RISC Lab

Risk-taking, Impulsivity, Substance Use, and Cognition lab

Join the lab

The Risk-taking, Impulsivity, Substance Use, and Cognition (RISC) lab studies how impulsivity and its neurocognitive underpinnings influence a wide range of risk-taking behaviors, including alcohol and substance use. We also use community-engaged approaches to understand and leverage neuroscientific findings to improve treatment and recovery for individuals across the sociodemographic spectrum.

The RISC lab conducts research across four main areas:

How emotions and impulsive tendencies combine and interact to impart risk for psychological disorders and maladaptive behaviors.
Identifying how the brain is implicated in risk-taking and how we can best leverage brain function to reduce risks associated with impulsive action.
Understanding factors associated with varied trajectories of alcohol and substance use recovery to better support those in recovery.
Advancing the generalizability and impact of our work through studying people from varied sociodemographic backgrounds, especially those from minoritized groups, for whom specific relevant factors may be most clinically important.

Melissa Cyders, Ph.D.

Dr. Cyders earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2009 under the mentorship of Dr. Greg Smith. She completed her predoctoral internship at the VA Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan Medical Center. She is a Professor of Psychology at IU Indianapolis and is the Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology graduate program area.

Her research concerns how impulsivity and its neurocognitive underpinnings impart risk for a wide range of clinical problems and disorders. She is most well known for her contributions to the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Model and her work with integrating emotions and impulsive action. She uses a wide range of methods and procedures in her research, ranging across brain imaging, laboratory-based oral and intravenous alcohol administration, and longitudinal survey designs. She also emphasizes community engagement with her work, serving with the IU School of Medicine’s ECHO group, and contributing to community-based education, training, and communication to share scientific findings.

Dr. Cyders is enthusiastic about mentoring students of all levels and teaches graduate courses in Research Methods, Clinical Neuroscience, and Professional Development. She and her lab have received funding from the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Indiana University Addictions Grant Challenge program for their work. She is a collaborator in the Indiana Alcohol Research Center.

Publications

See Dr. Cyders' complete list of publications on Google Scholar.

Education

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, 2009
University of Kentucky

Clinical Psychology Internship, 2009
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Medical School

M.S. Clinical Psychology, 2005
University of Kentucky

B.A. Spanish, 2003
Ohio University

B.A. Psychology, 2003
Ohio University

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L–R: Anna Garrison, Melissa Liu, Christiana Prestigiacomo, Melissa Cyders, Taylor Fox, Molly Jacobs, Lindsey Fisher-Fox

Join the lab

Research assistant

We are always looking for hard working, dependable students to join the RISC lab.

Working in a lab as a research assistant allows you to gain some great experience and serious credentials that will help you in your future career path. As a research assistant in the RISC Lab, you will gain hands-on research experience, collaborate with a professor who is an expert in her field, and get to know other professors and graduate students at IU Indianapolis through joint lab meetings.

Apply now

Post-baccalaureate fellowship

The Indiana University Indianapolis Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (IPREP) prepares recent college graduates, who are students from underrepresented minority or disadvantaged populations, for admission to graduate programs in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.

If you are interested in completing a year-long, post-baccalaureate fellowship in the RISC lab, learn more about the IPREP program.

Post-Doctoral Fellow

The Risk-Taking, Impulsivity, Substance Use, and Cognition (RISC) laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Indiana University Indianapolis (IU-I) has an immediate opening for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology or other relevant disciplines, and an excellent publication track record. The specific projects are part of an exciting research program focusing on how impulsivity and its related neurocognitive underpinnings impart risk for substance and alcohol use.

Consideration for the postdoc position will be given to candidates with a strong background in human subjects research, grant and publication writing, and longitudinal design and analysis. Additional desired skills (that could also be developed during the post-doctoral position) include familiarity with qualitative data coding and analysis, alcohol administration work, qualitative analysis, and/or analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging. Applicants should be scientifically driven and self-motivated individuals with the highest commitment to excellence in scholarship. The duration of the initial appointment will be for up to three years, with the position renewable yearly based on research productivity, performance, and funding.

If interested in applying, please email me (mcyders@iu.edu) the following information:

Research summary (up to 2 pages)
Curriculum Vita (CV) including publications and skills
Contact information of 3 references

Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program

For those interested in applying to work in the RISC lab as part of the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at IU Indianapolis.

Learn more about the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program.