Graduate Students

Advisor: Keith Maddox, PhD
Background: Muna graduated with a BS in Psychology and worked as a research assistant and lab manager at Loyola University Chicago studying stereotypes and their role in juror decision-making.
Current research: Muna is interested in how targets of sexism react to perpetrators of sexism. More specifically, Muna wants to understand how women are behaving when they choose not to clearly and directly confront sexist perpetrators. Though women may not be confronting sexism in an obvious way, they may be responding to sexism in subtler—yet still deliberate—ways. Additionally, Muna is interested in studying the intersectional experience of women of color. More specifically, she wants to understand how having these multiple identities (being both a woman and a person of color) in different interpersonal contexts affect the process of attributing a negative outcome to discrimination (e.g. sexism, racism, or both).
Future plans: To make the world a more equitable and safer place for women and people with stigmatized identities.

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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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Advisors: Klaus Miczek & Marcus Weera
Area of study: Behavioral Neuroscience
Background: Brittany graduated from Tufts University in 2020 and holds both an AA and BA in Psychology. She has conducted research at Harvard University, the Boston V.A. Medical Center’s Neuroscience & TBI unit and in Dr. Miczek’s Psychopharmacology lab studying female aggression. Professionally, Brittany has worked for The University of Vermont Medical Center and Larner College of Medicine’s Clinical Trials Office, where she managed and conducted multiple drug clinical trials in humans.
Current research: Brittany is interested in the intersection between aggressive behavior and stress in females. More specifically, she is researching the role of CRF R1 receptor antagonism in appetitive behavior. Additionally, she is researching potential neural circuits that promote or inhibit alcohol drinking in preclinical animal models. Her major research interests lie within the scope of psychopharmacology.
Future plans: Brittany hopes to go into industry upon completion of her PhD.

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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. 

Advisor: Dr. Stephanie Badde
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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Advisors: Ayanna Thomas, PhD, & Elizabeth Race, PhD
Background: Himanshu earned his BA in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at UCLA and working as a lab manager at UC Davis, he worked on a multitude of projects ranging from scaffolding of memory in older adults to modeling learning in the brain using fMRI. Here at Tufts, he aims to continue his study of memory and the brain in older adults by looking for ways to tackle the cognitive deficits and susceptibility to misinformation that comes with growing older as well as pursue his interest in the effects of technology on cognition to produce research that can be applied to day-to-day life.
Current research: Currently studying the effects of warning on the memory for eyewitness events and susceptibility to misinformation in older adults as well as the effects of stress and uncertainty on cognitive abilities in emergency responders.
Future plans: Continue researching memory and older adults but branch out into new methodologies such as AI and virtual reality to create more complicated paradigms with the goal of creating naturalistic studies in the lab.

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Advisor: Jessica Remedios
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Jada received a BA in Psychology and minored in Sociology from William & Mary in 2020. During her time, she spent 3 years in a social cognition lab studying intergroup relations and stereotyping/prejudice where she also conducted her own honors project.
Current research: Jada is mainly interested in studying discrimination and intersectional stigma in higher education focused on applying research to creating systemic change for students of minoritized backgrounds. She is also interested in understanding the lack of the psychological research focused on race-related phenomena and how individuals who pursue this work are marginalized.
Future plans: Continue conducting research and become a professor while being a trained pastry chef!

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Advisor: Elizabeth Race, PhD 
Area of study: Cognitive Science 
Background: David graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2015 having double-majored in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. After pursuing an independent study on EEG signal processing along side a team of neurologists at UMass Medical School, David joined the Tufts Integrative Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Lab as a research coordinator in which he led and conducted projects sponsored by Draper Laboratory and the Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences (CABCS). His background focuses on EEG methodologies, neural markers of attention and memory, and machine learning techniques. 
Current research: States of attention, memory, and neurofeedback for use in enhancing cognitive state 
Future plans: Consulting in industry for cognitive science and software.

