Dr. Byrd co-leads the monthly T32 Lunch Seminar with Dr. Joseph. Dr. Byrd’s primary research interest is the neurobiological processes underlying the development and persistence of reactive aggression. She focuses on adolescence, a particularly vulnerable developmental window characterized by changes in neural circuitry associated with threat and reinforcement processing.
Early in her scientific career, Dr. Byrd examined child-specific factors that increase risk for aggression and serious delinquency into early adulthood. This sparked her interest in understanding neurobiological processes that can potentially increase likelihood for specific subtypes of aggression, such as reactive aggression. Through her National Institute of Mental Health K01 award, Dr. Byrd expands upon the existing research on aggression in youth by studying reactive aggression as it manifests transdiagnostically.
Dr. Byrd earned her PhD in clinical/developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh, where she also completed the Clinical Psychology Internship, as well as the Clinical Research Training for Psychologists postdoctoral program.