Research Staff

Undergraduate Research Assistants

The undergraduate research assistants in our lab work on a variety of studies relating to hormones and behavior. They are involved in all stages of the research process including participant screening interviews, data collection, data entry, and literature reviews. Advanced research assistants may be involved in data analyses and participant testing.

For more information on how to become a research assistant in our lab, click here.

2017 – 2018

(From left to right, bottom to top: Frankie Mojekwu, Melissa Ng, Toni Afolabi, Bri Thompson, Peter Raman, Stavonna Bello, Betsy Williams, Michael Truong, Hisham Ali, Kylie Wu, Daniel Nguyen, Ismenia Ramirez, Minha Ghani; not pictured: Bridget Burris, Kavya Yeruva, Macy Lunceford, Matthew DeVries, Max Pourghaed)

Bri Thompson
Bri is a 2nd year undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she plans to spend a year abroad teaching in South Korea before returning to apply to graduate programs in Clinical Psychology. Bri spends her free time exploring with her dog, caring for bees, and trying new food. She is also a proud ally of the LGTBQ community.

Bridget Burris
Bridget is a third year student earning a Bachelor of Science and Arts degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology. She is curious about studying the physiological basis of stress, anxiety, and mood disorders. Understanding the relationship between an individual’s bodily state and subjective mental state provides a starting point for addressing and treating mental health issues. Bridget plans on attending graduate school to study Clinical Psychology or Behavioural Neuroscience, and hopes that her experience in the Clinical Neuroendocrinology Lab will help to inform and guide her decisions about future research. In her free time, Bridget enjoys running, reading, and drawing. She is a leading member in Synapse and Students Against Cruelty to Animals.

Daniel Nguyen
Daniel is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Upon completing his undergraduate education, he hopes to attend medical school. Daniel is interested in personality and cognitive psychology. In his free time, he spends his time training and competing with UT’s Rock Climbing team, exploring the great outdoors, watching Netflix and most importantly taking lots of naps.

Hisham Ali
Hisham is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering in the Engineering Honors program. He is interested in the fields of environmental psychology and neuropsychology. After graduation, he plans on attending medical school and specializing in either endocrinology or oncology. In his free time he enjoys watching new TV shows, reading, playing board games (especially RISK) and planning his next vacation.

Ismenia Ramirez
Ismenia is a third year undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin and will be graduating in Spring of 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Education. After graduation she plans to attend graduate school to study Educational Psychology. She is interested in school psychology and counseling education. She hopes to pursue a career as a children’s psychologist. In her free time, Ismenia enjoys exploring new places, working out, and spending time with family and friends.

Kavya Yeruva
Kavya is a third year student pursuing a B.S.A degree in Neuroscience. She is also working towards a certificate entitled “Recidivism and The American Penal System” under the Polymathic Scholars Honors Program. She is interested in the biosocial causes of deviance, criminality, and mental illness, and hopes to attend medical school to specialize in either emergency or correctional medicine. In her free time, Kavya enjoys doing outdoor activities, watching movies, and spending time with friends.

Macy Lunceford
Macy is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Biology. She is interested in the biology of anxiety and mood disorders, and intends to study Behavioral Neuroscience in graduate school. In her free time she enjoys singing, going to concerts, and spending time with friends.

Matthew Qareem DeVries
Matthew grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia and moved to Austin when he was 16 years old. Currently, he is a senior at UT completing his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Communications. In the future, he plans on going to graduate school to pursue either a Masters or Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, making music, and spending time with his friends. On weekends, he enjoys going to the greenbelt or the occasional camping trip.

Max Pourghaed
Max is a third year undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin and will be graduating in the Fall of 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He is interested in pursing a career in medicine and hopes to apply his psychology background in the treatment of his patients in the future. In his free time, Max enjoys to workout, video editing/graphic design, and play Super Smash. In addition to the Clinical Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, Max is also a research assistant for an environmental engineering laboratory and is the president of a spirit group, Texas Infinites.

Melissa Ng
Melissa is a third year undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. Upon graduation, while she has plans to attend medical school and eventually specialize in child psychiatry, she is also interested in seeking further education in graduate school in the field of clinical child psychology, or applied behavior analysis. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, cooking, and catching up on her favourite TV shows.”

Minha Ghani
Minha is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Upon completing her undergraduate education, she aspires to go to medical school and become a physician. Minha is interested in various aspects of psychology including developmental, educational, personality, clinical and cognitive psychology. In her free time, Minha enjoys watching movies, going on adventures with friends, playing board games, and reading.

Peter Raman
Peter is a second year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Neuroscience, a minor in Business. His aspires to attend medical school specializing in neurosurgery following graduation in Spring 2020. Peter has a special interest in business and hope to open up his own practice one day. He is a car enthusiast and enjoys playing basketball, watching sports, and hanging out with friends and family.

Stavonna Bello
Stavonna Bello is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin and will be graduating in the Spring of 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a minor in English. She is interested in many aspects of Psychology (her curiosity has increased dramatically concerning neuroendocrinology and psychoanalytic therapy) and intends on pursing a doctorate in the discipline after her undergraduate education. When she’s not doing something related to her education (or sleeping) she enjoys: spending time with her Christian ministry, reading, going for long drives, and (poorly) playing chess along with other board games.

Toni Afolabi
Toni is a 3rd year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Neuroscience and will be graduating in Fall 2018. She is interested in the underlying mechanisms of human behavior and neurological disorders. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school and specialize in psychiatry. In her free time, Toni enjoys drawing, reading, playing video games, and spending time with friends.

2016 – 2017

(From left to right, bottom to top: Minha Ghani, Ismenia Ramirez, Karishma Bajaj, Stavonna Bello, Kavya Yeruva, Toni Afolabi, Kyle McCall, Bridget Burris, Meghna Ravi, Max Pourghaed, Clara Goebel, BriAnn Thompson, Melissa Ng, Macy Lunceford, Zane Freeman, Dane Gunther, Hisham Ali, Jai Bhakta; not pictured: Jamie Nguyen)

2015 – 2016

(From left to right, bottom to top: Beth Belachew, Bridget Burris, Nadira Sumair, Monica Vela, Meghna Ravi, Katie McDermott, Emily Daskalantonakis, Joy Josephs, Brittany McClure, Aysha Najjab, Connor Kelly, Milan Dean, Zane Freeman, Jai Bhakta; not pictured: Clara Goebel, Daniel Dosal-Terminal, Riley Samaniego, Seth Godinez, Sean Minns)

2014 – 2015

(From left to right, bottom to top: Nadira Sumair, Kristie Garza, Maddie Pantoni, Zaijia Liu, Samantha Meyer, Emily Kemp, Katie McDermott, Supna Hazari, Joy Josephs, Michael Ng, Dan Dosal-Terminel, Darya Falamarzi, Sean Minns, Josh Sharer, Ashley Hegele; not pictured: Emily Daskalantonakis, Trenton Wood and Katie Bazzoni)

2013 – 2014

(From left to right: Trenton Wood, Darya Falamarzi, Katie McDermott, Maddie Pantoni, Ashley Hegele, Samantha Meyer, Daniel Dosal-Terminel; not pictured: Ryan Cook)