COMPREHENSIVE PROFESSIONAL VITAE
Ashleigh J. Hillier, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
University of Massachusetts Lowell
A. EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
1. Education
2001-2004 Post-doctorate
Department of Neurology
The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH
2000 Ph.D.
Psychology
University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
Thesis: The relationship between understanding complex emotions and theory of mind among children and adolescents with autism.
1999 Teaching in Higher Education Postgraduate Certificate.
The Open University, England
1995 BSc. (Hons)
Psychology
University of Lincolnshire & Humberside, Hull, England
2. Academic Experience
2006-to date Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Massachusetts Lowell
2004-2006 Research Scientist (full-time)
Department of Neurology
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
This was a full-time research position involving work on multiple projects, both independent and collaborative. During this time I was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University.
2000-2001 Visiting Assistant Professor (full-time teaching position)
Department of Psychology
Ohio University, Athens, OH
1999-2000 Instructor / Part-time Visiting Lecturer of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Westminster University, London, England
1996-1999 Instructor / Part-time Visiting Lecturer of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Lincoln University, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
B. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
1. Professional Association Participation
Membership in Professional Associations
· American Psychological Association (June 2007 to date)
· Society for Neuroscience (June 2002 to date)
· Cognitive Neuroscience Society (December 2002 to date)
· International Meeting for Autism Research (March 2004 to date)
· Autism Society of America (June 2002 to date)
· British Psychological Society (January 1997 to May 2000)
2. Professional Honors and Awards
· UMass Lowell Department of Psychology Teaching Excellence Award 2010
· The Ohio State University International Scholar Award 2003
3. Additional Qualifications
· Validated administrator of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Awarded qualification in 2003.
4. Other Professional Activities
· Reviewer for Professional Journals
o Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
o Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice
o Imagination, Cognition and Personality
o Neurocase
· Reviewer for Grant for UK Medical Research Council
Peer-reviewed conference presentations at national and international conferences:
2012 Rollins, P., McCabe, A., Hillier, A., Paul, R., Norbury, C., Goldman, S., Einstein, A., Losh, M., & Hewitt, L. Narratives in high-functioning ASD: Significance and best practices. Symposium presentation at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Atlanta, GA.
2012 Kopec, J., Hillier, A., Frye, A. Emotional response to music among those with autism spectrum disorders. Poster presentation at the Society for Neuroscience, New Orleans, LA.
2012 McCabe, A., Hillier, A., Shapiro, C. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late:
Structure of Personal Narratives of Emerging Adults with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Poster presented at the 11th International Meeting for Autism Research, Toronto, ON.
2011 Murphy, D., Hilllier, A., Ferrara, C, Collins, S., Baltisberger, N., Lopes, A., & McCabe, R. Effects of exercise on heart rate variability, cortisol, and stress on young adults with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Poster at the 16th International World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2010 Hillier, A., Murphy, D., & Ferrara, C. Physical Exercise Reduces Stress and Anxiety Among Adolescents and Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum. Poster at the Autism 2010 Conference, Toronto, ON.
2010 Greher, G., & Hillier, A. SoundScape: An interdisciplinary music technology intervention for adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction, Minneapolis, MN.
2009 Hillier, A., & Murphy D. Reduction in salivary cortisol following physical exercise and relaxation among adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at the 8th International Meeting for Autism Research, Chicago, IL.
2009 Greher, G., Hillier, A., Poto, N., Dougherty, M. SoundScapes: An interdisciplinary music intervention for adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Paper presented at the 90th American Educational Research Association Conference, San Diego, CA.
2009 Beversdorf, D.Q., Carpenter, A., Birmingham, D.J., Tilley, M., Alexander, J.K., Hillier, A. Serotonin transporter protein genotype determines the effect of psychosocial stress on cognitive performance. Poster presented at the 37th annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Atlanta, GA.
2008 Chowdhury, M., Benson, B.A., & Hillier, A. Communication and Behavioral Outcomes of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.
2007 Beversdorf, D.Q, Birmingham, D.J., Arasu, V., Alexander, J.K., Campbell, H.L., White, C.A., Hillier, A., & Bauman, M. Prenatal stress and maternal serotonin transporter protein polymorphisms in autism. Poster session presented at the 6th International Meeting for Autism Research, Seattle, WA.
2007 Hillier, A., Fish, T., & Cloppert, P. Outcomes of a social and vocational skills support group for adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at the 6th International Meeting for Autism Research, Seattle, WA.
