Lab Members

Alaisa Agustin

Alaisa will graduate from the University of Alberta with a BSc in Psychology. Throughout her independent study with the ABCD Lab she has focused on exploring coping mechanisms in young children and how this influences their executive functioning and emotional regulation. She has helped with the RCC study and another upcoming study by Julie Olsen. In her free time, she likes reading and trying out random cooking recipes. 

Amy Rawal

Amy graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc in cell biology in 2024, and is currently completing a BA (Hons) in psychology. She is interested in the development of executive functions and is currently part of the CHIC study. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, and swimming.  

Annalysa Henke

Annalysa is a third year student in the BSc (Hons) Psychology Program.  She has research interests in early childhood cognition and emotion regulation. She is currently contributing to the CHIC study and also enjoys volunteering, painting occasionally and spending time with family and friends. 

Andy Ma

Andy is a 4th year BA (Hons) Psychology student and is pursuing a Research Certificate in Arts Psychology.. His research interests focus on the correlations between parenting styles, executive function, and emotion regulation. He wishes to pursue a graduate degree in Educational/School Psychology after graduation. In his spare time, he works with children in an elementary school. He also enjoys skiing in winter and watching anime. 

Ash Grover

Ash is currently a 2nd year undergraduate student aiming towards her BSc Psychology degree and developing strong skills in research. She is currently a research assistant for the Mindfulness Study and previously helped with the Cultural Cognitive Flexibility Study. Outside of the lab, Ash enjoys painting, crocheting, and playing musical instruments.

Autumn Langner

Autumn is a fourth year BSc Honors Psychology student. She is contributing to the RCC study and running the REACT study for her thesis project. Her thesis examines how faces impact cognitive control in children and young adults. Autumn enjoys painting, playing soccer, and her volunteer work with preschool children.

Ayushi Omkar

Ayushi graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biological Sciences. She spent two years as an undergraduate research assistant with the ABCD Lab which inspired her love for research. Ayushi is currently completing a Masters of Science in Medicine at the University of Alberta, and continues to volunteer with the ABCD Lab as a co-investigator on the RCC Study. Outside the lab, Ayushi enjoys playing guitar, reading, and snowboarding. 

Dayun Yun

Dayun graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc double major in Psychology and Biological Sciences, along with a Research Certificate in Science Psychology. She is currently a co-investigator in the RCC Study and is also contributing to the TECH study. She also partly manages the lab's social website and Instagram. Outside of the lab, Dayun volunteers at the Stollery, works on her non-profit project D2GB, and enjoys baking, cooking, and reading profusely.  

Debadrita Chowdhury

Deb graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc. (Honours) in Psychology. After completing her honours thesis investigating cultural differences in cognitive flexibility, she remains a volunteer with the ABCD Lab looking at the effects of mindfulness-based activities on attention in children with ADHD. In her free time, Deb enjoys reading, making art, and watching four hour video essays on YouTube.

Giovanni DeRosa

Gio is a third year BSc Honors Neuroscience student. He is contributing to the RCC Study and has a strong interest in EEG methods to study the relationship between math anxiety and executive function. In his free time Gio enjoys playing volleyball, running, and volunteering with Canadian Blood Services.

Leah Demchuk

Leah is a BSc (Hons) Psychology student. Her research interests focus on the impacts of technology on children and their development, specifically their executive function. She is currently contributing towards the CHIC study. Leah spends her time outside the lab volunteering with the University of Alberta's Peer Support Centre and the Kids Help Phone, as well as coaching youth artistic swimming. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing with her cats and dogs, travelling and baking. 

Jack Garlick

Jack is a second year honors neuroscience student who loves the brain and how it shapes who we are throughout our development. He is a research assistant for the RCC study and usually helps collect data from participants including EEG, and has fun with them when he has the chance. Fun fact about Jack is he  loves to skateboard!

Jeremie Figueroa

Jeremie graduated from the University of Alberta with a BA Psychology minor in  Sociology, along with a Certificate in Community-Service Learning, she has volunteered throughout her undergraduate studies for the ABCD Lab. She has helped with the ACEs study, and is now a research assistant for the RCC study. In her free time, she loves hanging out with her dogs and having talk + food sessions with friends and family.

Jessi Kattel

My name is Jessi, I'm a fourth-year psychology student, and this is my first semester in this lab as an independent student. I moved to Canada when I was 15 years old and have lived in Edmonton since. I have always been really interested in language because of my own multilingual background, as well as cultural and cognitive psychology. Outside of university, I enjoy reading, watching shows, crocheting, cooking and painting.

Jeslin Tijo

Jeslin graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc Specialization Psychology Degree, along with a Certificate in Sustainability and Research Certificate in Science Psychology. She has a strong interest in executive functioning development in early childhood and contributed to the TECH and WME studies. She also partly manages the lab's social website, Facebook and Instagram. In her free time, Jeslin enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing musical instruments. 

Jessica Chiasson

Jessica Chiasson graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is a volunteer with the lab working on the RCC study. Outside of the lab, Jessica is an artist and enjoys reading. She is also the talent behind our ABCD Lab logo!

Khazandra Absalon

Khazandra is an undergraduate student, and is looking to pursue the honours program in BSc, Psychology. Her research interest is in cognitive and behavioural development of children and adolescents with traumatic exposure. Having previously done independent studies in the ABCD lab, she now contributes to participant scheduling in the RCC Study. Khazandra’s other passions lie in the colour pink, dancing, singing, and playing the bass guitar. 

Kate Cababat

Kate is a 4th year Honors Student. She has a strong interest in the effects of emotion regulation strategies in cross-cultural and developmental psychology. Outside of school, she enjoys volunteering, reading, and going to the gym.

Kinew Moosewaypayo

Kinew is a third year BA Honors student. They are interested in adverse childhood experiences, family structures, and children’s development of emotional regulation. They spend their time outside the lab working within the Indigenous community on campus as Vice-President of Administration for the Indigenous Students’ Union. In their free time, Kinew enjoys spending time with friends and playing board games. 

Maya Abdulhak

Maya is a Combined Honours student at the University of Alberta pursuing Honours in Anthropology and Psychology. Her main research focus is developmental and school psychology, specifically studying interventions for fostering school readiness in younger-age students. She’s contributed to the WME, REACT, and SMYCNS studies in the lab, as well as others both with the University of Alberta and the Australian Catholic University. In her free time, Maya enjoys gaming, snacking, and tackling her long “movies to watch” list. 

Polina Marienko

Polina is in her fourth year of Psychology degree. She has previously done  independent research and is now volunteering in the lab for the RCC Study. She is passionate about cognitive processes and their underlying neural mechanisms in early childhood. Her other fields of interests are neuropsychology and neurophysiology.

Terri Ciavardini

Terri is a fourth year BA psychology student taking an independent study course in the ABCD Lab. She has a strong interest in the role of inhibitory control in the ability of children to delay gratification as well as the role of executive function in language development. In her free time she enjoys painting, hiking and spending time with her husband.  

Billy the Bear

Billy the Bear is a longstanding member of the lab. He is the first bear to be involved in psychological research and makes sure the children have fun during their visit.