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 has received the Virginia Sexton Mentoring Award (2026) and the Margaret Gorman Early Career Award (2019) from the American Psychological Association Div. 36. She also received the Early Career Award (2017) from the International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR). 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.

Camryn Yeager

Camryn Yeager is a Co-Lab Manager of the Belief, Affect, and Behavior Lab at Duke University. They graduated with a B.A. in Psychological Science from Colgate University, where they earned high honors for their thesis, which examined the intersections of post-traumatic growth and narrative identity. Their research interests include intergroup dynamics, identity, community, and positive psychology, and they plan on pursuing a Ph.D. in social or personality psychology in the future. In their free time, they enjoy reading, cooking, baking, and spending time with their friends.

Sarah Munjed

Sarah is a sophomore at Duke University majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology and Biology. She is interested in discovering how positive emotions enhance well-being. Upon finishing her undergraduate education, she plans to apply to medical school. In her free time, she likes to fish, go to concerts, and watch movies.

Sarrah Es-Sabha

Sarrah is a sophomore at Duke University majoring in Neuroscience and Global Health. She is interested in understanding how our beliefs and mindsets shape behavior, well-being, and the ways we interact with the world. After completing her undergraduate education, she plans to attend medical school and do work in underrepresented communities. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, spending time with friends, and going on walks.

Annabelle Pantzer

Former Lab Staff and Affiliated Researchers

Kunalan Manokara, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar at Oxford University.

Megan E. Edwards, Ph.D. Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University.

Jenna Faith McClear. Doctoral Student (Social and Personality Psychology) at Baylor University.

Cheryl Tan. Doctoral student (Social Psychology) at Ohio State University.

Cai Liu. Doctoral student (Social Psychology) at the University of Virginia.

Pranav Athimuthu. Public Health Analyst at RTI International.

Maria Naclerio. Doctoral student (Social Psychology/Affective Neuroscience) at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Amanda Bernal. Doctoral student (Social Psychology) at the University of Arizona.

Abbie Clapp. Doctoral student (Social Psychology, Gender & Women's Studies) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Kerry O'Brien. Doctoral student (Basic & Applied Social Psychology) at The City University of New York.

Paige Freeburg. Doctoral student (Social/Personality Psychology) at Yale University.

Paweł Łowicki, Ph.D. Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw, Poland.

Tehya Drummond. Doctoral student (Social Psychology) at the University of Virginia.

Former Research Assistants

Julia Herman. Duke Class of 2028, majoring in Psychology.

Jennifer Hu. Duke Class of 2026, Bachelor's in Psychology.

Abby Li. Duke Class of 2026, Bachelor's in Psychology and Statistical Science.

Spring 2026 Research Assistants for Duke's Pluralism, Free Inquiry, and Belonging Initiative: Palak Jolly (Majoring in Computer Science), Phillips Moore (Majoring in Economics and Statistics), Alexia Seymour (Majoring in Chemistry), Eileen Chen (Majoring in Neuroscience), Jake Neulight (Majoring in Economics), Rohan Wilmot (Majoring in Computer Science and Neuroscience), Amelie Grakoui (Majoring in Public Policy and Philosophy), Jane Atkinson (Majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology), Major Richmond (Majoring in Environmental Science and Policy), Alex Thisted (Majoring in Psychology and Global Health), and Madison Han (Majoring in Chemistry and Biology).