Elizabeth Bauer, Ph.D

Assistant Professor, Biopsychology Psychology
COLU 4043
COLU 4043

BAUER Lab

The Behavior and Affect Underlying Emotion Research (BAUER) Lab uses a multimethod approach to better understand cognitive and affective mechanisms underlying emotion processing. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and peripheral psychophysiology, we hope to better explain how emotion-based processes work, with the goal of applying this knowledge to better understand and characterize anxiety, depression, and PTSD. 

https://www.thebauerlab.com/

Research Opportunities 

Dr. Bauer will be recruiting Psychological Science M.A. students and/or Clinical Psychology M.A. students for Fall 2027. Dr. Bauer will not be recruiting a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Student for Fall 2027. Interested students are invited to contact her directly with any questions.  

Prospective graduate students should be interested in the primary research methods and topics examined in the BAUER Lab. Here are some things you will gain from joining Dr. Bauer's lab: 

  • Experience working in an electroencephalography (EEG) laboratory, including collecting and analyzing EEG event-related potential data, and opportunities to present your work at academic conferences and in peer-reviewed journal publications 

  • Experience working with unselected samples of adults and adults from clinical populations 

  • Knowledge about cognitive and affective processes, emotion processing, and their connections to internalizing disorders 

The BAUER Lab also recruits undergraduate research assistants. If you are interested in becoming involved in Dr. Bauer's research, you are encouraged to contact her directly. 

Areas of Interest & Track Affiliation

Cognitive Neuroscience, Clinical Neuroscience, Affective Science, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD 

Primary Affiliation: Psychological Science 
Secondary affiliation: Stress, Trauma, Adversity, and Resilience 

Education

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin
  • PhD, Psychology (Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
  • BS, Psychology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA

Courses Taught (UCCS)

  • PSY 3270 Introduction to Biopsychology
  • PSY 6430 Contemporary Issues in Psychology

Representative Publications

Bauer, E. A., Cooper, S. E., Keller, N. E., Cisler, J. M., & Dunsmoor, J. E. (2025). Encoding-retrieval similarity reveals distinct neural reinstatement of safety memories following counterconditioning in posttraumatic stress disorder. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.07.007  

Bauer, E. A., Wilson, K. A., Phan, K. L., Shankman, S. A., & MacNamara, A. (2023). A neurobiological profile underlying comorbidity load and prospective increases in dysphoria in a focal fear sample. Biological Psychiatry, 93(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.08.009 

Bautista, F., MacDonald, S. E., Bauer, E. A., Cheng, Y., & MacNamara, A. (2022). Generalization of reappraisal to novel negative stimuli as evidenced by the LPP. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.04.006 

Bauer, E. A., & MacNamara, A. (2021). Comorbid anxiety and depression: Opposing effects on the electrocortical processing of negative imagery in a focal fear sample. Depression and Anxiety, 38(7), 690-699. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.23160   

Bauer, E. A., MacNamara, A., Sandre, A., Lonsdorf, T. B., Weinberg, A., Morriss, J., & van Reekum, C. M. (2020). Intolerance of uncertainty and threat generalization: A replication and extension. Psychophysiology, 57(5), e13546. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13546 

Ruchensky, J. R., Bauer, E. A., & MacNamara, A. (2020). Intolerance of uncertainty, depression and the error-related negativity. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 153, 45–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.04.015 

Bauer, E. A., Braitman, A. L., Judah, M. R., & Cigularov, K. P. (2020). Worry as a mediator between psychosocial stressors and emotional sequelae: Moderation by contrast avoidance. Journal of Affective Disorders, 266, 456–464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.092

Organizations

  • Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR; 2018 – present)
  • Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP; 2023 – present)
  • Society for Affective Science (SAS; 2021 – 2022)