Dr. Tobias Grossmann, Lab Director
I study the early development of the social and affective abilities that enable us to interact with others and make sense of their social behavior. In particular, I am interested in the brain processes that underpin social interaction and cognition during infancy. I study the development of social brain functions across a range of situations in which infants can glean information from various different sources such as faces, voices, or biological motion. Moreover, my work aims at understanding how social development varies across infants and what genetic and environmental factors give rise to such individual differences.
Website | Contact: tg3ny@virginia.edu
Current Members
Halle Miller, Lab Coordinator
Halle Miller is the Research Coordinator for the Babylab at the University of Virginia She is a recent graduate from Harding University where she received her bachelor’s in science in psychology. Her research interests include social cognitive neuroscience and intergenerational trauma. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking and oil painting. You can contact Halle regarding any inquiries relating to Babylab at yqg7ay@virginia.edu.
Johanna Chajes, Graduate Student
In my research, I study the development of prosocial behavior and executive function during infancy and early childhood. I’m especially interested in understanding how early experiences shape individual outcomes, and in making connections between children’s observable behaviors and their underlying brain activity. I received my B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware where I completed an honors thesis looking at how early life stress affects the brain, the epigenome, and behavioral outcomes. Contact: jrc4hw@virginia.edu
Chajes CV June 2022 – Johanna Chajes
Kenn Dela Cruz, Graduate Student
I am interested in questions around how children come to understand their own emotions and those of others. I am interested in studying emotion through multiple levels of analyses, such as within the child and the surrounding contextual factors. I received my B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and M.A. in Developmental Psychology from San Francisco State University.
Current Studies:
- Cooperation Study – Computer-based study examining the underlying psychological foundations of prosocial behaviors
- Mom & Baby Study – Longitudinal study examining children’s social development from infancy into toddlerhood.
- Speech Perception Study – Electroencephalogram (EEG) study aiming to understand how listeners perceive cleft palate speech errors across varying degrees of intelligibility
- VR Scenes & Fears Study – Virtual Reality (VR) study exploring how fears are experienced within immersive VR scenes
Contact: kld2db@virginia.edu
Sophie Clayton, Graduate Student
My research interests are focused on reputation and impression management in children, specifically working to understand age of development and which environments may impact reputation management behaviors. I received my B.A. in Cognitive Sciences and Psychology from Rice University.
Contact Sophie: slc6ep@virginia.edu
Olivia Allison, Graduate Student
My broader research interests include identifying biological and environmental factors that are associated with early social development, and understanding how brain function is linked to social information processing and behaviors. I am particularly interested in studying facial and emotional processing throughout infancy to understand how underlying mechanisms give rise to individual differences in social cognition and behaviors. I received my B.A. in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience from Temple University where I completed a thesis project that investigated anticipatory motor behavior towards tactile stimulation in infant development. Additionally, I worked as a full-time research assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where I completed a project that investigated face-encoding neural activity in preschool children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Contact Olivia: yjg9uy@virginia.edu
Current Research Assistants
Echo Wu
I’m an undergraduate student majoring in psychology and economy and I’m currently a RA working with Kenn on a virtual reality study. I’m interested in cognitive and social psychology and I’m hoping to continue to participate in relevant research after graduation
Peyton Yee
Peyton is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Tampa, FL studying Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, with a minor in Global Studies in Education. Her research interests focus on understanding the neurological relationship between early development and social behaviors, such as cooperation. Outside of the lab, Peyton is passionate about science outreach and communication, drinking tea, and crocheting.
Helena Nguyen
I’m a third-year undergraduate student from Springfield, Virginia, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Asian Pacific American Studies. I aspire to become a social worker and currently work with children with special needs, so I love learning everything about how young individuals develop emotionally and socially. My interests outside of the lab include cooking, arts and crafts, and nature.
Kyle Luong
I am a third year student from Baltimore, Maryland majoring in Psychology while also pursuing Pre-Med. I also volunteer at the University of Virginia hospital and serve as a Patient Service Coordinator for Medstar in Baltimore. Outside of academics and work, I enjoy to both play and watch sports.
Meher Kalsi
Meher is a second year undergraduate student from Ashburn, VA studying Cognitive Science with a neuroscience emphasis, and a minor in data science. Her research interests include social and emotional development, understanding the mechanisms behind learning and memory, and psychopharmacology! Outside the lab, she enjoys dancing on a UVA dance team, watching psychological thrillers, and baking
Angelina Lee
My name is Angelina Le and I’m a third-year student double majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science. I love working with children and learning about how their minds work. In the future, I hope to pursue a career as a pediatric mental health counselor. In my free time, I enjoy volunteering, cooking and crocheting.
