Dr. Staples is an applied statistician and developmental psychologist with expertise in statistical methods for analyzing longitudinal data, sleep in early childhood, parenting of young children, temperament, and the development of self-regulation. Her research is grounded in bioecological systems theory that emphasizes the transactional nature between process, person, context, and time. As both sleep and self-regulation develop rapidly from birth to age five, this period poses challenges and opportunities for studying continuity and change. 

Dr. Lawler is a clinical and developmental psychologist with expertise in early adversity, parenting, and self-regulation. Her research program is grounded in developmental psychopathology and focuses on the impact of early life stress on the socioemotional development of children. She has a particular interest in the development of self-regulation, parent-child relationship factors that promote resilience, and interventions to support positive development in high-risk children. 

Centia Thomas is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Eastern Michigan University. She earned her Bachelor's of Science with a major in Psychology and a minor in Rehabilitation and Human Services at the Pennsylvania State University in 2019 and went on to work as a Project Coordinator in the Emotional Development Lab. Some of her specific research interests include racial health disparities, multicultural competency, and its impact on therapeutic outcomes.

Ryan is a doctoral student in clinical psychology working under the mentorship of Dr. Renee Lajiness-O’Neill and Dr. Angela Staples. His research interests include areas of neuropsychology, specifically the relation between developmental risks on future functioning, as well as those affecting the brain and spinal cord.

In his free time, Ryan enjoys spending time outside fly fishing and mountain biking.

Bri is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at EMU. She earned her BA in psychology from Dartmouth College in 2024. While at Dartmouth, Bri worked in the AIM HIGH lab as the project coordinator for a randomized control trial testing the effectiveness of an AI therapeutic chatbot in delivering interventions to individuals without access to therapy. Her current research interests include examining factors that influence early childhood development, including the impact of sleep problems on parent-child interactions, parenting practices, family systems, and children’s anxiety symptoms and emotional regulation. Bri is also interested in how digital tools can be used in prevention efforts to target risk factors and make evidence-based interventions more accessible to families.

Alivia Overbee is a second-year student in the Experimental Psychology Program at EMU. She graduated from EMU in April 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. During undergrad, she participated in research in the fields of physiology, biological psychology and educational pedagogy. Post graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and a career in academia and research.