Assistant Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

Tara graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Biological Anthropology, then from the University of Chicago with her Ph.D. in Comparative Human Development. She loves developing research studies to figure out how kids think about the people and places around them.

Gorana graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Psychology and is a graduate student in the CAD lab. She's interested in children's conceptualization of racial categories, the development of racial identity, and racial privileges.

Jordan graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in Education Studies. Before Jordan joined the CAD Lab in 2020, he completed a year teaching English to elementary school students in Taiwan on a Fulbright scholarship. He is interested in how essentialist thinking develops across various social categories, specifically in minority populations.

Yuchen is a graduate student in the CAD lab. She is interested in studying how children understand social status and social inequality. She also hopes to work with children from different cultures. Before joining the CAD lab, Yuchen got her Master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University.

Emily is a junior at UMass Amherst, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Anthropology. She is interested in psychological anthropology and research and is excited to further her interests while working at the CAD Lab. 

 Saliha is a junior psychology and journalism double major, and also serves as an assistant news editor at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. She is passionate about developmental psychopathology and is particularly interested in how healthy social environments can put at-risk children and adolescents on a positive trajectory. She hopes for a future where she can combine her love for writing and psychology to make an impact and is excited to join the equally passionate researchers at the CAD lab! 

Alex is a sophomore studying computer science and psychology with the goal of combining the two throughout his career. He hopes to use these two interdisciplinary fields to make a positive impact in the world

through psychological research, software engineering, artificial

intelligence, or ideally all three.

Kerleene is a pre-med biology major from the Boston Area. She loves to

travel and try new foods.

Emily is a senior Psychology major with a minor in Biology at UMass Amherst and is incredibly excited to be part of the CAD Lab team! With a passion for both educational and developmental psychology, she hopes to help support children and young adults who may be struggling to navigate the educational systems and the challenges of life in general. Emily hopes to continue pursuing this passion through getting more involved in the community, and continuing her education after a few gap years.

Seda is a senior psychology major at UMass and is very excited to join the CAD lab! After completing her associate’s degree in psychology, she became more curious about research and can’t wait to learn more! While unsure about if she wants to do clinical work or research, she is very passionate about the relationship between social psychology and developmental science.

Dagney is a junior psychology major at UMass and is excited to begin working with the CAD lab. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology after taking a couple of gap years. Her goal is to one-day conduct research that can be used to promote equality. She is passionate about the connections this lab draws between social and developmental psychology.

Prachi is a sophomore psychology major on the neuroscience track, who is so excited to join the CAD lab! She is on the pre-dental track, and  passionate about working with people with disabilities, especially children. She hopes to understand more about the disparities that exist in healthcare for marginalized groups, and make oral care accessible to all individuals with disabilities.  

Riley is a sophomore with a major in Community Education and Social Change. They are in the process of applying to the Early Childhood Education program. After graduating, they hope to pursue a career as an elementary school educator. They plan to use the knowledge they gain working in the CAD Lab to help  become the best educator they can be!