2007 Chowdhury, M., Benson, B.A., & Hillier, A. Changes in restricted repetitive behaviors over time in high-functioning adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at the 6th International Meeting for Autism Research, Seattle, WA.
2007 Chowdhury, M., Benson, B.A., & Hillier, A. Course of behavioral change in high-functioning adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, Georgia.
2007 Beversdorf, D.Q, Birmingham, D.J., Arasu, V., Alexander, J.K., Campbell, H.L., White, C.A., Hillier, A., & Bauman, M. Prenatal stress and maternal serotonin transporter protein polymorphisms in autism. Paper presentation presented at 59th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Boston, MA.
2007 Narayanan, A., White, C.A., Kim, N., Tivarus, M.E., Hillier, A., Schmalbrock, P., Kataki, M., Scharre, D., & Beversdorf, D.Q. Effect of donepezil on left inferior frontal lobe activation during verbal fluency in MCI. Poster presented at 59th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Boston, MA.
2006 Beversdorf, D.Q., Carpenter, A., Miller, R., Cios, J., & Hillier, A. Effect of propranolol on cognitive flexibility in individuals with ASD. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.
2006 Hillier, A., Carpenter, A., Smith, R.M., Berntson, G.G., & Beversdorf, D.Q. Physiological responsiveness to affective stimuli among those on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at the 5th International Meeting for Autism Research, Montreal, Canada.
2005 Alexander, J.K., Hillier, A., Smith, R.M., Tivarus, M.E., & Beversdorf, D.Q. Beta-adrenergic blockade reverses stress-induced cognitive impairment. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
2005 Beversdorf, D.Q., Friedman, N.F., Sharma, U.K., Phillips, N.N., & Hillier, A. The effect of propranolol on naming in Broca’s aphasia. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
2005 Campbell, H.L., Tivarus, M.E., Alexander, J.K., Hillier, A., et al. Effect of task difficulty on noradrenergic modulation of cognitive flexibility. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, New York, NY.
2005 Hillier, A., Alexander, J.K., Smith, R.M., Tivarus, M., et al. The effect of stress on cognitive flexibility among those on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at the 4th International Meeting for Autism Research, Boston, MA.
2005 Hillier, A., Campbell, H., Phillips, N., Keillor, J., et al. Autism spectrum and susceptibility to the visual false memory effect. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, St. Louis, MO.
2005 Tivarus, M., Hillier, A., Schmalbrock, P., Marcetich, A., et al. Functional connectivity in an fMRI study of semantic and phonological processes. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington DC.
2004 Chu, J.S, Miller, R.F., Hillier, A., Tivarus, M.E., et al. Noradrenergic modulation of semantic priming. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
2004 Hillier, A., Chu, J.S., Miller, R.F., Kitzmiller, J., et al. Pharmacological modulation of emotion memory in autism spectrum disorders. Poster presented at the 3rd International Meeting for Autism Research, Sacramento, CA.
2004 Tivarus, M., Ibinson, J., Hillier, A., Schmalbrock, P., et al. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of semantic priming. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.
2003 Beversdorf, D.Q., Hillier, A., Brooker, R., & Hughes, J. A neural network model of decreased context utilization in autism spectrum disorder. Poster presented at the 1st International Meeting for Autism Research, Orlando, FL.
2003 Hillier, A., Alexander, J.K., & Beversdorf, D.Q. The effect of auditory stressors on cognitive performance. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
2003 Ishizuka, K., Hillier, A., & Beversdorf, D.Q. Effect of the cold pressor test on memory and cognitive flexibility. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, New York, NY.
2003 Phillips, N., Hillier, A., & Beversdorf, D.Q. False memory for visually presented shapes and symbols. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Orlando, FL.
2002 Bailey, J., Lassiter, D.G., & Hillier, A. Evidence that autistic individuals are less likely to show a correspondence bias. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Society Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
1997 Allinson, L.J., & Hillier, A. Enhancing the social and cognitive skills of autistic children. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the British Psychological Society, London, UK.
Conference presentations at local conferences:
2012 Kopec, J., Hillier, A., & Frye, A. (2012). Music preferences among adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at UMass Lowell’s Student Research Symposium, Lowell, MA.
2011 McCabe, A., Hillier, A., Shapiro, C. (2011). Too Much, Too Little, Too Late: Structure of Personal Narratives of Emerging Adults with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Poster presented at UMass Lowell Faculty Research Conference, Lowell, MA.
