My research in facial and other nonverbal behavior is conducted at FaBL, the Facial Behavior Lab. Funding for my current research at FaBL comes from the National Institutes of Health. For more information about FaBL and my current research on facial nerve disorders, please go to the FaBL page.

My research on facial behavior is focused on the importance of the face in social interaction and the links among facial behavior, social interaction, and mental health. From an evolutionary perspective, the human face represents a set of complex adaptations for both social and emotional signaling. Insights gained from the study of spontaneous facial behavior have important applications in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, as well as applications in gerontology, education and human computer interaction. I am currently an assistant professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, and am also affiliated with the department of Psychology, at the University of Pittsburgh where I continue to collaborate with the Affect Analysis Group,developing objective measures of nonverbal behavior. In addition to my facial behavior research, I have also been a co-investigator in a study of variation in child behavior, especially behavior associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.