August 2016

SPENCER W. LIEBEL
Curriculum Vitae
CONTACT INFORMATION
Work Address

Work Phone
Preferred Email
Website

139 Psychology Clinic

University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
(706) 542-1173
swliebel@uga.edu
http://spencerliebel.weebly.com/

EDUCATION
2018 (Ant.)

Ph.D., Clinical Psychology (neuropsychology emphasis)

University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Advisor: Lawrence H. Sweet, Ph.D.

2016 (Ant.)

Master of Science, Clinical Psychology (neuropsychology emphasis)

University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Thesis Committee Chair: Lawrence H. Sweet, Ph.D.
Title: Identifying functional brain adaptations in normal age-associated cognitive
decline using FMRI

2012

Bachelor of Science, Psychology

Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

AWARDS & HONORS

2016

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Office of the Vice President for

Instruction, University of Georgia

2016

Travel Award, Regents Center for Learning Disorders, University of Georgia

2015

Travel Award, Paul D. Coverdell Neuroimaging Franklin Foundation Scholars

Program, University of Georgia

2015

Travel Award, Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Georgia

2015

Nominee, Henry E. Adams Memorial Research Award, Department of

Psychology, University of Georgia

2015

National Science Foundation Travel Award, Graduate School, University of

Georgia

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2014

Nominee, Mary Erlanger Graduate Fellowship in Aging, Graduate School,

University of Georgia

2014

National Science Foundation Travel Award, Graduate School, University of

Georgia

2012

Travel Award, Mary Lou Fulton Chair in the College of Family, Home, and
Social Sciences, Brigham Young University
I. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH SUPPORT
2013-Present Graduate Research Assistantship, Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Department
of Psychology, University of Georgia.
2015-2016

Graduate Research Assistantship, Regents Center for Learning Disorders,

University of Georgia

2011-2012

Research Grant, Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA), Brigham

Young University

PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Liebel, S. W., Clark, U. S., Xu, X., Riskin-Jones, H. H., Hawkshead, B. E., Schwarz, N. F., . . .
Sweet, L. H. (2015). An FMRI-compatible Symbol Search task. Journal of the
International Neuropsychological Society, 21(3), 231-238.
doi:10.1017/S1355617715000144
Liebel, S. W., Tillman, S. J., Hoose, E. M., Andelin, B. Z., & Reber, J. S. (2012). A pilot
investigation of the role of implicit assumptions in the therapeutic relationship:
Implications and points of conflict. The American Association of Behavioral and Social
Sciences Journal, 16, 66-85.
Liebel, S. W., Jones, E. C., Oshri, A., Hallowell, E. S., Jerskey, B. A., Gunstad, J., & Sweet, L.
H. (revise-resubmit). Cognitive processing speed mediates the effects of cardiovascular
disease on executive functioning.
Liebel, S. W., & Nelson, J. M. (under review). Auditory and visual working memory functioning
in college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or learning
disabilities.
Fair, J. E., Liebel, S. W., Bjornn, D. K., & Larson, M. J. (under review). A controlled
comparison of errorless and errorful learning in individuals with moderate-to-severe
traumatic brain injury: Behavioral and electrophysiological outcomes.

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Nelson, J. M., & Liebel, S. W. (under review). Socially desirable responding and college
students with developmental dyslexia (Specific Reading Disability): Implications for the
assessment of anxiety and depression.
PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS AND PRESENTATIONS
Jones, E. C., Liebel, S. W., Rapoport, M. A., & Sweet, L. H. (2016, August). Cognitive
processing speed mediates the effects of age on executive functioning in older adults.
Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Denver,
CO.
Nelson, J. M., & Liebel, S. W. (2016, June). Anxiety and depression among college students
with learning disabilities: Cross-informant agreement and faking good. Poster
presented at the annual meeting of the Postsecondary Disability Training Institute,
Philadelphia, PA.
Liebel, S. W., & Nelson, J. M. (2016, April). Working memory abilities of college students with
ADHD. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Georgia Psychological Association,
Augusta, GA.
*Poster awarded 2nd place in student poster competition
Pinzone, C. A., Liebel, S. W., & OToole, K. (2016, April). The neuropsychological profiles and
academic abilities of children with hypothalamic hamartomas. Poster presented at the
annual meeting of the Georgia Psychological Association, Augusta, GA.
*Poster awarded 3rd place in student poster competition
Nelson, J. M., & Liebel, S. W. (2016, February). ADHD symptoms among college students:
Cross-informant agreement, intra-informant agreement, and relationships with
neuropsychological functioning. Poster presented at the 44th annual meeting of the
International Neuropsychological Society, Boston, MA.
Liebel, S. W., Bryant, S. J., & Sweet, L. H. (2016, February). Cognitive processing speed
mediates the relationship between age and executive functions in cardiovascular disease.
Poster presented at the 44th annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological
Society, Boston, MA.
Liebel, S. W., & Nelson, J. M. (2016, February). Auditory and visual working memory in college
students with ADHD. Poster presented at the 44th annual meeting of the International
Neuropsychological Society, Boston, MA.
Liebel, S. W., Clark, U. S., Xu, X., McMains, J. T., Riskin-Jones, H. H., Hawkshead, B. E., . . .
Sweet, L. H. (2015, February). Evaluating the reliability and construct validity of an
FMRI-compatible Symbol Search task. Poster presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the
International Neuropsychological Society, Denver, CO.

