Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience PhD Student

Chantelle Dias is a first-year doctoral student in the Social, Cognitive, Affective, and Neuroscience (SCAN) program at The Catholic University of America. She earned a B.A. (Honours) in Psychology with a concentration in Forensic Psychology from Carleton University, where she examined oral discourse and psychopathy in emerging adults. During her graduate training at Carleton, she received EEG training and expanded a study examining morphosyntactic violations in native English speakers, focusing on positive, neutral, and negative vocalizations. She then completed an M.S. in Forensic Psychology at Arizona State University. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she gained research experience at institutions such as Baycrest Hospital and CAMH (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), working on projects related to maternal mental health and treatment resistant depression. Her current research, conducted under Dr. Elise Cardinale in the Laboratory on Affective Neuroscience and Development, uses ecological momentary assessment to investigate how psychopathic traits and personality factors influence linguistic, neuroscientific, and sociocultural approaches to understand behaviour in real-world contexts. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking, spending time with her family, and watching or reading true crime stories.

Clinical Psychology PhD Student

Jennifer Meigs is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a BA in Psychology where she studied adolescent sleep and caffeine use under Dr. Amy Wolfson. After graduating, she completed a two-year postbaccalaureate fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health under Drs. Ellen Leibenluft and Melissa Brotman. There she studied underlying mechanisms and treatments for pediatric irritability. Her current research interests focus on examining cognitive mechanisms and health behaviors (e.g., sleep) that underly and impact externalizing symptomatology in youth. She has a particular interest in leveraging novel technology to parse these relationships. In her free time, she loves to hike with her dog, paint, and bake new recipes.

Clinical Psychology PhD Student

Madison Schulte is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program. She completed her B.A. in Psychology and Health, Medicine & Society at Lehigh University and an M.S. in Experimental Psychology at William & Mary. During her master's program, Madison worked in the RISE lab under the guidance of Dr. Madelyn Labella, where she evaluated contextual predictors of emerging self-regulation skills in toddlerhood. Her research interests lie broadly in the development of externalizing symptoms and self-regulation skills in children. She is particularly focused on understanding these processes within the context of family adversity. Outside the lab, she loves reading, traveling, and listening to live music.

Laboratory Manager

Cayden's research interests largely revolve around developmental psychopathology among children of single-parent homes. Namely, he's interested in examining the ways in which children without both parental figures come to exhibit inhibitory control deficits, antisocial behaviors, and oppositional defiance. Ultimately, he's passionate about conducting research with novel methodologies that can be translated to interventions and treatments. Outside of the lab and classroom, he's taken a liking to spending time in the wilderness, people watching, and reading all about humans!

Masters Student Research Assistant

Ailbhe grew up in Galway, Ireland, and graduated from the University of Toronto with an HBSc in Psychology with a double minor in Sociology and Anthropology. Her research interests center on forensic psychology, psychopathology, and correctional mental health. She is particularly interested in schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder, and suicide within forensic contexts, and in examining how these disorders interact with criminogenic environments. In her free time, she loves to read, explore new restaurants with friends, and play pickleball.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Charles is a Dual Degree student in Pre-Law Philosophy and Psychological Brain Sciences pursing his MA in Psychological Science as part of the CUA 4+1 program. He is also a student athlete on both the swim & dive and track & field teams. Upon completing my M.A. in Psychological Sciences at CUA, Charles aims to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.

Masters Student Research Assistant

Margeaux’s research interests involve better understanding brain-behavior mechanisms and neurophysiological interventions in at-risk youth. She is also interested in exploring altruism/empathy in individuals who have been subjected to adverse experiences like emotional abuse or interpersonal violence. In her free time, she enjoys road trips, country dancing, and spending time outdoors.

Masters Student Research Assistant

Samantha's interests center on developing and implementing community-based interventions that address the complex needs of high-risk minority children and their families. She is particularly passionate about supporting marginalized and minority populations facing mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and difficulties with social functioning. She is especially committed to increasing access to effective mental health interventions for children and young adults living in underserved and impoverished communities. Her goal is to design accessible, evidence-based treatments that promote emotional well-being and reduce risk-taking behaviors among youth. During her downtime, I enjoy doing pilates, watching movies, and drinking matcha! 

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Mychaela is an undergraduate research assistant double majoring in Psychological & Brain Sciences (B.S.) and Global Studies (B.A.). She plans to attend medical school after graduation and pursue a career as a physician. Her research interests center on how political beliefs influence social behavior, with particular attention to brain–behavior mechanisms underlying political othering. Outside of the LAND Lab, Mychaela is a member of the women’s swim and dive team. She also enjoys traveling, reading, and solving puzzles.