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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: Ayanna K. Thomas, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Psychology
Background: Lan Anh (Bella) was born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam but then moved to Seoul, South Korea and had lived there for almost 10 years before coming to Tufts. She graduated with honors from Hanyang University earning a BA in International Studies. She was then awarded the Global Leadership Fellowship from Yonsei University and obtained an MA in Educational Psychology there. While at Yonsei, she worked with Dr. Hee Seung Lee studying the effects of several strategies that can make learning more effective.
Current research: At Tufts, she continues examining the benefits of research-based study techniques such as interleaving and retrieval practice. Especially, she is interested in how these techniques can foster learning in stressful contexts.
Future plans: She would like to continue conducting research to help students forget less and learn more. She hopes to make students study more effectively so that they can achieve what they work for through their education.

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Advisor: Stephanie Badde, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Science
Background: Crista Falk graduated with a BS in Computation and Cognition and a minor in Music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2023. During this time, she spent 2 years in a Brain and Cognitive Sciences lab studying computational modeling of infant locomotion. She has previously worked as a software engineering intern and a machine learning researcher at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Current research: Multisensory perception, computational modeling, the effects of cross-modal perturbation of somatosensation, proprioception, and audition.
Future plans: Crista would like to continue working in the perceptual space, either within academia as a professor or within tech working to improve accessibility through human computer interfaces.

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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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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Advisor: Paul Muentener, PhD
Background: Gauri graduated with a BS in Psychology, a minor in Mathematics, and a Specialization in Psychological Modeling from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2021. Her research in Dr. Andrew Cohen's cognitive lab at UMass, along with her work in development labs at Boston University and Harvard University, has shaped her current interests. 
Current research: Cognitive development, scientific thinking and learning, causal learning
Future plans: Contribute to research about how children learn

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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.

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: Keith Maddox, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Sanjana received a BS in Psychology from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018. During her time at UMass, Sanjana worked in a social cognition lab studying discrimination based on nonnative accents. After graduation, Sanjana worked at a lab manager at UMass for a social/health psychology lab studying how social connections affect health behaviors. 
Current research: Sanjana is interested in the prejudice and discrimination of minority populations and using humor to promote prosocial behavior and positive interactions. Sanjana is interested in identifying humor-based strategies to encourage activism in young adult populations. 
Future plans: Research and eat ice cream (often simultaneously) 

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Advisor: Holly A. Taylor, PhD
Area of study: Spatial Cognition, Navigation, Cognition
Background: Ashlynn graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and Biomedical Sciences from Rochester Institute of Technology. As an undergraduate, she examined differences between children, orangutans, and raccoons in a problem-solving task. Additionally, she studied object and numerosity discrimination in goldfish while serving as the lab manager of the Comparative Cognition and Perception Lab. At Tufts, Ashlynn has studied cognition in adults, pigeons, starlings, and zebra finches. She completed her M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Tufts University in 2018 in a thesis titled "Auditory object perception in pigeons (Columba livia)." 
Current research: Her current research examines what information people seek when they face uncertainty while navigating an environment. 
Future plans: Continue learning new skills and become a better scientist and educator. 

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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Advisor: Ariel Goldberg, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive psychology, Psycholinguistics
Background: Ann graduated with a BA in Linguistics from the Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College in 2019. Ann was an NSF-sponsored research fellow studying the effects of age, cognitive decline, and hearing impairment on bilingualism in Dr. Katrien Vermeire's lab.
Current research: Ann is interested in investigating how the mechanisms of language production – particularly in typed production – are monitored and regulated at every level of processing.
Future plans: Researching, teaching, and baking

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Advisor: Holly Taylor, PhD and Ayanna Thomas, PhD
Area of study: Cognition
Background: Lauren graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Psychology and Holistic Health. While at SFSU, Lauren conducted an honors thesis on autism traits, executive functions, and exercise. She also earned the Dr. George Araki Academic Achievement Award for her research investigating the interplay between physiology and cognitive functioning.
Current research: Lauren studies the way people learn and remember environments. She is particularly interested in the role that metacognition plays in this process. 
Future plans: Lauren is beginning as a research associate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this fall, where she will investigate the intersection between Artificial Intelligence and Postsecondary Career Education at The Education Research & Opportunity Center (ERO).

