Research Assistant

MAKINZIE GASSER

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (3rd year), Psychology
Makinzie is currently working toward a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Education. Makinzie was intrigued by this lab because of her extensive experience working with children and hope to work with children in their future career. I am interested in personality development, cognitive development, and more. Makinzie also was inspired by her cognitive psychology coursework and is hoping to go to graduate school to study and eventually have a career with psychology and kids. In her free time she loves to crochet, watch movies, hang out with friends, read, and listen to music. 

ALEJANDRO FELIX MENDOZA

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (4th year), Psychology
Alejandro joined the lab in Summer 2023 and is currently in his fourth and final year as an undergraduate, pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. He is primarily interested in executive functioning and memory, but also likes to look into the field of cognitive development and how children learn to expand on their cognitive abilities. He plans to eventually get into graduate school and become an educational psychologist, wanting to specifically help high school students get the proper educational accommodations they need and deserve. He often spends his free time playing chess, reading, and trying out new foods.

ISHIKA AGRAWAL

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (3rd year), Psychology
Ishika joined the lab in the winter of 2023 and is pursuing a Psychology (Biology emphasis) degree. Ishika is interested in the sociocultural effects on cognitive processes, as well as children’s psychological development. More specifically, she wants to gain more knowledge on babies’ self awareness and how they attach to their caregivers in different cultural contexts. She wants to attend graduate school for clinical psychology and hopefully work in hospital settings. Outside of her academic life, Ishika is a dedicated competitive hip hop dancer who loves watching TV shows and drinking boba.

KATIE SCHWENKER

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (1st year), Psychology
Katie joined the lab in Winter 2023 and is currently pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. She is also in the ASPIRE program. She is interested in studying educational psychology, and more specifically the effects of equitable school curriculums on child cognitive development. Additionally, she is interested in studying mindfulness practices and their impact on emotional regulation in children. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a career in educational research or administration. Besides the lab and coursework, she enjoys reading, crocheting, cooking, and spending time with friends.

ZOYA LOW

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (3rd year), Biopsychology
Zoya joined the lab in Fall 2022 and is currently working towards her degree in Biopsychology. Her past experience working with preschool children at a Montessori School and previous psychology coursework is what inspired her to join the lab and learn more about developmental psychology and cognitive control. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school to get her PhD in Human Computer Interactions and start a career in UX research or Marketing UX. In her free time, Zoya enjoys cooking new recipes, playing musical instruments, and spending lots of time with her family and friends.

SREYA KUMAR

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (2nd year), Cognitive Science
Sreya joined the lab in Spring 2022 and is a 2nd year Cognitive science student at UC Davis. She is interested in the intersection of Neuroscience and Computational modeling and hopes to gain a better understanding of the topic through hands-on research and other experiences. She also enjoys working with children, and spends her free time tutoring elementary school children on fundamental math and reading skills or waitressing at a local Thai restaurant.

NIKI H. KHALIGH

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (1st year), Cognitive Science ​
Niki joined the lab in Winter 2022 and is pursuing a degree in Cognitive Science with a Computational emphasis. She is also apart of the ASPIRE program. Niki is interested in the effects of socioeconomic disparities on children’s cognitive development and finding strategies to reduce such effects. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school to pursue a career as a physician. She hopes to provide care for the underserved and uninsured communities to increase health care accessibility. In her free time, she enjoys reading Persian poems, training her dog, and swimming.