Benjamin Le - Associate Professor of Psychology, Haverford College
Ph.D., Purdue University

Ben's research focuses on the role of commitment in romantic relationships, including the factors associated with commitment and its role in promoting relationship maintenance. He has published on the topics of breakup, geographic separation, infidelity, social networks, cognition, and need fulfillment and emotions in relationships. Prof. Le teaches classes on Statistics & Research Methods, Social Psychology, and Close Relationships at Haverford College, and he is a member of the editorial board of Personal Relationships. Click here for Dr. Le's Science of Relationships articles.

Gary Lewandowski - Associate Professor of Psychology, Monmouth University
Ph.D., Stony Brook University

Gary’s research explores the role of the self in romantic relationships (e.g., attraction, relationship maintenance, infidelity, break-up), with a specific focus on self-expansion. He has authored dozens of publications for both academic and non-academic audiences and is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Dr. Lewandowski's work has appeared in media outlets such as CNN, the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Women’s Health, Ladies' Home Journal, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Self Magazine, USA Today, and WebMD. Click here for Dr. Lewandowski's Science of Relationships articles.

Tim Loving - Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Ph.D., Purdue University

Tim's primary research program addresses the mental and physical health impact of relationship transitions, with a particular focus on affectively positive transitions (e.g., falling in love) and the role friends and family serve as relationship partners adapt to these transitions. He is an Associate Editor of Personal Relationships and his research is currently funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. He is also an award-winning instructor, having received several major teaching awards at The University of Texas. Click here for Dr. Loving's Science of Relationships articles.

Nicole Atkins - SofR Research Intern
B.S., Portland State University

Nicole is a research assistant at John Gottman's Relationship Research Institute. Her interests range from attraction and mate selection to intimate relationships and human sexuality. She would like to use a multi-disciplinary approach to better understand how individuals conceptualize their place in relationships. She is also interested in looking at the polyamorous community and exploring the psychological phenomena that may occur within individuals and couples as they transition and adjust to a new life.

Jennifer Bevan - Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Chapman University
Ph.D., University of Georgia

Jennifer’s research and teaching interests center upon interpersonal and health communication within close relationships. Specific research topics include the negotiation of difficult interactions such as ongoing conflict, jealousy, sexual resistance, uncertainty, and topic avoidance, as well as related psychological and physical health correlates of these experiences. She teaches courses in interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, conflict, and empirical research methods. Click here for Dr. Bevan's Science of Relationships articles.

Karlene Cunningham - Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology, Auburn University
M.S., Auburn University

Karlene is a member of the Relationship Research Lab at Auburn University. Her research focuses on novel ways of assessing sexual and relationship functioning. She is currently exploring aspects of relationship regret, alternative seeking tendencies, and sexual communication. Karlene's clinical interests revolve around sexual intimacy difficulties and couple conflict related to infertility. Click here for Karlene's Science of Relationships articles.

Marci Gleason - Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin 
Ph.D., New York University

Marci's research focuses on how individuals and couples navigate stressful transitions ranging from professional examinations, to having a child, to being diagnosed with a serious illness. In particular she is interested in how social support from one's partner can be both helpful and detrimental to oneself and one's relationship during these transitions. Click here for Dr. Gleason's Science of Relationships articles.

Wind Goodfriend - Associate Professor of Psychology, Buena Vista University
Ph.D., Purdue University

Wind's research focuses on cognitive bias within romantic relationships: how partners view each other in a subjective, instead of objective, way. These biases can sometimes be positive, but they can also perpetuate unhealthy or violent relationships. Her book, Voices of Hope, discusses the therapeutic benefits of victims of violence telling their stories and will be published in the Fall 2011. She is also the Principal Investigator for the Institute for the Prevention of Relationship Violence, and has received several teaching, research, and mentoring awards. Click here for Dr. Goodfriend's Science of Relationships articles.

Jennifer Harman - Assistant Professor of Psychology, Colorado State University
Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Jennifer's primary research interests examine relationship behaviors that put people at-risk for physical and psychological health problems. Specifically, she has been examining how feelings and beliefs about risk (e.g., sexual risk taking, communication problems) can be biased when in an intimate relationship. Recently, she also has been examining the role of power on commitment to intimate relationships. Click here for Dr. Harman's Science of Relationships articles.

Bjarne Holmes - Associate Professor and Director of the Psychology Program, Champlain College
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Bjarne’s research focuses on attachment, well-being, health, relationship attitudes and beliefs, and the role of media influence on social identity in young adults. Dr. Holmes is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and he produces the journal's podcast series, "Relationship Matters." His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, and he has a blog on Psychology Today called “Love by the Numbers.” Click here for Dr. Holmes' Science of Relationships articles.

