j.d. allen, ph.d.

clinically-trained neuroscientist + educator

I received my B.A. in psychology from Oberlin College and my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Harvard University. I then completed my predoctoral clinical residency and postdoctoral fellowship training in the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. I pursued additional training in functional neuroimaging at Harvard and psychophysiology at the University of California, Davis.

In 2018, I returned to my alma mater as a visiting professor, where I founded the Cognition, Affect, Self-Regulation, and Health laboratory. I have retained my Oberlin College affiliation as a Research Associate in addition to my current position as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. Our team's scientific work aims to identify objective neurobehavioral and neurocognitive markers of self-regulation linking abnormal changes in brain structure and function to clinical outcomes (e.g., suicide risk). To this end, I have developed specialized neuropsychological assessment tasks used by well-known neuroscientific researchers worldwide. 

My clinical training at Harvard and Brown Medical Schools was comprehensive and diverse. I also developed specialized expertise applying evidence-based interventions (e.g., third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies) to treat a range of neuropsychiatric conditions, including: alcohol + other substance use disorders; anxiety disorders (e.g., panic + social phobia); borderline personality disorder; mood disorders (e.g., bipolar + depression); as well as obsessive-compulsive + related disorders (e.g., body dysmorphia, trichotillomania).