Taylor Curro
Taylor is a fourth-year double major in Psychology and Applied Statistics with a Biostats concentration. She joined the Early Social Development lab and Babylab during the Summer of 2023. She loves learning all about developmental psychology. When she’s not in the lab, Taylor enjoys her job at the hospital, working on art projects, or just hanging out with friends.
Sara Ibrahim
I am a third-year student in the College, double-majoring in Psychology and Poetry Writing. I have a big interest in child psychology, and want to understand how children’s minds and brains develop, so I can eventually learn how to help them heal from adversity. It took me a long time to realize that this is where my heart lies, but I am very glad to be part of Babylab now. In my free time, I like to draw, paint, write, and hang out with family and friends.
Prisha Javed
I’m a third year undergraduate student from Aldie, VA, majoring in Human Biology on the Pre-Med track. I deeply enjoy working with children and am curious to study their cognitive functions! Outside of the research lab, I love to draw, exercise, and travel.
Kayla Kusel
Kayla is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Boca Raton, FL double majoring in Psychology and Youth and Social Innovation. Her research interests include examining sharing, caring, and helping behaviors, cognitive youth development, and decision-making. Outside the lab, she enjoys working at The Arc of the Piedmont, doing hot yoga, and listening to music!
Rebecca Bonheur
I’m a third year psych major from Norfolk, VA, and I’m so excited to be involved with the Babylab! I love working with children and getting to explore different applications of my psych education. I’m hoping to get involved with psychology or business research following graduation.
Aliana Schwartz
My name is Aliana Schwartz and I am a first year Cognitive Science Major from High Point, NC. I am super excited to be working as a research assistant in the Babylab. In my free time, I enjoy going on runs, baking, doing puzzles, watching movies, and reading books.
Sally Bussian
My name is Sally, and I am a third-year Neuroscience major from Birmingham, Alabama. As one could guess, my favorite subjects are biology and psychology, and being a research assistant in Babylab allows me to apply both! I love helping others, and I hope to make a lasting impact at Babylab before I graduate. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with friends, exploring Charlottesville, reading fantasy novels, listening to country music and playing the piano!
Lucy Nguyen
Lucy Nguyen is a first year at UVA and is planning on majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. She plans to specialize in oncology pediatrics in the future. Her future goal is to be able to help immigrant children find a healthy life in America since she comes from an immigrant family that have worked extremely hard to get where they are. Lucy is a part of the VR study team in baby lab. Outside of research she enjoys weightlifting, finding new sweet cravings, and meeting new people.
Lab Alumni
Dr. Jessica Stern, Postdoctoral Research Assistant
Dr. Kathleen M. Krol, Postdoctoral Research Associate
My main research interests lie in the hormonal and genetic modulation of social behavior. I am particularly fascinated with uncovering how early life experience, through interaction with genetic and hormonal physiology, can impact the processing of social cues in infants and their mothers. After completing my undergraduate work in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, I received an M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience from University College London and moved on to conduct my Ph.D. work at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany.
Website | CV | Contact: krol@virginia.edu
Dr. Meghan Puglia, Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia Medical School, Alumni, Collaborator
My research aims to identify and describe the genetic, epigenetic, and neural factors that contribute to the development of social behavior. I earned my B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience from Penn State, and my M.A in Cognitive Psychology from UVA. Prior to my graduate studies, I worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researching biomarkers of autism spectrum disorders.
Contact: mhm8yp@virginia.edu
Caroline Kelsey, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital
I am interested in how prenatal, environmental, and health factors impact infants’ social development. I received my B.S. in Biology & Psychology from Pennsylvania State University, and my M.A. in Psychology at The College of William & Mary.
Contact: c.kelsey@virginia.edu
Cat Thrasher, Graduate Student
I research how emotional and physical co-regulation occurs between infants and their caregivers. After completing my undergraduate degree in Psychology, I worked under Judy DeLoache at UVa and Vanessa LoBue at Rutgers University looking at the development of infant responses to fearful stimuli.
Contact: thrasher@virginia.edu
Cabell Williams, Graduate Student Affliate
My research interests are in the effects of genetic variation on neurological development as it relates to social behavior. I received my B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology from George Mason University, and my M.S. in Clinical Research from UVA. Prior to my work in the Babylab, I studied the effects of parenting mindfully on adolescents’ emotional development, academic success, and risk-taking behaviors. I simultaneously studied how to create a state of “peak performance” using EEG based neurofeedback.
Contact: clw9vd@virginia.edu