Masters Student Research Assistant

Cian Hennessy is a graduate student in the Psychological Science MA program at The Catholic University of America. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics, where his interest in decision making and human behavior led him to pursue affective neuroscience and neuropsychology. His research interests focus on socioemotional development and the neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation, with a particular interest in using psychophysiological and EEG methods to examine individual differences in emotional processing. In his free time, he enjoys triathlon training and sculpture.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Brigit Kane is an undergraduate majoring in Psychology (B.A) with a minor in Global Studies. After earning her bachelor's degree, she plans to attend an accredited Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program to pursue a career in occupational therapy. Her research interests include examining how empathy fosters healthy relationships between hostile or opposing groups, as well as identifying unique factors that may reduce suicide ideation. In her free time, Brigit enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. 

Masters Student Research Assistant

Julie is a master’s student research assistant. Her research interests mostly focus on group relations and identities. She is particularly interested in how individuals see themselves and others, and how these perspectives can influence in- and out-group interactions. Her hope is to continue her research through a doctorate program, where she wants to focus more on specific stereotypes and how they are perceived as well as influence the brain. When she has free time, Julie loves to watch horror movies and explore historical sites.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Miriam Knutson is a Psychological and Brain Sciences (B.S.) major with a minor in Philosophy. Miriam’s current research interests include scrupulosity, cognitive mechanisms of guilt and empathy, and relational risk factors for anxiety and depression in adolescents. In her free time, Miriam can be found singing, reading, hiking, writing, and joyously exclaiming about the wonders of decaf coffee!

Postbaccalaureate Research Assistant

Chase Kovalcheck is a post-baccalaureate research assistant. He graduated with a BA in Religious Studies from Franklin and Marshall College. As an undergraduate, Chase was a research fellow at the Penn State College of Medicine, where he studied biochemistry. Drawing from his multidisciplinary approach, Chase’s current research interests include attitudes towards political violence, susceptibility to conspiracy theories, and associated traits. His particular focus is on how traits like paranoia interact with psychopathy to predict aggression. When he has down time, Chase likes to train his dog, explore new restaurants, and travel.

Masters Student Research Assistant

Tysyn Minnis is a master’s student from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology. Her research interests include forensic psychology and the rehabilitation of justice-involved individuals, with a focus on how psychological, social, and structural factors shape pathways to criminal involvement, mental health, and well-being. She is also interested in early adversity, resilience, and developmental risk, examining how childhood experiences influence mental health, behavior, and involvement with the criminal legal system. Additionally, her interests center on trauma, race, and mental health among justice-impacted youth and communities, emphasizing racial trauma and culturally grounded, trauma-informed approaches to healing and resilience for Black youth and other marginalized groups. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, painting, crocheting, playing on her Switch, hanging out with friends, binge-watching good shows, and going to concerts.  

Masters Student Research Assistant

Lauren Nelson is a master’s student in Psychological Sciences at The Catholic University of America. After getting her bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University, Lauren worked for an international nonprofit organization focusing on global menstrual health and gender equality. Now, as a master’s student and aspiring clinical psychology doctoral student, Lauren’s research interests revolve around the intersection of neuropsychology and trauma, particularly as it relates to women and people who have been affected by abuse and/or conflict. In her free time, Lauren loves to read, write, and travel. 

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Reya Petrick is an Undergraduate Research Assistant and sophomore at The Catholic University of America, double majoring in Biology and Psychology through the University Honors Program and Pre-Medical Track. Her research interests focus on the development of behaviors and mental health. Outside the lab, she is a swimmer for Catholic and an active volunteer in healthcare and pediatric therapy settings.

Masters Student Research Assistant

Sanjana is fascinated by how antisocial and deviant behaviors develop in children, with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as juveniles. Her interests lie in examining the neurological processes underlying these behaviors, their emergence, and their impact on daily functioning and social relationships. She aims to further explore the neural basis of such behaviors in future research. Outside the lab, Sanjana enjoys cooking, crocheting, listening to jazz, and watching cat videos.

Masters Student Research Assistant

Laithe Zughaib is a graduate student earning a master’s degree in psychology at The Catholic University of America. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Delaware, where he studied psychology and Russian and worked in the Trauma and Resilience Lab with Dr. Adele Hayes. After completing his bachelor’s degree, Laithe worked as a post-baccalaureate researcher studying substance use and clinical neuroscience. He has also spent time in the private sector working on clinical pharmacological trials for schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. Broadly, his research interests focus on understanding the neural correlates of depression and schizophrenia. Currently, he is interested in using EEG to study the relationship between irritability and depression. Outside of LAND, he enjoys going to concerts with friends, staying active, and watching scary movies.