Richard Lopez, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, named a CAPES Emerging Scholar

Professor Richard Lopez, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies, has been named an Emerging Scholar by the Center of Accelerating Practices to End Suicide (CAPES) at UMass Chan Medical School. CAPES Scholars are awarded Center Faculty status, can apply for investigator-initiated Pilot Projects, and are granted access to other institutional resources and professional development opportunities. In addition, Emerging Scholar are eligible to receive up to $5,000 for approved research activities including conferences, trainings, and publication fees. 

Prof. Lopez investigates the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation to improve health and wellbeing in daily life. His Social Neuroscience of Affective Processes (SNAP) Lab at WPI develops personalized, psychologically informed interventions aimed at improving young people's mental health. Recently, the SNAP Lab has identified psychological factors linked to social media use that could be targeted in interventions to reduce anxiety and depression. As a CAPES scholar, Dr. Lopez is eager to expand his research program, collaborating with clinicians to enhance understanding of suicide prediction and prevention, with a particular focus on early, technology-based intervention strategies.