817-257-7848 | naomi.ekas@tcu.edu
Professor and Chair
Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Davis
Graduate/PhD Institution: University of Notre Dame
Postdoctoral Institution: University of Miami
My research interests in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and early development began during my undergraduate years. I volunteered as a research assistant at the MIND Institute and met a little boy on the autism spectrum whose word of the week was the number seven (the following week it was the number eight). I immediately began to question "why" and decided to abandon my ambitions of becoming a medical doctor and pursue a PhD in developmental psychology. Since that time my research interests have taken many twists and turns, which is all part of the fun of being a researcher!
I was born and raised in chilly Winnipeg, Canada and abandoned my homeland for sunny California! A bit of a nomad and wanderlust, I have worked my way around the USA and settled in Texas in 2011. My husband and I have one fur baby (a Giant Schnauzer). My hobbies include reading, learning French, and traveling. I've currently visited 50 states, 107 countries, and 6 continents.
Abbie is a third-year doctoral student. She received her BA in Psychology from Oklahoma State University. Her research interests include parenting, emotion regulation, and family dynamics in families with an autistic child.
Her Master's Thesis, successfully defended in April 2025, examined the role of parent-child attachment configuration in the development of hot and cool effortful control in preschool-aged children.
Whitney is a third-year doctoral student. She received her MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University and her BS in Psychology from Texas Christian University. Her research interests include romantic relationship quality and mental health in parents raising an autistic child.
Her Master's Thesis, successfully defended in April 2025, examined associations between marital quality and depressive symptoms in parents of autistic adolescents.
Adalia is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Criminology. Her research interests include decision-making, atypical behavior patterns, emotional dysregulation, and parental influence. Her career goal is to become a forensic psychologist.
Ava is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. Her research interests center on the welfare of children with autism, focusing on how supports, interventions, and environments can enhance their quality of life and developmental outcomes. After undergrad, she plans to attend graduate school for ABA, becoming a BCBA, and getting her PhD.
Brooke is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Social Work. Her research interests include emotion regulation in autistic children and child development. In the future, she plans to pursue a PhD in School or Counseling Psychology.
Elizabeth is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in General Business. She was interested in the FACES lab because of her strong passion for working with children and commitment to helping them thrive. In the future, she plans to pursue a master's or doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology.
Emily is a Junior majoring in Psychology with minors in Child Development and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Her research interests include emotion and sensory regulation with autistic children. In the future, she aspires to become a pediatric occupational therapist.
GraceAnne is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. Her research interests include children and adolescents and their peer relationships. Her future plans are to become a licensed therapist to work with children and adolescents in the private sector.
Hailey is a Senior majoring in Psychology minoring in English, History, and Child Development. Her research interest includes learning differences between neurotypical children and children with ASD. In the future, she plans on attending law school.
Jasmine is a Senior majoring in Neuroscience on the Pre-Med track. Her research interests include children's behaviors and their mental health. She hopes to use her research to advocate for those with autism, such as her brother, and for the mental health community. After graduating, she plans to go to medical school to pursue a career as a pediatric psychiatrist.
Kaitlin is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. Her research interests include mental health and the development of learning and behavior differences. In the future, she plans to get her Ed.S. in School Psychology.
Mallory is a Senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. Her research interests include children and their emotional regulation, as well as their learning styles. After graduation, she hopes to get a PhD in School or Developmental Psychology to research early childhood and education.
Maria is a Junior double majoring in Psychology and Child Development. Her interest in the FACES lab comes from previous work with autistic children and wanting to learn more about them. She hopes to pursue a career as a child clinical psychologist.
Mary is a Senior Psychology major with a minor in Biology. Her research interests include neurodevelopment and behavior in autistic children. In the future, she hopes to obtain a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology.
Micah is a Senior Child Development major with a minor in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Studies. Her research interests include parental impact on behavior and the influence of media stimuli on empathy. Her career goal is to further her education in trauma science and serve caretakers for disabled children through specialized counseling.
Peyton is a Senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Business. Her research interests include anything related to children's development, particularly the nature versus nurture debate. She hopes to work with children in the future as a child psychiatrist.
Ramzi is a Junior Psychology major with a minor in Child Development. Her research interests include age development, behavior, and disabilities/disorders. After undergrad, she plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology along with an LPC.
Riley is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. Her research interests include emotion regulation in children, family impacts, and neurodevelopment. In the future, she hopes to work in developmental psychology aiding children and their families.
Trey is a Junior double majoring in Psychology and Child Development. As someone who has helped teach kids with special needs in the past, and grown up as a kid with ASD, he has always had a passion for learning about the best ways to promote healthy development in children. In the future, he hopes to get his PhD in School Psychology.