2010 Hillier, A., Galizzi, M. (2010). Vocational outcomes for young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Poster presented at UMass Lowell Faculty Research Conference, Lowell, MA.
2010 Hillier, A., Murphy, D., & Ferrara, C. (2010). Measuring stress through salivary cortisol following physical exercise and relaxation among adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at UMass Lowell Faculty Research Conference. Lowell, MA.
2008 Hillier, A. Success in the Workplace: Practical Suggestions for Employees and Employers. Presentation at the Asperger’s Association of New England Annual Conference, Marlborough, MA.
2008 Hillier, A., & Greher, G. SoundScape: Evaluation of an interdisciplinarymusic intervention program for adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at UMass Lowell Faculty Research Inauguration Conference, Lowell, MA.
2008 Murphy, D., & Hillier, A. Fit and Fun: An exercise and relaxation program for young adults on the autism spectrum. Poster presented at UMass Lowell Faculty Research Inauguration Conference, Lowell, MA.
2005 Hillier, A. Facilitating peer interaction in school-age children. Paper presented at the Columbus Children’s Hospital Annual Autism Conference, Columbus, OH.
2005 Hillier, A. Social and vocational skills support for young adults on the autism spectrum. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence, Columbus, OH.
2004 Hillier, A., Mastriani, K., Alexander, J., & Beversdorf, D.Q. Vocational support program for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Paper presented at the annual meeting of The Ohio State University Multiple Perspectives on Disability conference, Columbus, OH.
2003 Hillier, A., Mastriani, K., & Beversdorf, D.Q. Vocational support for young adults on the autism spectrum. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Autism Society of Ohio, Columbus, OH.
2003 Hillier, A., Fish, T., Schauer, C., Mastriani, K., et al. A model social / vocational group program for young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed, Columbus, OH.
C. RESEARCH
1. Grants and Contracts since starting position at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
2007–to date Title: Specialization in Developmental Disabilities.
Agency: Department of Developmental Services
Type: State funding
Principal Investigator: Ashleigh Hillier, Ph.D.
Co-PIs: Charlotte Mandell, Ph.D.; Richard Siegel, Ph.D.
Amount: $14, 700 annually since 2007
I am the coordinator of the UMass Lowell Department of Psychology Specialization in
Developmental Disabilities, and the Program Director for the Interdisciplinary Minor in Disability Studies. As PI I ensure the continuation, expansion, and success of these programs.
2010-2011 Title: Interdisciplinary Course Incorporating Classroom Technology to Enhance Student Understanding of Assistive Technology and Disability.
Agency: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Type: Internal
Principal Investigators: Ashleigh Hillier, Ph.D.; Deirdra Murphy, DPT, MS, MHA
Amount: $1,500
This project involves interdisciplinary collaboration to develop a new undergraduate course at UML, The Sociological Aspects of Assistive Technology for Persons with Disability. The development of the new course incorporates the latest technological advances designed to enhance student learning and engagement and increase courses available in the Disability Minor.
2009-2010 Title: Fit and Fun: A Physical Activity and Relaxation Program for Community Dwelling Underserved Youth on the Autism Spectrum.
Agency: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Type: Internal Joseph P. Healey Endowment Grant
Principal Investigators: Ashleigh Hillier, Ph.D.; Deirdra Murphy, DPT, MS, MHA
Amount: $5,000
This grant provided an interdisciplinary physical activity and relaxation program for youth on the autism spectrum called “Fit and Fun”. The project empirically evaluated the program using qualitative and quantitative methods including measures of salivary cortisol (a stress hormone), changes in fitness levels, self-report measures, and focus groups. As co-PI I collaborated on study design, recruitment, program implementation, data analysis, data interpretation, and manuscript preparation.
2008-2009 Title: Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Music Intervention for Adolescents and Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum.
Agency: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Type: Internal Joseph P. Healey Endowment Grant
Principal Investigators: Ashleigh Hillier, Ph.D.; Gena Greher, Ed.D.
Amount: $4,250
This research project was an empirical evaluation of an interdisciplinary, university based music program for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This project provided a sustainable program which addressed the needs of members of our community for whom few other services were available. In addition, students in the Music Education program and Psychology graduate and undergraduate programs had the unique opportunity to design, implement, and evaluate the Music intervention. My role was to design the program evaluation, collect, analyze, and write up the data, and recruitment for the program.