoza

Natalia is a second-year graduate student pursuing a PhD in Social Psychology in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (primary advisor: Cristina Salvador). Her research uses methods from neuroscience and psychology to examine how culture influences cognition, emotion, and the self. Natalia is interested in investigating how religious influences fit into the cultural constructs of independence and interdependence. In her free time she enjoys watching reality TV with friends, hanging out with her roommate’s cat, and trying new food spots in the triangle area.