Aura Ankita Mishra, PhD is a developmental health researcher. She earned her PhD from Purdue University and was a Biosocial Postdoctoral trainee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

Her research foci include:

• Interpersonal adversities and stressors across the life-course (e.g., childhood abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence)

• Health and behavioral problems (e.g., mental health, chronic illness, substance use)

• Social-context and resilience (e.g., peer and social support)

• Biological, psychological, and behavioral mechanisms (e.g., genetics, epigenetics, inflammation, stress, sleep, substance use)

• Integrating survey and developmental methods  

Mahashweta is an international graduate student in the Lifespan Developmental Psychology concentration at NC State from Kolkata, India. They obtained a Master’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Molecular Biology from India. Building on their earlier research on childhood maltreatment, Mahashweta now aims to explore the epigenetic role of stress in adult development. Furthermore, they also wish to extrapolate this work to focus on the impact of cultural differences on developmental stressors, specifically from a South Asian perspective.

Michael is a Ph.D. student in Lifespan Developmental Psychology at NC State. His Master's research in neuroscience and physiology focused on investigating the association between inflammation and depressive-like behavior following early-life stress in guinea pigs. He plans to extend this work by exploring how environmental and genetic factors interact throughout development to affect health outcomes, with a particular interest in the neurobiological mechanisms of stress.

Yefei is a doctoral student in the Lifespan Developmental Psychology program at NC State. Her undergraduate thesis examined the relationship between social activities and frailty in older adults. Her current research focuses on the complex interplay between obesity/overweight status and age-related health outcomes. Yefei is also interested in investigating how psychosocial factors mediate or moderate this relationship.

Savannah is a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in social work and criminology. She plans to attend graduate school in clinical psychology and aspires to become a clinical psychologist. Her specific research interests include childhood stress, socio-emotional development, and coping techniques for PTSD and depression. She is especially motivated by a desire to better understand how early life stressors shape long-term mental health outcomes and how evidence-based interventions can foster resilience. In addition to her academic pursuits, Savannah values opportunities to contribute to research that addresses pressing mental health challenges and promotes equity in access to care. Overall, she believes this lab is conducting research that has the potential to benefit many populations, and she is grateful for the chance to learn, contribute, and grow as part of this important work.

Disha is a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in cognitive science. After completing her undergraduate education in Spring 2026, she would like to work toward a graduate degree leading to a career as a mental health counselor. Throughout her career, she aims to focus on maximizing people’s mental health by helping them deal with daily stressors and increasing their adaptability to everyday living. By being a part of the team at the MISHRA Lab, she hopes to gain new insights into the various biopsychosocial forces in our lives as well as interventions that can enhance the mental well-being of people from all backgrounds and identities. She also looks forward to experiences that will not only amplify her academic journey at NC State University but also prepare her for the meaningful work she aspires to undertake in the future.

I am a senior majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Psychology. After graduation, I plan on taking a gap year and gaining additional clinical experiences while applying to medical school. My current work as a medical assistant at a psychiatric clinic has piqued my interests in the biopsychosocial model, specifically looking at epigenetics and mental health. I hope to pursue a career in internal medicine where I can integrate this framework to prioritize patient care. Through my work with the MISHRA lab, I have had the opportunity to research how adverse childhood effects impact mental health and changes in telomere length and I am excited to further my understanding in this!

Sydney is a junior majoring in psychology with a minor in biology. Her current program areas of interest include school psychology, biological psychology, and health psychology. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school in psychology to continue extending her research horizons. Sydney’s research experience began with investigating the effects of environmental contaminants on mast cells in the brain at the Duque-Wilkens lab, where she still works. Sydney’s current research interests revolve around the connections between biomarkers, epigenomic markers, inflammation, and mental health disorders. Being able to see biological connections and trends for psychological disorders captivates her, which is why she is thankful to be able to expand on her research within the biopsychosocial context of the MISHRA lab. She hopes that all of her current research endeavors can ultimately help advance the resources available to those living with mental health disorders.

Welsh is a junior majoring in psychology. He is especially interested in how intense negative early-life experiences can shape biopsychosocial outcomes across adolescence and adulthood. He has been able to further hone in his interests through his experiences as an undergraduate teaching assistant for Positive Psychology and Developmental Psychology. After completing his undergraduate degree, Welsh plans to pursue a PhD in psychology with the goal of contributing to research that will influence biopsychosocial interventions for those with limited access to equitable care. By being part of the MISHRA Lab, he is gaining a more multifaceted perspective on the effects of life-course adversity and is thankful for the opportunity to work with others passionate about comprehensive physical and mental health care.

I am a senior majoring in microbiology and minoring in genetics. My current research interests lie in epigenetics, particularly as they relate to obstetrics and congenital disorders. After completing my undergraduate degree, I plan to take a gap year to pursue clinical research and patient care before attending medical school. I ultimately hope to pursue a career in maternal-fetal medicine, with a focus on high-risk pregnancies involving genetic abnormalities. Through my involvement in the MISHRA Lab, I am gaining a broader biopsychosocial perspective on how life-course stress and environmental exposures may influence genetic regulation and health outcomes across development. I am grateful for the opportunity to integrate molecular and clinical interests within a lab committed to understanding complex, real-world determinants of health and behavior.

Margot is a sophomore psychology major with a minor in art. Her research interests center on the intersection of mental and physical health, with a focus on the psychological impact of chronic illness. Margot is eager to explore the complexities of stress and mental well-being through the MISHRA lab. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in School Psychology, where she aims to apply her research experience to support student populations in the future.

Smriti is a current undergraduate student in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. After completing her undergraduate education, she aspires to pursue an MD or MD-PhD to integrate clinical practice with translational research focused on how life-course stress shapes health and biological aging. Drawing on her background in biomedical engineering, she is interested in developing wearable technologies that incorporate insights about social stressors to better measure and potentially mitigate the biological impact of stress. Through her work in the MISHRA Lab, she hopes to deepen her understanding of the biopsychosocial pathways linking chronic stress to long-term health and behavior. Her experience in the Melendez Lab at WFU SOM, where she examined stress-related effects on cardiovascular health, has provided her with a strong technical foundation and reinforced her commitment to applying research findings in real-world clinical settings as a future physician.

Sneha is a junior majoring in human biology, currently in the process of applying to medical schools. Her research interests lie in the biopsychosocial interactions of childhood trauma and adverse experiences, specifically the biological impacts, as well as mental health and psychopathology. She is glad to be a part of the team at MISHRA lab, and hopes that it will help her explore her interests through further research and in gaining valuable experiences.