Team


Christine Coughlin, PhD

Bio: Dr. Christine Coughlin (she/her) is the Principal Investigator of the FLAME Lab and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago. She received a B.S. in Psychobiology from the University of California Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California Davis, where she worked with Dr. Simona Ghetti. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Psychology Department at the University of Texas at Austin, where she worked with Dr. Alison Preston. Her research program has been supported by funding from The National Institutes of Health. In addition to science, Dr. Coughlin loves dogs (all), Mexican food (burritos!), outdoor adventures, and reading fantasy novels.

Contact: ccoughlin@uic.edu

CV: Dr. Couglin CV

Kate Hill

Education: B.A., Psychology, Temple University

Research Interests: Kate is passionate about exploring the development of neural mechanisms underpinning episodic memory development across the lifespan. Additionally, she is intrigued by the impact and outcomes of creativity on the salience of memories over time. Kate is also dedicated to community outreach, with a strong focus on promoting inclusion among minority groups in research.

Contact: khill41@uic.edu

Berit T. Bathelmes

Education: B.S., Psychology, University of Würzburg, Germany
M.S., Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Research Interests: Berit is passionate about memory research. She enjoys thinking about why and how individuals in different social and cultural contexts forget certain things rather than others. How memories are incorporated to form a concept of the future intrigues her. She’s greatly enthusiastic about metascientific approaches to improve psychological science.

Contact: bbart10@uic.edu

Charly Beeson

Education: B.S., Psychology, Minor in Kinesiology, University of Illinois Chicago
Currently an MSW Student, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Jane Addams

Research Interests: Charly is passionate about bridging the gap between academic research and the general public. She currently supports the FLAME Lab team in developing strategies to make research more accessible—both for individuals to apply in their daily lives and to encourage broader participation in research studies. In her clinical practice, she incorporates evidence-based approaches to deepen her understanding of trauma and inform her work with clients. Her interests include how past experiences shape individual perception and the factors that contribute to resilience and post-traumatic growth.


Contact: cbees2@uic.edu