Samantha Joel - Graduate Student, Psychology, University of Toronto
M.A., University of Toronto 

Samantha's research examines how people make decisions about their romantic relationships. For example, what sort of factors do people take into consideration when they try to decide whether to pursue a potential date, invest in a new relationship, or break up with a romantic partner? Samantha is particularly interested in states of ambivalence or indecisiveness over these important relationship choices. Her work often integrates judgment and decision making techniques and concepts, as well as attachment theory. Click here for Samantha's Science of Relationships articles.

Justin Lehmiller - Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Harvard University
Ph.D., Purdue University

Justin’s research program focuses largely on how secrecy and stigmatization impact both relationship quality and partners’ physical and psychological health. He also conducts research on the topics of commitment, sexuality, and safer-sex practices. To date, Dr. Lehmiller has published over 20 scholarly papers, several of which have received prominent media coverage in outlets such as the National Geographic Channel, Psychology Today, Men’s Health, and The Sunday Times. Click here for Dr. Lehmiller's Science of Relationships articles from his column Lusting, Loving, & Leaving.

Sadie Leder - Assistant Professor of Psychology and Assistant Director, Survey Research Center, High Point University
Ph.D., University at Buffalo, SUNY

Sadie’s research examines close relationships from a risk regulation perspective, focusing on how people balance their competing desires for closeness and protection against rejection, specifically during partner selection. Other lines of research examine this goal negotiation within the context of established romantic relationships, as well as look specifically at the experience of romantic love, hurt feelings, and relationship rekindling. Sadie was the 2010 recipient of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology’s Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award and instructs classes including Social Psychology, Close Relationships, and Love/Hate in Cyberspace. Click here for Dr. Leder's Science of Relationships articles.

Charlotte Markey - Associate Professor of Psychology, Rutgers University
Ph.D., University of California, Riverside

Charlotte’s research addresses issues central to both developmental and health psychology. A primary focus of her research is social influences on eating-related behaviors (i.e., eating, dieting, body image) in both parent-child and romantic relationships. An additional line of research focuses on the role that personality plays in individuals’ health-related behaviors. My current research combines these two lines and investigates both young adult heterosexual couples and lesbian couples and the role that both their relationships and their personalities play in influencing their health behaviors. Click here for Dr. Markey's Science of Relationships articles.

Patrick Markey - Associate Professor of Psychology, Villanova University
Ph.D., University of California, Riverside

Patrick's research focuses on how behavioral tendencies develop and are expressed within social relationships. His work has examined range of contexts, from fairly mundane interpersonal behaviors (e.g., acting warmly during an interaction) to behaviors of real life importance (e.g., unhealthy dieting, civic behavior, personality judgment, interpersonal aggression after playing violent video games, etc.). In order to examine how these behavioral tendencies develop and are expressed in social contexts, he has examined a multitude of social relationships (e.g., parent-child relations, peer relationships, romantic relationships, internet interactions, etc.) at different stages of life. Click here for Dr. Markey's Science of Relationships articles.

Brent Mattingly - Assistant Professor of Psychology, Ashland University
Ph.D., Saint Louis University

Brent’s research, broadly conceptualized, focuses on the intersection of romantic relationships and the self. His specific lines of research all examine how individual-level constructs (e.g., motivation, attachment, self-regulation) are associated with various relational processes. Click here for Dr. Mattingly's Science of Relationships articles.

Amy Muise - Post-Doctoral Fellow, Psychology, University of Toronto
Ph.D., University of Guelph

Amy’s research focuses on sexuality in close relationships, including the role of sexual motives in maintaining sexual desire in long-term relationships, and sexual well-being. She also studies the relational effects of new media; specifically how new technologies have changed the dating script and how social network sites such as Facebook influence relationships and the experience of jealousy. Amy teaches courses on social psychology, and couple and family relationships. Click here for Dr. Muise's Science of Relationships articles and here for her featured column Sex Musings. 

Maryhope Howland Rutherford - Ph.D. Candidate, Psychology, University of Minnesota

Maryhope's research explores how members of a couple support one another in good times and bad. She's especially interested in what qualities of support, such as enthusiasm or using humor or subtlety in support provision make it more or less effective. She's also interested in how our relationships affect our health. Click here for Maryhope's Science of Relationships articles.

Dylan Selterman - Visiting Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland College Park
Ph.D., Stony Brook University

Dylan's research focuses on the role of secure vs. insecure attachment in relationships, for both parent-child and adult romantic relationships. He has done research on dreams of people in relationships, specifically, how people dream about their romantic partners (and alternatives). In addition to studying dreams, Dylan also studies secure base support in couples, jealousy, morality, and autobiographical memory. Dylan has taught Social Psychology, Statistics, Research Methods, Close Relationships, and Human Development, and has published in Dreaming and In-Mind Magazine. Click here for Dylan's Science of Relationships articles.