Evelyn Mercado, Ph.D. 

FAM Lab Director

Dr. Mercado is an Assistant Professor in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research program is centered on understanding the experiences of families from ethnic and immigrant backgrounds. She is particularly interested in understanding how interpersonal emotion dynamics such as shared physiology and affect influence psychological adjustment. Her research employs both naturalistic and experimental methods that involve self-report, observational, and physiological measures (e.g., cortisol). 


Graduate Research Assistants

Marielena Barbieri

Marielena graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in psychology. She is currently a fifth-year graduate student working primarily with Dr. Evelyn Mercado. Marielena's research interests include implicit and explicit attitudes toward STEM and stereotype inoculation in adolescents. 

Hector Sosa

Hector is a third-year Social Psychology Ph.D. student working with Dr. Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta and Dr. Evelyn Mercado. His primary areas of research focus on supporting underrepresented/underserved students in STEM, and how social context influences implicit biases and intergroup relations.

As a former McNair Scholar and a student in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Hector is interested in creating interventions and policies to better support underrepresented students’ retention and success in schools.

Additionally, he is interested in applying data science techniques to explore social issues in public schools. He is also looking to incorporate computational methods like web scraping in my research. Generally, he is interested in using data science to do social good in several spaces.

Aylin Fernandez 

Aylin is a second-year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Evelyn Mercado. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from Texas State University in May 2022. Aylin's research interests aim to address disparities in Latino communities and is also interested in understanding the role of parent-adolescent dyadic relationships in adolescent development. 

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Samir Kassem

Samir is a senior pursuing a dual degree in psychology and linguistics, with a minor in German. He is in his fourth semester with the FAM Lab and leads the Latinx Biobehavioral Team’s undergraduate research assistants. His research interests are focused on bilingualism, including bilingual lexical access and how language impacts identity. Samir plans to attend graduate school and further study psycholinguistics. Outside of the lab Samir is a member of the UMass Climbing Team and loves to boulder, hike, and cook with friends. 

Leslie Hernandez

I’m Leslie, a senior Psychology major and Anthropology minor. This is my third semester with the FAM lab; I’m a part of the Latinx Biobehavioral Team and have recently also begun working on the Windsor study. My areas of interest lie mostly in social and developmental psychology, specifically relationship dynamics, and factors that contribute to childhood resilience. After undergrad, I hope to continue in research and apply to a graduate program in psychology. In my free time, I love to read, listen to music, and spend time with friends and family.

Sofia Murphy-Genao

I am a third-year student pursuing a degree in psychology, a certificate inLatin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, and a minor in anthropology. This is my first semester in the FAM Lab; I primarily work with the Latinx Biobehavioral Study. The FAM Lab drew me in because they study social determinants of health, and specifically focus on the intersection between mental & physical health and instances of discrimination. I would like to contribute to the growing body of research that studies the health effects, as well as prevalence, of racism in Latinx communities. After I graduate, I plan to refine my scope in the area of psychology, and possibly apply to a graduate program in affective neuroscience. Outside of the lab, I love to stay active, read, and spend time with friends.

Ketny-Julie Sousa

I am an undergraduate senior getting a double degree In Psychology and Portuguese. After graduation, I plan on pursuing my PhD in Psychology to work in research. I joined the FAM lab Fall of 2023. I am excited to be working with colleagues, who also are passionate about helping minority populations be represented! I hope to help the lab in recruiting many more families and hope to learn skills that will come in handy post undergrad. In my free time I enjoy baking and cooking Brazilian dishes. I also love  being in nature either hiking or watching sunsets by the water.

Lucia Navarro Saenz

Hello! I’m Lucia Navarro, a junior at UMass Amherst with a dual degree in psychology and special education. I joined the FAM lab in the Spring of 2023 and I couldn’t be more glad I did because I’ve found a genuine community that works on something that I’m extremely passionate about; different cultures. Beyond that, my research interests include mental health, education issues and social anxiety. When I graduate in May of 2024, I’m hoping to work as a special education teacher for ~ 2 years, then complete a masters in special education. After this, I would love to work as a reading specialist in an elementary school. Outside of school, some of my hobbies include traveling, cooking and learning languages.

Lauren Haley Santa Ines

Hi! I am a senior at UMass Amherst majoring in psychology and on a Pre-Med track. I joined the FAM Lab as an undergraduate research assistant in the Fall of 2022, although I studied abroad in Florence, Italy during the Spring 2023 semester so this is my second semester in the lab. I’m looking forward to learning more about the research study process and I hope to improve and gain more skills that I can apply to my career in the future. My areas of interest include clinical psychology and mental health. After I graduate in May of 2024, I will be applying to Medical schools in hopes of working in the medical field as a doctor!

Roger Hauck

Roher is a sophomore psychology major and minor. He is interested in the interface between clinical and social psychology, specifically how groups and relationships can impact an individual's mental health. Roger is especially interested in the FAM Lab’s focus on how family relationships can build resilience. Roger plans to go to graduate school for clinical psychology and hopes to open his own psychiatric hospital one day. 


Catherine Prasad

I’m a senior at UMass Amherst majoring in psychology on the neuroscience track. After graduation, I plan on working in a research lab while I apply for graduate programs in neuroscience. I’ve been in the FAM lab for two semesters, working mainly on the Windsor study where we study how discrimination in adolescents can affect academic outcomes as well as their mental health. Outside of the lab, I love to read and write!

FAM Lab Alumni & Associates

Stylianos Syropoulos, Class of 2023

Rebecca Williams, Class of 2022

Charles Pisaturo III, Class of 2022

Susan Reum, Class of 2022

Marina Boulos, Class of 2022

Jessica Marmolejos, Class of 2021

Jessica Lau, Class of 2021

Kelley Almada, Class of 2021

Kimberly Sikorski, Class of 2021

Zev Jarrett, Class of 2021

Tyler Rice, Class of 2021

David Gertz, Class of 2021





Grace Perry, Class of 2021

Ellie Horn, Class of 2021

Kolby Silva, Class of 2021

Sydney Beaulac, Class of 2020

Saiyak Rakeeb, Class of 2019

David Hincapie, Class of 2019

Lily Martin, Class of 2019

Samantha Price, Class of 2019

Kai Basler - Chang, Summer 2019 RA Intern

Rachel Chong, Class of 2019

Jordan Semple, Class of 2019

Sanjana Kadirvel, Class of 2018