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Hawkshead, B. E., Bryant, S. J., Schwarz, N. F., Duda, B., Liebel, S. W., MacKillop, J., &
Sweet, L. H. (2015, February). Neurocognitive markers of relapse risk assessed using
FMRI. Poster presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the International
Neuropsychological Society, Denver, CO.
Fair, J. E., Liebel, S. W., Bjornn, D. K., & Larson, M. J. (2015, February). Errorless and
errorful learning in moderate-to-severe TBI: The impact of neuropsychological
functioning and mood on performance. Poster presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the
International Neuropsychological Society, Denver, CO.
Hawkshead, B. E., Liebel, S. W., Schwarz, N. F., & Sweet, L. H. (2014, November). Working
memory and fMRI correlates of smoking cessation treatment outcome. Poster presented at
the 34th annual meeting of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Fajardo, Puerto
Rico.
Schwarz, N. F., Lukemire, J. D., Clark, U. S., Riskin-Jones, H., Xu, X., Labbe, D., Hawkshead,
B. E., Liebel, S. W., & Sweet, L. H. (2014, November). Cerebrovascular reactivity and
cardiovascular disease in older adult: Results from an fMRI breath-hold hypercapnia
task. Poster presented at the 44th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience,
Washington D. C.
Bjornn, D. K., Fair, J. E., Liebel, S. W., Hill, K. R., & Larson, M. J. (2014, September). Neural
correlates of errorless and errorful learning in moderate-to-severe TBI: ERN and Pe
amplitudes. Poster presented at the 54th annual meeting of the Society for
Psychophysiological Research, Atlanta, GA.
Schwarz, N. F., Lukemire, J. D., Liebel, S. W., Hawkshead, B. E., & Sweet, L. H. (2014, June).
Hypercapnia calibration of BOLD FMRI response reveals improved relationship to task
performance. Poster presented at the 20th annual meeting of the Organization for Human
Brain Mapping, Hamburg, Germany.
Sweet, L. H., Schwarz, N. F., Hawkshead, B. E., Liebel, S. W., & Lukemire, J. D. (2014,
February). Attenuation of default network processing during working memory. Poster
presented at the Southeastern Conference MRI/fMRI Collaborative Mini-Conference,
Athens, GA.
MacKillop, J., Murphy, C., Gray, J., Acker, J., Schwarz, N. F., Hawkshead, B. E., Liebel, S. W. ,
et al. (2014, February). Functional MRI biomarkers as translational predictors of
smoking cessation treatment response. Poster presented at the Southeastern Conference
MRI/fMRI Collaborative Mini-Conference, Athens, GA.
MacKillop, J., Murphy, C., Gray, J., Acker, J., Schwarz, N., Hawkshead, B., Liebel, S. W., et al.
(2014, February). FMRI biomarkers as translational predictors of smoking cessation
treatment response. Poster presented at the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction
Conference, Atlanta, GA.

