Monica Thieu
Postdoctoral scholar
Dept of Psychology, Emory University
About me
In my postdoctoral research, I use behavioral, modeling, and fMRI research methods to characterize how perceptual input contributes to affective experience.
In my PhD research, I used behavioral and fMRI research methods to investigate how people perceive and categorize various social (others’ facial age and gender) and emotional (elicited experiences) stimuli.
In my teaching, I particularly enjoy working with learners in introductory-level courses in content (introductory psychology) and in methods (coding for behavioral sciences).
- Method competencies:
- Functional neuroimaging: Intermediate in nipype, SPM, FSL, proficient in fmriprep
- Behavioral tasks: Advanced in Gorilla and Qualtrics; proficient in PsychoPy
- Data management tools: Intermediate in REDCap
- Coding: Advanced in R; proficient in Python, JavaScript, Stan, Matlab, shell
Employment
August 2022 -
Emory University
Postdoctoral fellow (Atlanta, GA, USA)
- Project: Subcortical pathways of looming and threat
- Supervisor: Dr. Philip Kragel
June 2015 - July 2017
Stanford
University Lab manager & research coordinator (Palo
Alto, CA, USA)
- Project: Healthy aging and memory
- Supervisor: Dr. Anthony Wagner
Education
2022
Columbia University PhD in
Psychology (New York, NY, USA)
- Dissertation: ‘Exploring perception and categorization of social and affective stimuli’
- Advisor: Dr. Kevin Ochsner
- Sep 2017 - May 2022
2015
Stanford University BA with
honors in Psychology (Palo Alto, CA, USA)
- Honors thesis: ‘Chronic media multitasking and distraction: Neural substrates and mnemonic consequences’
- Advisors: Dr. Melina Uncapher, Dr. Anthony Wagner
Awards and honors
Research
2023
Diversity
travel award (Social and Affective Neuroscience Society)
2022-26
FIRST
NIH IRACDA postdoctoral fellowship (Emory School of Medicine)
2019
Honorable mention (NSF GRFP)
June 2015
Firestone Medal for Excellence in
Undergraduate Research (Stanford Vice Provost for Undergraduate
Education)
Summer 2014
Undergraduate Summer Research Award grant
(Stanford Bio-X)
Summer 2013
Best Presentation (Stanford Psych-Summer)
Summer 2013
Undergraduate research grant (Stanford
Psych-Summer)
Teaching
Spring 2022
Teaching Development Program Advanced
Track completion (Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning)
Spring 2022
Presidential Graduate Teaching Award
finalist (Columbia Office of the Provost)
Spring 2021
Grant to Enhance Remote Learning and
Teaching (Columbia Center for the History and Ethics of Public
Health)
Spring 2020
Curricular
Innovation Fellow (Columbia Libraries)
June 2015
Zimbardo Teaching Prize (Stanford Psych
One)
Other
Mar 2024
Quarterfinalist (Jeopardy! Invitational
Tournament)
Aug 2023 - present
Trivia expert (Master Minds (Game
Show Network))
Mar 2019
Second place runner-up (team) (Jeopardy!
All-Star Games)
May 2016
Contestant (500 Questions (ABC))
Feb 2013
Quarterfinalist (Jeopardy! Tournament of
Champions)
Feb 2012
First place winner (Jeopardy! College
Championship)
Winter 2013
Excellence Award (Stanford Introductory
Seminars)
Publications
Talks, workshops, and media
Feb 2024
Radio/podcast
guest (science) (Science Friday)
Feb 2024
Radio
guest (science) (Weekend Edition Sunday by NPR)
Feb 2024
News
interview subject (science) (Scientific American)
April 2023
Shallow neural networks for collision
detection predict arousal-related differences in subjective
experience (Social and Affective Neuroscience Society Annual
Meeting)
June 2022, Jan 2023
Remote brain bingo: Running group
games on Zoom (Psych One Conference & TIP Coast-To-Coast
Conference)
Nov 2021
Video
guest (science) (Wired 5 Levels: Memory)
Sept 2021
Interview
subject (teaching) (Explain Everything)
July 2020
Podcast
guest (science) (This is Uncomfortable by Marketplace)
July 2020
How to Prepare and Teach an R Lesson (NYC R Conference)
Nov 2020
Exploring the NYPD Civilian Complaint
Database (Columbia Foundations for Research Computing workshop)
Apr 2020
Wrangling Multilevel Data in the Tidyverse
(Columbia Foundations for Research Computing workshop)
July 2019
Podcast guest
(trivia, statistics) (Planet Money by NPR)
Conference posters
Teaching experience
Sp2024
Instructor of record PSY 417:
Statistics II in Psychology (Spelman College Dept of Psychology)
Su2023
Instructor Data Science Lab
Module (Spelman
College WiSTEM)
Su2022
Instructor of record PSYC
1021: Science of Psychology: Explorations & Applications
(Columbia Dept of Psychology)
Sp2022
Assistant curriculum developer &
TA PSYC 2821: Cognition in Context: Mental Health &
Well-being (Columbia Dept of Psychology)
Sp2021
Assistant curriculum developer, TA,
& guest lecturer PSYC 1021: Science of Psychology:
Explorations & Applications (Columbia Dept of Psychology)
Fa2019
Guest lecturer Intro
to Psychology (Outlier.org)
Fa2019-Sp2022
Carpentries-certified
instructor Introductory coding bootcamps (Columbia
Foundations for Research Computing)
Sp2019, Sp2020, Fa2021
TA & guest
lecturer B8144: Intro to Programming in R (Columbia
Business School)
Fa2018, Fa2019
TA & section
leader PSYC 1490: Research Methods (Columbia Dept of
Psychology)
Sp2018-Fa2021
Curriculum developer &
instructor Intro
to Programming for Social Scientists (Columbia Dept of
Psychology)
Fa2017
TA & guest lecturer PSYC
1001: Science of Psychology (Columbia Dept of Psychology)
Fa2014-Sp2015
Teaching fellow Psych
One (Stanford Dept of Psychology)
Su2011, Su2012
Instructor 7th and
8th grade physics (Breakthrough Fort Worth)
Mentoring
2020-22
Lauren Wilkins Undergraduate
research assistant & honors thesis student (Columbia
University)
- Class of 1939 Summer Research Fellowship, summer 2020
Workshops & summer schools attended
2022
Neurohackademy (University
of Washington)
2019
Kavli
Summer Institute in Cognitive Neuroscience (University of
California, Santa Barbara)
2018
São Paulo School of Advanced Sciences on Social
& Affective Neuroscience (Mackenzie Presbyterian University)