Graduate Students

Advisor: Aerielle Allen, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Yolore earned her BA in Psychology from Princeton University where she also received a minor certificate in Dance. She then worked at her alma mater as a research specialist/lab manager in the Fiske lab of stereotyping and social cognition for two years. She most recently served as the research coordinator for the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission.
Current research: Yolore is interested in a multitude of research topics such as: intersectional invisibility, intergroup solidarity, factors that may disrupt intra-group cohesion, and anti-racist interventionist work.
Future plans: She hopes to end up in academia teaching the new crop of psychologists and continuing to conduct research.

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Pronouns: He/Him/His
Advisor: Sam Sommers, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Akil received a BA in Psychology, with a minor in computer science, from Bucknell University in 2022. At Bucknell University Akil studied Human-AI interaction, under the direction of Dr. Chris Dancy, specifically analyzing how humans treated AI agents based on how they were racialized.
Current research: Interested in examining different types of racism and primarily how these affect marginalized groups, and the reactions/perceptions of those who’re unaffected.
Future plans: Continue research, while being a mentor in some capacity to marginalized youth.

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Pronouns: she/her
Advisor: Marcus Weera, PhD
Area of study: Neuroscience
Background: Sydney received a BA in Neuroscience from Bowdoin College in 2023. There she worked with Dr. Jennifer Honeycutt to assess the sex-specific effects of early life adversity in affective processing using rat ultrasonic vocalization playback.
Current research: Now, Sydney is a student in the Tufts School of Medicine Neuroscience Department in Dr. Marcus Weera’s lab. Her work focuses on translational and affective neuroscience by studying the neural factors driving the relationship between stressors and alcohol drinking in a rat model. 

Pronouns: she/her
Advisor: Marcus Weera, PhD
Area of study: Psychology, Neuroscience
Background: Olivia received a BS degree in Neuroscience from Tulane University in 2023. During her undergraduate studies, Olivia worked in the lab of Dr. Tiffany Wills (LSU Health) on projects that investigate the neurobiological consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure. 
Current research: At Tufts, Olivia is a student in the Tufts Psychology Department in the Addiction Neuroscience Lab and works on projects related to the neurobiology of stress and alcohol interactions.
Future Plans: Contribute to the understanding and treatment of alcohol use disorder and its comorbidities.

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Advisor: Stephanie Badde, PhD
Area of study: Multisensory Integration
Background: Vanalata graduated with a dual degree in Humanities and Computer Science.
Current research: I am interested in figuring out how the brain integrates information coming from multiple senses.
Future plans: Continue to contribute to knowledge.

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Advisor: Heather Urry, PhD
Area of study: Experimental Psychology
Background: Monique earned her B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California Irvine. She then joined Dr. Michelle Shiota in the Shiota Psychophysiology Laboratory for Affective Testing at ASU where she examined the influence of emotion on cognition and decided to pursue this interest further.
Current research: As an incoming PhD student at Tufts University, she intends to investigate the influence of emotion on cognitive processes such as attention and perception. Specifically, she's interested in examining the influence of stress on perception and communication in human-to-human interactions. With this focus, she hopes to optimize methods of emotion regulation and utilize cognitive resources to improve performance under stress.
Future plans: In addition to a career in research, I am developing my artistic skills in Surrealism. Coming soon to a gallery near you!

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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Advisor: Aerielle Allen, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Aries received her AA from Lehigh Carbon Community College in 2020, and her BA in Psychology from Bucknell University in 2022. After graduating from Bucknell University, she was a lab manager in Dr. Valerie Jones Taylor’s Stereotyping and Social Interactions Virtual Reality Lab at Rutgers University. For two years, she researched how Virtual Reality can be used as a tool to reduce bias in interracial interactions. 
Current research: Aries is interested in understanding social stratification and examining how key social identities (e.g., race, gender, age, and socioeconomic class) lead to differences in intra- and intergroup contact, empathy, and equity. Specifically, she seeks to identify the underlying psychological processes in minoritized individuals' interaction with ingroup and outgroup members and their downstream consequences.
Future plans: To pursue a career in academia and to publish her research (although, publishing a cookbook one day might also be on the agenda). 

