Kate webb, PhD

Hello! I am Kate Webb, an affective neuroscientist. 

I am an Assistant Professor in Duke University’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.

My research seeks to better understand how socioenvironmental inequities, individual characteristics, and neurobiology interact to influence the course of psychological and physical recovery after trauma. 

To this end, we conduct basic and translational research using multimodal neuroimaging, psychophysiological and behavioral assessments, and molecular genetics. In addition, I work on neuroethical issues, including how to identify and address racial and phenotypic biases embedded in neuroscience technologies.

After graduating from Albion College in Michigan, I earned my M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology/neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with Christine Larson PhD. I completed my postdoctoral training in psychiatric neuroimaging at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School with Kerry Ressler PhD/MD and Nate Harnett, PhD.

Research themes

Click on a tile to learn more!

Postdoctoral Work

My research projects leverage geospatial analyses and multimodal MRI data to understand the effects neighborhood factors on neural processing of threat, reward, and inhibitory control.  

Doctoral Work

Through a renewed lens, where trauma survivors reside have emerged as critical factors in understanding peri-trauma, pre-trauma, and post-trauma vulnerability to PTSD. 

Neuroethics

My work has obvious routes to policy, and I believe engaging with the ethical, societal, and legal implications of my research is both a professional duty and personal responsibility.

APOPO HeroRats

Prior to my graduate studies, I conducted research with APOPO, a non-profit organization that trains African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) for humanitarian scent-detection applications.