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Advisor: Sam Sommers, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Mi’Lexus graduated from the University of Washington as a McNair scholar, where her researched focused on understanding how group identification can influence social perception. Earlier on in her graduate career at Tufts, she studied anxiety and interventions that could be implemented to improve intergroup communication.
Current research: Presently, Mi’Lexus is studying different ways we can create safe spaces for individuals with minoritized identities. She is dedicated to utilizing principals of social psychology to ensure a sense of belonging for these individuals.
Future plans: Presently, Mi’Lexus is studying different ways we can create safe spaces for individuals with minoritized identities. She is dedicated to utilizing principals of social psychology to ensure a sense of belonging for these individuals.

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Pronouns: she/her
Advisor: Holly Taylor, PhD and Nathan Ward, PhD
Area of study: Applied Cognitive Science
Background: Sydni graduated from the George Washington University Honors Program with a BA in Psychological & Brain Sciences and Criminal Justice in 2022. As an undergraduate, she was named a Luther Rice Research Fellow and was awarded the Sigelman Undergraduate Research Enhancement Award for her work with the GW Visual Cognition Lab under Dr. Stephen Mitroff. Sydni’s honors thesis investigated the differences in participant visual search performance, self-reported individual differences, and study compliance pre- and peri-COVID-19. Following graduation, Sydni served as a Junior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
Current research: Sydni is broadly interested in the intersection of attention, spatial cognition, and individual differences. She has also been studying Cognitive Enhancement and Neuromodulation in collaboration with the Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
Future plans: Conducting research on the intersection between emerging technology and cognitive psychology, reading more (for academic reasons and otherwise), and finding the best strawberry matcha in Boston.

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Advisor: Heather Urry, PhD
Area of study: Affective Science
Background: Prsni graduated with a BA in Psychology from Franklin and Marshall College, where she worked in the Emotion Lab for two years studying individual differences in various emotion and emotion regulation processes. She completed an undergraduate honors thesis studying the influence of personality on affective forecasting errors and their temporally-organized affective consequences.
Current research: Interested in the emotion regulation strategies that serve as reliable predictors of performance in stressful contexts.
Future plans: Conduct research that has real-world implications. Explore the best scuba diving sites along the way.

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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 on 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: Translational research on anxiety-related disorders, and understanding cognition, particularly memory, using fMRI.
Future plans: Continue learning and contributing to cognitive research on memory and its translational effects on mental health while mentoring students and fellow researchers.

Advisor: Sam Sommers, PhD
Area of study: Social Psychology
Background: Keturah received her BS in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science from the University of Arizona where she studied multisensory integration in non-human primates. She then studied for 2 years at the University of Delaware where she did research exploring the barriers and obstacles of women, and particularly women of color, in STEM.
Current research: She is interested in taking an intersectional approach to examine the relationship between various social identities as well as how having multiple stigmatized identities impacts individuals' perceptions and behaviors in various academic spaces.
Future plans: Whether in academic or non-academic spaces, Keturah aspires to have her work be an extension of her advocacy and social justice efforts to highlight the experiences of those who are often pushed to the margins.

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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 dual-minority biracial targets and non-White perceivers.
Current research: Isha’s is interested in continuing to research person perception involving people with multiple stigmatized identities, specifically focusing on the burgeoning racial group of multiracial individuals.
Future plans: To continue conducting research and hopefully one day become a professor! And maybe a small musical performance career on the side.

