Ashley Huggins

Class of 2013, BA in Psychology with Minor in French

Where have you worked and/or studied since you graduated from USC?

Since graduating, I started working as a Research Associate in the Chicago Lab of Emotion and Physiology in the Psychology Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Under a Research Domain Critera (RDoC) project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, we are conducting a family study investigating whether reduced reward anticipation and heightened sensitivity to potential threat represent risk factors for internalizing disorders (i.e., depression and anxiety). I spend most of my time in the lab working with participants by conducting structured clinical interviews (SCID) to assess current and past psychopathology and running them through lab visits where we do all of our psychophysiological data collection (e.g., EEG, GSR, RSA). The rest of my time is usually spent processing the psychophysiological data, helping with manuscript preparation, and various administrative tasks. I am going to be applying for my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology soon.

What was the most beneficial thing you did as a student at USC to prepare you for post-graduation?

The most beneficial thing I did while at USC was to get involved in research. By working in several different labs and working on a thesis in the honors program, I was able to gain valuable research experience, which really inspired my passion for research and helped me develop the skills and knowledge I would need for a career in the field.

What course did you enjoy the most?

My favorite course was probably Abnormal Psychology. I always wanted to go into the clinical area of psychology, so by taking that class, I was learning about the area that I was most interested in.

If you were an undergraduate again, is there anything that you would do differently?

I think I would have liked to take some biology or neuroscience courses. I took behavioral neuroscience in my sophomore year, which was great, but while working on my honors thesis and in my current lab, I definitely started getting more in the psychophysiological/neurological underpinnings of behavior. It would have been nice to have a more thorough background and working knowledge of those areas for future research interests.

Have you won any awards, accolades, etc. after you graduated from USC?

Published article titled “Neural response to reward anticipation in those with depression with and without panic disorder” in Journal of Affective Disorders.