Dr. Christopher Fagundes is a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice University. He oversees both the Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research Interest Group and the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Research Interest Group. He also serves as director of the Institute of Health Resilience & Innovation and chairs Rice University’s Institutional Review Board.

Dr. Fagundes is principal investigator of the Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disease (BMED) Laboratory, a multidisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff. Together, they integrate theories and methods from social, developmental, and clinical psychology to investigate how psychosocial adversity—such as early-life stress, marital strain, spousal loss, caregiving burden, and social disadvantage—affects immune dysregulation, autonomic function, and mitochondrial biology. These pathways are examined in relation to aging-related chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). Guided by attachment theory as an overarching framework, his lab identifies psychological and biological mechanisms of risk and resilience, and uses these insights to develop and test interventions that improve quality of life and reduce disease vulnerability in older adults.

Dr. Fagundes’ work is widely published and has been featured in national media outlets including The New York Times, NPR, Time, and Forbes. He is a frequent speaker at scientific conferences and public health forums, and holds adjunct appointments at Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the University of Houston. He welcomes inquiries from prospective students and postdoctoral fellows.