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Pronouns: she/her
Advisor: Nathan Ward, PhD
Area of study: Applied Cognition
Background: Kayla’s research has garnered national recognition both as a graduate, notably as an Honorable Mention for the 2021 NSF GRFP, and as an undergraduate, notably as a 2019 Barry Goldwater Scholar. She earned a BA in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Arcadia University in 2020. Kayla actively seeks opportunities for advanced training in statistics and methodology and enjoys applying these skills to elevate her research.
Current research: The effectiveness and ethical considerations of neurotechnology to influence cognition and behavior in complex everyday situations, such as driving a car or piloting an aircraft.
Future plans: Continue exploring consulting opportunities and national grant review services. Explore new interests and hobbies while nurturing current ones. Grow as a peer and mentor.

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Advisor: Ayanna K. Thomas, PhD
Area of study: Cognitive Psychology
Background: McKinzey graduated in 2019 with a BS in Cognitive Brain Science from Tufts University, where she studied metacognitive abilities of eyewitnesses when they encounter misinformation. In 2022, she earned a MS for her work exploring earwitness memory capabilities when remembering details from an overheard crime.
Current research: McKinzey’s research aims to broadly understand memory retrieval processes through investigating memory distortion and knowledge updating. She has explored how to resist misinformation, how knowledge is updated after encountering misinformation, and how imagined events may be confused with what people have experienced.
Future plans: McKinzey is looking for a post-doc in 2025. She plans to continue researching memory distortions and knowledge updating and is interested in investigating the impact of emotion and culture on these processes. She also wants to continue to mentor young scientists and share her findings with those inside and outside of academia.

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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: Paul Muentener, PhD
Background: Julia graduated from Montclair State University with both her BA and MA in Psychology. During her time at Montclair, she worked in the Cognitive and Language Development Lab studying infant and young children's perceptions of spatial configurations, as well as the Perceiving People Lab. There, the research focused on studying people’s perceptions of others based on traits like size, race, and gender. Working in both labs shaped her current research interests combining Social, Cognitive, and Developmental Psychology.
Current research: Broadly interested in studying Social Psychology through the lens of cognitive development. More specifically, she is interested in how social context, and context in general, shapes memories, as well as how/when certain stereotypes and biases form in children, including the implications of these early biases.
Future plans: To continue answering interesting questions in research and becoming a full-time faculty member at a research focused institution.

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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 research assistant for two years in clinical trials for neuromodulation of chronic pain conditions at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Meghan previously worked at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health teaching 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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Advisor: Nathan Ward, PhD
Area of study: Health Sciences and Applied Cognition
Background: Tom graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2016 with a B.S. in psychology and studied the relationship between sleep and cognition. After graduation, Tom spent three years as a research assistant at the Boston VA Hospital studying genetic and environmental interactions associated with premature neurocognitive aging.
Current research: Interested in better characterizing the relationship between physiological functioning and cognition.
Future plans: Continue in research and explore both academic and non-academic opportunities.

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Advisor: Ariel Goldberg, PhD
Background: Kimberly graduated from Salem State University with a BFA in 2009, and then worked in the web industry for close to ten years. In 2019 Kimberly received a Master's in linguistics from UNH.
Current research: The production of words both in spoken and written language; also interested in ASL and the semantic relationship between words.
Future plans: Continuing research

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Pronouns: she/her/hers 
Advisor: Jessica Remedios, PhD 
Area of study: Social Psychology 
Background: Jailekha graduated with a double major in Psychology and Economics from Colgate University in 2021. Her undergraduate honors thesis studied differences in mind perception and dehumanization among Black and White participants exposed to racially diverse characters. She worked at her alma mater for a year afterwards while remotely volunteering at the Tufts University Social Cognition Lab. 
Current research: Jailekha employs an intersectional mixed methods approach to study how people in the US perceive and attribute minds and morality to characters of diverse racial backgrounds. She also researches the consequences of mainstream research and teaching practices on people's beliefs about generalizability and epistemology within psychology. 
Future plans: Becoming a full-time faculty member, serving as a mentor to people from underrepresented groups, and teaching methods and statistics in an accessible (and fun!) way. Spending time with loved ones, and continuing to do ballet and write fiction!

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