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Fair, J. E., Bjornn, D. K., Liebel, S. W., & Larson, M. J. (2014, February). A controlled study
comparing errorless and errorful learning in moderate-to-severe TBI. Poster presented at
the 42nd annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Seattle, WA.
Liebel, S. W., Bjornn, D. K.., Fair, J. E., & Larson, M. J. (2013, February). The roles of positive
and negative affect on cognitive rehabilitation after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain
injury. Poster presented at the 41st annual meeting of the International
Neuropsychological Society, Waikola, HI.
Liebel, S. W., Fair, J. E., & Larson, M. J. (2012, April). How does negative affect impact
cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury? Poster presented at the annual
Mentored Student Research Conference by the Mary Lou Fulton Chair, Brigham Young
University, Provo, UT.
*Poster awarded 2nd place in student poster competition
Fair, J. E., Liebel, S. W., Bjornn, D. K., & Larson, M. J. (2012, February). OCD and cognitive
control: Electropshysiological and behavioral markers of regulative and evaluative
control. Poster presented at the 40th annual meeting of the International
Neuropsychological Society, Montral, QC, Canada.
Liebel, S. W., & Tillman, S. J. (2012, February). The role of implicit assumptions in the
therapeutic relationship. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American
Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Las Vegas, NV.
RESEARCH TRAINING
2013-Present Graduate Research Assistant
Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Georgia
Mentor: Lawrence H. Sweet, Ph.D.
Role: Conduct neuropsychological, MRI and FMRI assessments of individuals
with nicotine dependence, individuals who are HIV+, older adults with
cardiovascular disease, and healthy young adults to examine the changes
in structural integrity, resting state networks, and potential neural
compensatory adaptation mechanisms.
2014-Present Study Coordinator / Co-Investigator
Feasibility of Undergraduate Neuroimaging Study (FUNS)
Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Georgia
PI:
Lawrence H. Sweet, Ph.D.
Role: Coordinate FMRI study investigating the neurocognitive consequences of
stress, TBI, and other variables of interest. Direct participant recruitment
and data acquisition efforts and ensure IRB ethical guidelines are
followed. Train undergraduate research assistants to effectively administer
various neuropsychological test batteries and help formulate hypotheses
for student projects.

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2015-2016

Graduate Research Assistant

Regents Center for Learning Disorders, University of Georgia
Mentor: Jason M. Nelson, Ph.D.
Role: Conduct research on adolescents and college-aged adults with various
neurodevelopmental, learning, and/or attention disorders as part of a
research team and independently. The overall goal of this research
program is to advance understanding of these individuals at the
postsecondary level of education. Results are published in various peerreviewed journals in several disciplines.

2011-2013

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Clinical-Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology Laboratory, Brigham
Young University
Mentor: Michael J. Larson, Ph.D.
Role: Used neuropsychological testing and EEG to aid in studies determining
the effects of specific stimuli on error processing and the brain
mechanisms responsible for new learning ability in moderate-to-severe
TBI.

2010-2013

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Social and Theoretical Psychology Laboratory, Brigham Young University
Mentor: Jeffrey S. Reber, Ph.D.
Role: Lead study investigating the role implicit assumptions about therapy have
on therapeutic success and assisted in data collection and analyses for
study on the influence of secular education on religious beliefs.
II. CLINICAL ACTIVITIES

SUPERVISED CLINICAL TRAINING

2016-present Neuropsychology Extern
Brain Health Center, Department of Neurology, Emory University
Supervisor: David W. Loring, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
Role: Neuropsychological assessment of adults with epilepsy and other
neurological impairments with the primary referral questions related to
assessing risk for surgical intervention or impaired competency.
Responsibilities include report writing, in addition to administration,
scoring, and interpretation of a flexible battery of assessment instruments.
Weekly supervision meetings include discussion of test interpretation,
case conceptualization, and diagnostic impressions. Written reports
provided to referring providers.
2016-present Neuropsychology Extern
Department of Neurology, Wesley Woods Health Center, Emory University
Supervisor: Felicia Goldstein, Ph.D., ABPP-CN

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Role: Neuropsychological assessment of older adults with movement disorders
and other neurological impairments with the primary referral question
related to memory loss, differential diagnosis, and functional ability.
Responsibilities include report writing, in addition to administration,
scoring, and interpretation of a flexible battery of assessment instruments.
Weekly supervision meetings include discussion of test interpretation,
case conceptualization, and diagnostic impressions. Written reports
provided to referring providers.
2015-2016

Graduate Student Clinician

Psychology Clinic, University of Georgia
Supervisors: Anne Shaffer, Ph.D.
Role: Conduct outpatient assessments and weekly psychotherapy with selfreferred adults and couples. Weekly individual psychotherapy with
children also performed. Case conceptualizations formulated after
comprehensive investigation of presenting problems and background
information. Assessment techniques included unstructured clinical
interviews, self-report instruments, personality inventories, and behavioral
self-monitoring techniques. Treatment techniques included cognitivebehavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.