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Pronouns: she/her
Advisor: Marcus Weera, PhD 
Area of study: Neuroscience
Background: Libby earned her BA in Biology with a minor in Dance from Skidmore College in 2023. During her undergraduate studies, she worked with Dr. Jennifer Bonner to determine the effects of CBD on motor neuron axonal growth in zebrafish embryos. She then joined Dr. Dennis Brown’s Program in Membrane Biology lab at Mass General Hospital as a lab technician for two years. 
Current research: Libby is an MBR student in the Neuroscience Department at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Addiction Neuroscience Lab. Her thesis will focus on the neurobiology of stress and alcohol use in rats, using electrophysiological and biochemical approaches.
Future plans: To pursue a career in industry research.

Advisor: Nathan Ward, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience
Background: Julie’s background is primarily in Stroke Neurorehabilitation, studying motor systems neuroscience by using neuroimaging and neurotechnologies (e.g., non-invasive brain stimulation) in the Laboratory for Translational Neurorecovery at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Current research: Julie is interested in examining individual differences in attention control and the influence of attention on motor task performance. Julie hopes to use dual-task paradigms and neuroimaging techniques to examine the behavioral and neural mechanisms of these topics.
Future plans: Cognitive-motor clinical research and integration of (neuro)technologies!

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Advisor: Nathan Ward, PhD
Area of Study: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction 
Background: Cierra graduated from Drexel University with a BS in psychology in 2025. After graduating, she joined the Ayaz Neuroergonomics Lab, where she contributed to research that utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine attentional control in individuals with late-stage ALS. There, she learned how neuropsychological assessments and brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) can translate into life-improving solutions for this population.
Current research: As an incoming student, Cierra is broadly interested in exploring cognitive function in clinical and healthy populations through the use of neuroimaging techniques and human-computer interfaces. 
Future plans: Cierra hopes to contribute to research and development for systems and technologies used in both clinical and everyday settings.

Advisor: Stephanie Badde, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Science, Perception, Psychophysics, Computational Modeling
Background: Crista Falk graduated with a BS in Computation and Cognition and a minor in Music from MIT in 2023. During this time, they worked in the MIT Motor Control Lab applying an optimal foraging framework to explain and model reward-driven infant locomotion. They previously worked as a software engineering intern for AWS and a machine learning researcher at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Current research: Proprioception, Action, Metacognition, Multisensory Integration
Future plans: Academia, baby!

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Advisor: JP de Ruiter, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Science
Background: Before joining Tufts, Anna built language technologies at Google, and created interactive digital experiences for architectural spaces throughout Boston and Cambridge. She has a BA in linguistics from Stanford.
Current research: Anna is interested in how people establish mutual understanding in conversation, and what happens when it breaks down. She plans to combine conversation analysis and computational methods to study conversational repair and related cognitive processes.

Advisor: Gina Kuperberg MD, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive science and Psycholinguistics
Background: Thomas received a BA in Psychology from the University of South Carolina. Here he gained experience as a research assistant in the Early Social Development and Intervention Lab with Dr. Jessica Bradshaw, working on early biomarkers for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He then received his MA in Psychology at Brandeis University. His research with Dr. Arthur Wingfield in the Memory & Cognition Lab investigated Cochlear Implant users’ ability to comprehend discourse-level texts using pupillometry.
Current research: Neural imaging of language processing (EEG, MEG), naturalistic language processing, discourse comprehension, predictive processing
Future plans: Learning more about MEG and fMRI, mentoring undergraduates/teaching, sleeping, publishing more papers

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Advisor: Holly Taylor, PhD and Nathan Ward, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Psychology 
Background: Hannah graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a BS in Cognitive Science in 2020. As an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Nicolas Davidenko’s High Level Perception Lab. Following graduation, she spent a few years working as a senior research coordinator at the Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Tufts University. In this role, she had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects in collaboration with principal investigators from Tufts and the DEVCOM Soldier Center examining different ways to measure, predict, and enhance cognitive capabilities for individuals in high stakes environments.
Current research: Hannah is broadly interested in understanding how stress, cognitive load, and non-invasive neurostimulation impact cognition and decision making, and how this can be applied in real-world settings.
Future plans: Continue to conduct research that can be applied within real-world settings.

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Advisor: Elizabeth Race, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Neuroscience
Background: Katie received her BS in Neuroscience with minors in Biology and Psychology from the University of Oregon in 2024. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in multiple different labs studying human perception, cognitive dynamics, and memory processes. After graduating, she worked at UO full-time as the lab manager in Dr. Brice Kuhl’s Memory and Attention Lab, focusing on memory repulsion and fMRI research.
Current research: Katie is broadly interested in studying how aphantasia, the absence of mental imagery, impacts different memory processes. She is currently working on investigating how mental imagery may influence the misinformation effect.
Future plans: Continue to study the misinformation effect, broaden the field of mental imagery research, and utilize neuroimaging methods, such as fMRI and EEG.

