Dr. Ian H. Gotlib

Dr. Ian H. Gotlib received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Waterloo in Canada and is the Marjorie Mhoon Fair Professor and Director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology (SNAP) Laboratory at Stanford University. From 2005-2010, Dr. Gotlib served as Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, and he served as Chair of the Psychology Department at Stanford from 2012-2018.

Dr. Gotlib is very active in clinical translational research. In his research, Dr. Gotlib examines psychological and biological factors that increase individuals’ risk for depression, as well as processes that are involved in recovery from this disorder. He is conducting research assessing cognitive, social, and endocrinological factors and genetics in depressed individuals, patterns of brain function and structure that characterize depressed and anxious adults and children, and predictors of depression in children at familial risk for developing this disorder. Dr. Gotlib is also examining the impact of innovative cognitive and neural procedures both to treat depression and to reduce young children’s risk of developing depression. In another project, Dr. Gotlib is examining the effects of early life stress on brain development, depression, and suicidal behaviors as boys and girls enter and make the transition through puberty. Finally, Dr. Gotlib is studying the effects of maternal behaviors and environmental risk factors on behavioral, endocrinological, and neural characteristics and functioning of infants.

Dr. Gotlib has received the Distinguished Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, the Joseph Zubin Award for lifetime research contributions to the understanding of psychopathology, the APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution, and the APS Distinguished Scientist Award.