Undergraduate students who have worked as research assistants in the TCU FACES lab have gone on to a variety of positions, including PhD programs (clinical and experimental), Masters programs, and industry. Students in the lab are also very successful at receiving Child Life Specialist internships and practicums. Dr. Ekas works closely with undergraduate research assistants to ensure they are maximizing their time at TCU to meet their career goals. We are always sad when one of our students leaves us, but know they are going on to bigger and better things!
Sarah Madison – Data Analyst
Deborah Rafferty – Data Analyst
Megan Quirk (Pruitt) – Private Industry; Texas Christian University (adjunct)
Lisa Timmons – California State University Stanislaus (Assistant Professor of Child Development)
Lauren Tidman – Private Industry
Jacqueline Sellers – School Psychology (UH)
Isabella Ferrara – Clinical Psychology (UT Tyler)
Roxy Odiorne – School Psychology (U of Maryland)
Kate Lindig – Developmental Psychology (U of Georgia)
Allie Benson – Law School (UNC- Chapel Hill)
Maddy Filippi – Industrial/Organizational Psychology (U of Central Florida)
Jenna Futterer – Developmental Psychology (U of Miami)
Abby Hodges – School Psychology (UT Austin)
Julianne Hymel – School Psychology (LSU)
Abbie Johnson – School Psychology (LSU), Masters in ABA (Columbia U)
Jamie Manis – School Psychology (U of Houston)
Erin McKay – Clinical Psychology (Northern Illinois U)
Quynh Nguyen – Cognitive Psychology (Brandeis U)
Molly O’Neill – Developmental Psychology (Notre Dame)
Megan Pruitt – Developmental Psychology (TCU)
Kaitlyn Staffieri – Clinical Psychology (Florida Central)
Justin Wheeler – Law School
Kelcie Willis – Clinical Psychology (Virginia Commonwealth)
Amy Yamashiro – Developmental Psychology (NYU) Now employed at Google
Lauren Ponce De Leon – Occupational Therapy (Galveston)
Rachel Clark – Medical School (UT Dallas)
Rachel Eiden – School Psychology (Northeastern University)
Paige Vaiciulis – Counseling (SMU)
Justine Gregg – Clinical Psychology (American University)
Dulce Cecenas – Industrial/Organizational (Texas A&M)
Sydney Goodiel – Counseling (SMU)
Alyssa Alanis – Counseling (Cal State)
Jessie Arroyave – BCBA
Kat Baber – Counseling (U Arkansas)
Laine Baizer – Counseling (Vanderbilt)
Heather Brannick – Counseling (UNT)
Katie Dunlap – Rehab counseling (UT SW)
Kristin Faciane – Counseling
Michael Gerardo – Social Work (U Arkansas)
Keana Gonzales – Counseling (Vanderbilt)
Whitney Sullivan – Psychology (Pepperdine)
Alyssa Solis – Counseling (Tarleton State U)
Mackenzie Preston – Social Work (TCU)
Patricia Johnson – School Psychology (UT Austin)
Kylie Leeper – Counseling (LSU)
Valerie Lerma – Counseling (TWU)
Gabby Mandujano – Counseling (TWU)
Ericka Marchbanks – School psychology (Missouri)
Christine Pope – Counseling
Maddie Posz - School Psychology
Madeline Rhoden – Counseling (Vanderbilt)
Katie Rial – Rehab counseling (UT SW)
Alysia Simons – Counseling
Samantha Singer – Developmental Trauma (TCU)
Meg Stutts – Counseling (SMU)
Brooke Williamson – Social Work (TCU)
Camille Eastin – Social Work (UT Austin)
Anastasiia Pavlova – Psychology (Villanova)
Carlos Rebollar – Analytics (NCSU)
Amy Cusimano – Child Life Internship (Cincinnati Children's)
Meghan Decoursey – Child Life Internship (UCLA)
Ana Dedja – Teach for America
Paige Broski – Post Baccalaureate (UT Austin)
Madison Milligan
Addison Crothers
Sarah Milligan
Carson Callender
Aimee Alameda
Megan Austin
Emma Boren
Tori Brennan
Maggie Carrell
Christy Carson
Annie Diehl
Kate Dotson
Hayley Friend
Maria Galindo
Emi Gomez
Laena Hadeed
Melanie Herron
Alexis Herrscher
Madison Hill
Jill Hoffman
Hannah Jackman
Connie Kao
Abby Mather
Madi McCracken
Ashley Murray
Margaret Oden
Abby Roberts
Maya Saker
Tosca Schofield
Leah Schloemer
Kristina Silva
Hailey Smith
Gianna Tiedemann
Kali Webster
Brooke Weinzriel
Abby Roberts
Carrington Green
Allyson Wilson
Gianna Yokoe
Lauren Kling
Claire Haefner