Advisor: Lisa Shin, PhD
Area of study: Clinical Neuroscience
Background: Madelyn graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 with a BS in Neuroscience and German. While at Michigan, she was a research assistant in the Duval Lab studying learning and memory for threat and reward using methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and skin conductance response (SCR) in individuals with anxiety and stress disorders.
Current research: Madelyn is interested in studying how behavior and brain function during cognitive and emotional tasks is related to anxiety and stress disorder symptoms, specifically in individuals with PTSD.
Future plans: Learn new skills, contribute to meaningful research, and find time to learn new recipes, explore new running trails, and travel.

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Advisor: Dr. Stephanie Badde
Area of study: Cognitive Science
Background: Sreelakshmi completed her BSc in Physics with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Delhi. She then pursued an MSc in Cognitive Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, where she began her research on vibrotactile perception in the Touch Perception lab. Following her master’s, she continued in the lab as a project assistant, working on categorical learning in vibration perception.
Current research: Multisensory perception and neuroplasticity
Future plans: Continue research on perception and neuroplasticity

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Advisor: Xandra Kredlow, PhD
Area of study: Psychology and Cognitive Science
Background: Luna graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. In the four years that followed, she worked as a research assistant in neuroimaging labs at the University of Pittsburgh and UT Austin. Her research background has largely focused on neurocognitive correlates of clinically relevant topics like suicidality, trauma exposure, and various anxiety disorders.
Current research: Luna wants to help advance our understanding of anxiety-related disorders by researching how fear impacts learning and memory processes.
Future plans: Improve her research skills, and learn how to teach in a way that gets other people excited about cognitive science!

Pronouns: she/her
Advisor: Holly Taylor, PhD and Nathan Ward, PhD
Area of study: Applied Cognitive Science
Background: Sydni graduated with her BA from the George Washington University Honors Program in 2022, double majoring in Psychological and Brain Sciences (Concentration: Cognitive Neuroscience) and Criminal Justice. Sydni began her research career as a Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellow in the GW Visual Cognition Lab under Dr. Stephen Mitroff, where she studied visual attention in applied settings. Following graduation, Sydni served as a Junior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
Current research: Neuromodulation, multitasking, cognitive enhancement, individual differences.
Future plans: Conducting applied research on the intersection between emerging neurotechnology and cognition in an industry setting. 

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Advisor: Xandra Kredlow, PhD
Area of study: Psychology and Cognitive Science
Background: Megan graduated from Fairfield University with a degree in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience. During her time there, she conducted behavioral research on awareness of implicit biases toward individuals with mental health disorders. Following graduation, she served as a Postgraduate Research Associate at Yale University, where she researched the effect of anxiety on decision-making. She also investigated differences in brain activity among individuals with different symptoms of PTSD using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Current research: She is interested in translational research investigating the mechanisms of autobiographical memory in anxiety-related disorders through the examination of language and neural processes.
Future plans: Continue learning and contributing to research while supporting undergraduate students and research assistants through mentorship in academic or lab settings.

Advisor: Ayanna Thomas, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Science
Background: Max Ramseyer earned an MEd from Harvard University, an MTS from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and a Self-Designed BA from Duke University, with training across psychology, neuroscience, education, and theology. As a neuro-imaging research assistant at Mass General Brigham, his research examined how sense of purpose in life is associated with greater cognitive resilience in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease and how hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing are differentially mapped onto the default-mode network. He also serves as an instructor of neuropsychology and statistics at Hellenic College and as a Teaching Fellow for Adult Development & the Immunity to Change courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Current research: At Tufts, Max is interested in the neurobiological substrates of metacognitive and autobiographical memory processes and their link to navigating uncertainty during adult developmental transformations.
Future plans: Continue to study how our mind and brain interact when our capacity to make meaning of our life experiences undergoes deep transformation.

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Advisor: Jessica Remedios, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Isha graduated with a BA in Psychology from Skidmore College in 2022. During her undergraduate career, she studied person perception, specifically focusing on non-White perceptions of dual-minority biracial individuals.
Current research: Isha is primarily interested in studying social perception, with a focus on Asian populations. Specifically, she studies how phenotypic cues influence racial- and gender-based bias, stigma, and stereotyping. Her current research evaluates differing perceptions of femininity across East and South Asian populations, and the downstream consequences of gendered stereotyping.
Future plans: Isha would like to continue conducting research and mentoring budding researchers, especially those of us who are underrepresented in psychology research settings. She also hopes to continue nurturing her passion for music and performance.

