About Us
The Society for Affective Science is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering basic and applied research in the variety of fields that study affect broadly defined.
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Membership
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What is Affective Science?
Affective science is the scientific study of emotion and related phenomena (e.g., moods, stress, attitudes, valuation, motivation). Research in affective science focuses on a broad set of topics, including the role of emotions and related phenomena in social perceptions, group processes, interpersonal relationships, communication, personality, memory and learning, decision making, artificial intelligence, pain, and mental and physical health. Affective science also concerns how these phenomena impact and are impacted by lifespan development, culture, and language. Affective science is of critical importance for addressing some of the most pressing issues in human society, including interventions for health and well-being, development of government policy, fostering political tolerance, social justice, educational achievement, developments in computing, and advancements in medical practice and treatment.
Our Vision
An enlightened world where humanity fully understands the origins, functions, and impact of emotions on all aspects of human life. Guided by strong leadership and a spirit of innovation, we strive to advance affective science, nurture the next generation of scholars, and share our discoveries to improve lives and create a better future for all.
Our Mission
Advance, innovate, and disseminate affective science, serving as the natural home for those engaged in affective science, in both basic and translational areas of the field.
How do we do this?
Through a strong governance structure and culture of innovation, we advance and promote the science of our members, train the next generation of scientists, and disseminate our science to the world for the benefit of humankind.
Our Core Values
At SAS, we value:
- Diversity: Engaging members from all walks of life, disciplines, and career stages to foster collaborations and scholarly discourse that advances the field
- Support: Providing all members with opportunities for career-long professional development
- Sharing: Facilitating open access to resources of all kinds
- Innovation: Leading a culture of evidence-based innovation that advances the field and supports it members
2026-2027 SAS Board of Directors
Karen S. Quigley
Director-at-Large
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Nicole Roberts
Director-at-Large
Website
Jose Soto
Director-at-Large
Website
Virginia Sturm
Website
Archita Tharanipathy
Director-at-Large
Email
Vera Vine
Website
Hongbo Yu
Director-at-Large
Website
Fundraising Committee
Co-Chair: Monika Lohani, University of Utah [email]
Co-Chair: Vera Vine, Queen’s University
Co-Chair: Virginia Sturm, University of California San Francisco
Co-Chair: Luis Flores, Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Members:
Darwin Guevarra, Miami University
Ozge Ugurlu, University of California, Berkeley
Salome Vanwoerden, University of Pittsburgh
Membership & Outreach Committee
Co-Chairs:
Stephanie M. Carpenter, Arizona State University
Nicole A. Roberts, Arizona State University
Jolie B. Wormwood, University of New Hampshire
Members:
Maria Gendron, Yale University
Darwin Guevarra, Miami University of Ohio
Katie Hoemann, University of Kansas
Desmond Ong, University of Texas, Austin
Magdalena Rychlowska, Queen’s University Belfast
Daisuke Ueno, Kyoto Women’s University
SASSC Liaison Committee Members:
Archita Tharanipathy, University of Southern California
Felix (Chen-Wei) Yu, Northwestern University
Social Media Committee:
Chair: Tabea Springstein, University of California, Riverside
Social Media Communications Assistant: Shannon Brady, Rutgers University
2027 Program Committee
| Name | Affiliation | 2027 Role |
| Vera Vine | Queen’s University | Program Chair |
| Luis Flores | Rutgers University, New Brunswick | Program Chair |
| Katie Hoemann | University of Kansas | Past Chair |
| Desmond Ong | University of Texas, Austin | Past Chair |
| Lior Abramson | Tel Aviv University | Abstracts Co-chair |
| Daphne Liu | University of Missouri-St. Louis | Abstracts Co-chair |
| Ella Moeck | Adelaide University | Abstracts |
| Danfei Hu | University of York | Abstracts |
| Jocelyn Lai | Columbia University | Abstracts |
| Nadia Kako | University of Colorado Anschutz | Abstracts |
| Jeff Girard | University of Kansas | Methods |
| Jordan Theriault-Brown | Northeastern University | Methods |
| Mark Chen | Harvard University | Methods |
| Maia Pujara | Sarah Lawrence College | Salons |
| Michele Morningstar | Queen’s University | Salons |
| T. H. Stanley Seah | Miami University | Salons |
| Jenna Wells | Cornell University | Networking |
| Casey Brown | Georgetown University | Networking |
| Jennifer Veilleux | University of Arkansas | Social Media |
| Shannon Brady | Rutgers University | Social Media |
| Hongbo Yu | University of California, Santa Barbara | Innovation officer |
| Sophie Wohltejn | University of Tennessee Knoxville | Preconference |
| Elizabeth Kneeland | Amherst College | Preconference |
| Nicole Roberts | Arizona State University | Membership & Outreach |
| Vera Vine | Queen’s University | Fundraising |
| Salome Vanwoerden | University of Pittsburgh | Fundraising |
| Monika Lohani | University of Utah | Fundraising |
| Virginia Sturm | University of California, San Francisco | Fundraising |
| Archita Tharanipathy | University of Southern California | Student committee |
| Desiree Webb | University of Southern California | Student committee |
Student Committee
Chair: Victoria Hart-Derrick, Yale University
Past Chair: Eva Liu, Yale University
Members:
Archita Tharanipathy, University of Southern California
Desiree “Desi” Webb, University of Southern California
Felix Yu, Northwestern University
Kate Petrova, Stanford University
Natasha Vogel, University of Guelph
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Chair: Jose Soto, Pennsylvania State University
Members:
Michelle “Lani” Shiota, Arizona State University
Joseph Mikels, DePaul University
Yuri Miyamoto, Hitotsubashi University
Gold Okafor, Yale University
Mark Chen, Harvard University
Leadership Archive
Founders: Lisa Feldman Barrett and James Gross
Past Presidents:
2014: James Gross, Stanford University
2015: Lisa Feldman Barrett, Northeastern University
2016: Wendy Berry Mendes, University of California, San Francisco
2017: Kevin Ochsner, Columbia University
2018: Ann Kring, University of California, Berkeley
2019: Robert Levenson, University of California, Berkeley
2020: Paula Niedenthal, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2021: Barbara Fredrickson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2022: Elaine Fox, University of Oxford
2023: Maya Tamir, The Hebrew University
2024: Maital Neta, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2025: Kristen Lindquist, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2026: Rachael Jack, Vanderbilt University
Contact Us
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