I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I work in the Developmental Personality Neuroscience Lab led by Michael Hallquist. I earned my Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from UCLA.
My program of research examines the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying how adolescents learn from social experiences and use this information to inform their decision making, attitudes, and behaviors. I integrate experimental, neuroimaging, longitudinal, and computational approaches to characterize how social learning and decision-making processes change across social contexts and across development. My dissertation research with Eva Telzer characterized neurodevelopmental changes in parent and peer influence across adolescence. This led to my current postdoctoral work on formalizing learning and decision making dynamics in complex environments and social relationships. The ultimate goal of my research is to identify the mechanisms that help adolescents effectively navigate their unique social challenges and opportunities to meet core developmental goals.
I am deeply committed to promoting diversity in and the accessibility of science, a goal that resonates with me as a female, ethnic minority, low-income, and first-generation college and PhD graduate. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, hiking/trail runs (especially in National Parks), playing volleyball, gardening, and finding any reason to celebrate.
