Biography
I began working with individuals with alcohol problems in 2004 in New York City. I have since been consistently working to build the understanding of addictions through my research and applied work at major research institutions across the country and around the world. In recognition of my alcohol research, I was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, a Lincoln Excellence Assistant Professor by the University of Illinois, and was the 2020 recipient of the Early Career Investigator award from the Research Society on Alcoholism.
Research Interests
- Addiction
- Alcohol
- Social processes
Research Description
My work focuses on basic social and emotional processes driving alcohol use as well as the application of novel methods and measures within addiction science more broadly. In the Alcohol Research Laboratory, we employ lab-based alcohol-administration procedures, as well as ambulatory measures assessing alcohol response outside the laboratory, to better understand basic factors that might motivate heavy drinking. A primary aim of this program of work is to examine alcohol's impact within social contexts and how alcohol’s social and emotional rewards might ultimately contribute to the etiology of alcohol use disorder. Within our laboratory research, we have employed a range of measures including analyses of facial muscle movement during live interaction, eye tracking, and also electroencephalography recordings. Within our ambulatory research, we employ photographic measures of drinking contexts and alcohol biosensors that assess drinking via transdermal means. Our laboratory also has developed a focus on research synthesis and meta-analysis, the application of machine learning methods within addiction science, as well as the validation of alcohol biosensing technology.
Education
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
External Links
Recent Publications
Fairbairn, C. E., Kang, D., & Federmeier, K. D. (Accepted/In press). Alcohol and Neural Dynamics: A Meta-analysis of Acute Alcohol Effects on Event-Related Brain Potentials. Biological Psychiatry, 89(10), 990-1000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.11.024
Ariss, T., & Fairbairn, C. E. (2020). The Effect of Significant Other Involvement in Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(6), 526-540. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000495
Fairbairn, C. E., Velia, B. A., Creswell, K. G., & Sayette, M. A. (2020). A dynamic analysis of the effect of alcohol consumption on humor enjoyment in a social context. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 86, [103903]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103903
Fairbairn, C. E., Kang, D., & Bosch, N. (2020). Using machine learning for real-time BAC estimation from a new-generation transdermal biosensor in the laboratory. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 216, [108205]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108205
Venerable, W. J., & Fairbairn, C. E. (2020). A multimodal, longitudinal investigation of alcohol's emotional rewards and drinking over time in young adults. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 34(5), 601-612. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000567