2015-2016

Neuropsychology Extern
Department of Neuropsychology, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta
Supervisor: Kathleen OToole, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, Dawn Ilardi, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
Role: Conduct inpatient and outpatient neuropsychological assessments for
children and adolescents with a variety of genetic/metabolic conditions,
epilepsy, neurofibromatosis, traumatic brain injury, and brain tumor.
Responsibilities include report writing, in addition to administration,
scoring, and interpretation of a flexible battery of assessment instruments.
Weekly individual supervision meetings include discussion of case
conceptualization, test interpretation, and diagnostic impressions.

2014-2015

Neuropsychology Intern
Memory Assessment Clinic, Psychology Clinic, University of Georgia
Supervisor: L. Stephen Miller, Ph.D.
Role: Assessment of older adults with primary referral question of cognitive
and/or memory difficulties. Responsibilities included administration,
scoring, and interpretation (via report writing) of a diverse battery of
assessment instruments to estimate premorbid intellectual functioning,
attention/executive functioning, verbal and visual memory, motor
functioning, and mood symptoms. Weekly supervision meetings include
discussion of test interpretation, case conceptualization, and diagnostic
impressions. Patient feedback given following the assessment and written
reports provided to referral.

2013-2014

Neuropsychology Intern

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Regents Center for Learning Disorders, University of Georgia
Supervisor: Scott E. Miller, Ph.D.
Role: Administration, scoring, and interpretation of neuropsychological and
psychoeducational test batteries to identify potential learning disabilities
and/or cognitive and emotional deficits that impact educational success of
undergraduate and graduate students. Weekly supervision meetings
included discussion of case conceptualization, test interpretation,
diagnostic impressions, and how to best provide university resources to
students to ensure equal access to information. Patient feedback given
following the assessment and written reports provided to referral.
III. TEACHING ACTIVITIES
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Instructor
Summer 2015

Research Analysis in Psychology, University of Georgia (32 students)

Teaching Assistant
Fall 2016

Elementary Psychology, University of Georgia

Spring 2015

Elementary Psychology, University of Georgia

Fall 2014

Abnormal Psychology, University of Georgia

2011-2012

Psychological Testing, Brigham Young University

2011-2012

Psychological Statistics, Brigham Young University

2010-2012

History of Psychology, Brigham Young University

2010-2012

Introduction to Psychology, Brigham Young University

Guest Lecturer
-

Spring 2015, PSYC1101: Elementary Psychology. Lecture: Early Life Development, Critical
Periods, and Neural Plasticity.

Fall 2014, PSYC3230: Abnormal Psychology. Lecture: Unipolar Depression and Efficacious
Treatment Options.

Fall 2014, PSYC3030: Preparing for Careers in Psychology. Lecture: Life as a Clinical
Psychology Graduate Student.

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TEACHING-RELATED PRESENTATIONS
Liebel, S. W. (2015, February). Neuropsychological Test Administration and Scoring: WASI-II,
WTAR, and NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. Workshop presented to Clinical
Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia.
IV. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, SERVICE, & LEADERSHIP
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
International Neuropsychological Society (INS)
American Psychological Association (APA)
Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN; APA Div. 40)
Association of Neuropsychology Students in Training (ANST)
Georgia Psychological Association
Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology
SERVICE & LEADERSHIP
2016-Present

Interest Group Representative, Association of Neuropsychology Students

in Training (ANST), Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (APA Div. 40)

2015-Present

Member, Admissions Committee, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program,

University of Georgia

2013-Present

Mentor, Psychology Undergraduate Mentoring Program, University of

Georgia

2013-2015

Student Representative to Clinical Psychology Faculty, University of

Georgia

AD HOC PEER REVIEWS

Brain Imaging and Behavior; Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
SPECIALIZED TRAINING
April 2015

Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD)

Presented by Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D., University of Maryland

October 2014

Grant Writing Part II: Developing a Winning Concept

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Presented by Steven M. Kogan, Ph.D., University of Georgia
June 2014

Analysis of genetic data using Plink and Haploview workshop

Presented by Joshua C. Gray, M.S., University of Georgia

February 2014

Analysis of Functional NeuroImages (AFNI) training workshop

Presented by Nicolette F. Schwarz, M.S., University of Georgia
V. FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS

FLUENT LANGUAGES
Spanish
July 2012

Certification of Advanced Ability in Spanish, American Council on the Teaching

of Foreign Languages