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Advisor: Keith Maddox, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Oscar received a BA in Psychology from Kenyon College in 2023, where he worked with Dr. Andrew Engell to examine cognitive mechanisms underlying group differences in face perception. He then earned an MA in Psychology from Brandeis University, where he worked with Dr. Jennifer Gutsell in the Social Interaction & Motivation Lab to investigate how spatial attention influences racial biases in emotion processing.
Current research: How social group memberships shape our understanding and perceptions of others, and how does group typicality influence the impressions and judgments we form about them.
Future plans: Continue doing research and exploring the world.

Advisor: Paul Muentener, PhD
Area of study: Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Science
Background: Weiwei earned her BA in Psychology from New York University and her EdM in Human Development and Education from Harvard University. Her research has spanned several areas of developmental science, including children’s spatial representations and numerical reasoning, bilingual language processing, and early parent-child relationships. 
Current research: She studies how language shapes the way children think and learn about the world. She is interested in how children use language to reason about causes and build early scientific knowledge.
Future plans: Weiwei hopes to continue studying how children learn and reason, and to use developmental research to better understand how we can support children’s learning.

Advisor: Gina Kuperberg, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, psychiatric disorders
Background: Apoorva earned her BS in Neuroscience from The Ohio State University in 2020. Her undergraduate thesis work at The Cognitive Development Lab (PI: Dr. Vladimir Sloutsky) proposed that new words could be added to the semantic network by mere exposure to two fundamental statistical regularities that naturally occur in language, and that this sensitivity only increases with age. After leaving school, Apoorva pursued an analytics career in the banking industry, applying her understanding of cognition and semantic networks to help build AI/ML and behavioral analysis tools to detect fraud.
Current research: Investigating how neurolinguistic processing changes in psychiatric disorders using an integrative approach that combines brain imaging techniques, predictable neural measures associated with semantic context, and large language models.
Future plans: Research, writing, & teaching

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Advisor: Marcus Weera, PhD
Area of study: Behavioral Neuroscience
Background: Henrique graduated with a BS in Neuroscience and a BS in Psychology from Arizona State University in 2025. During his undergraduate studies, he investigated the role of cerebellum dysfunction in animal models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). His thesis work explored the role of the norepinephrine system and Purkinje cells in mediating cognitive inflexibility and repetitive behaviors, hallmark symptoms of ASD.
Current research: At Tufts, Henrique's research is focused on the neurocircuitry of alcohol-heightened aggression. He is particularly interested in how neuroadaptations from chronic alcohol drinking might culminate in exacerbated aggressive behavior.
Future plans: Advancing the addiction neuroscience field by uncovering the neural substrates underlying maladaptive behaviors that stem from substance misuse.

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Advisor: Xandra Kredlow, PhD
Area of study: Experimental Psychology 
Background: Meghan earned a BS in biology and minor in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During her undergraduate years, she worked in a developmental sleep lab, studying the effects of napping on declarative and motor memory in preschool children. After graduating, Meghan worked as a lab manager for two years in clinical trials for neuromodulation of chronic pain conditions at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and as a program coordinator for Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health teaching international medical students and doctors the principles of clinical research.
Current research: Translational research on anxiety, emotion, and fear memory processes.
Future plans: Continue conducting research that can be translated into a clinical setting.

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Pronouns: she/her/hers 
Advisor: Jessica Remedios, PhD 
Area of study: Social Psychology, Metascience 
Background: Jailekha graduated with a double major in Psychology and Economics from Colgate University, where she studied how people attribute minds to a range of characters. She worked at her alma mater for a year afterwards while remotely volunteering at the Tufts University Social Cognition Lab. 
Current research: Broadly, Jailekha is interested in how we think about people and methods that lie outside the norm. Her primary research examines the link between mind perception and dehumanization, and how this affects people’s outcomes in fields like healthcare and education. A reflexive mixed methods researcher, she also researches the consequences of mainstream research and teaching practices on people's beliefs about generalizability and epistemology within psychology. Jailekha is currently on the job market for positions in social psychology and organizational behavior/management.
Future plans: Publishing methodologically rigorous and practically applicable research, teaching methods and statistics in an accessible (and fun!) way, and mentoring people from underrepresented groups. Outside of work, spending time with loved ones, continuing ballet/MMA, and writing fiction!

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