Graduate Students
The Georgetown University doctoral program in Developmental Science currently hosts 18 graduate students specializing in three concentrations: Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience (LCN), Human Development and Public Policy (HDPP), and a joint MPP/PhD concentration. All three concentrations maintain a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary study. The LCN program is closely affiliated with existing PhD programs in Linguistics and the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN). The HDPP and Dual Degree concentrations are closely affiliated with the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI).
LCN Students
Kristin Brethel (Marsh) is a first year student in the Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience concentration. Kristin received her BS in Biopsychology from Tufts University in 2009, where she was a Research Assistant in the Emotion, Brain, and Behavior Laboratory. After Tufts, she worked on several studies of autism spectrum disorders as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital. At Georgetown, Kristin is a member of the Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience. Her research interests include emotional processing and understanding, emotion regulation, empathy, and affective neuroscience. <<email Kristin at kb527@georgetown.edu
Katherine Gamble (Howard) is a fourth year student in the Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience track of the Psychology Ph D program, working in the Cognitive Aging Lab. Her research investigates cognitive capacities that are maintained with healthy aging and interventions that can be used to promote and maintain cognitive health and successful aging. Katherine received her BA in Psychology, with minors in Neuroscience and Biology from Gettysburg College in 2006, and her MS in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Florida in 2008.. <<email Katherine at krg27@georgetown.edu
Anna Mikulak (Phillips) is in her sixth year of the Developmental Science program. Although she began the program with research interests in early immune response and autism, she has since pursued research that combines her interests in developmental science, policy, and science communication. Anna is currently working on her dissertation research which will examine the various factors - including demographic characteristics, aspects of cultural cognition, and parenting attitudes - that influence parents' vaccination decision-making. Anna received a BA in psychology with a minor in cognitive science from Georgetown University in 2006. «email Anna at akm26@georgetown.edu
Eric Murphy (Vaidya) is a fourth year student in the Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience concentration of the Psychology PhD program. His research investigates the neural mechanisms underlying emotion and attention, and particularly the effects that these cognitive systems have on each other. He uses functional neuroimaging techniques to study these cognitive processes in children with developmental disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. Eric received his BA in Biopsychology from Oberlin College in 2003, and his MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago in 2004. <<email Eric at erm8@georgetown.edu
Chelsea Stillman (Howard) is a second year student in the Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience track. She studied Psychology and Chemistry at Colby College, obtaining her B.A. in 2010. In her time at Colby, she worked in the Memory and Language and Child Development labs, where she developed an interest in studying how learning and memory processes change across the lifespan. At Georgetown, she is continuing to study learning and memory from a developmental perspective through her work in The Cognitive Aging Lab. Chelsea’s current research directions include exploring ways in which age and lifestyle factors affect implicit learning processes. <<email Chelsea at cms264@georgetown.edu
HDPP Students
Natalie Brito (Barr) is a fourth year student in the Human Development and Public Policy Concentration. She is currently involved in a project that uses media to increase the quality and quantity of interactions between children and their incarcerated teen parents. Additionally, she is working on different studies looking at long-term memory from books and television and how to best present information in children's media in order to optimize learning and retention. Her dissertation will examine cognitive flexibility in bilingual infants and toddlers. Natalie received her BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2005 and her M.A. in Experimental Psychology from the College of William and Mary in 2008. <<email Nataile at nhb3@georgetown.edu
Eunsoo Choi (Chentsova-Dutton) is a third year student in the MPP/PhD program. Her main research interests are in cross-cultural studies on emotional response and expression. Her previous work examined the unique mindset of Koreans in impression formation, which can be explained by their interdependent culture. Prior to coming to Georgetown, Eunsoo received her BA in English Literature from Korea University in 2006 and MA in Social Psychology from the same school in 2008. She has also worked as a research assistant in projects on gambling behaviors of Koreans at University of Korea. <<email Eunsoo at ec378@georgetown.edu
Erika Fountain (Woolard) is a first year student in the Human Development and Public Policy concentration. Erika received her BA in Psychology, with minors in Criminal Justice, Sociology and Anthropology, from Florida International University in 2010. In her time at FIU, Erika was a research assistant in the Investigative Interviewing Laboratory and lab manager for the Cognitive Laboratory and Workshop and Cog-Lab. Her research interests lie in the intersection of psychology and the law, more specifically as it pertains to adolescents in the justice system. At Georgetown she will continue conducting research in this area as a member of the Center for Research on Adolescence, Women, and the Law. <<email Erika at ef245@georgetown.edu
Anna Markowitz (Ryan) is a first year student in the human development and public policy track. Prior to coming to Georgetown, Anna received a MA in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College, and a BA in Psychology from Gettysburg College. Anna's most life changing experience to date was teaching 7th and 8th grade in California with Teach For America. This experience generated Anna's research interests which center around creating the context for optimal development for adolescents, particularly low-income youth. <<email Anna at ajm267@georgetown.edu
Elisabeth McClure (Chentsova-Dutton) is a second year student in the Human Development and Public Policy concentration. She is interested in the emotional engagement of very young children and adults in face-to-face versus screen-mediated interactions. Prior to coming to Georgetown, she received a B.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John's College, was an English Language Assistant at a high school in France, and worked as a lab manager in the Lifelong Brain and Cognition Lab at the Beckman Institute. <<email Elisabeth at em443@georgetown.edu
Nicole Senft (Chentsova-Dutton) is a first year student in the Human Development and Public Policy concentration. Her research interests focus on cultural influences on emotional expression and social interactions. She developed these interests through travels and a year as an English teacher in South Korea, followed by work in the Mind and Identity in Context Lab at University of Illinois, Chicago. Nicole graduated with a BA in Psychology and Spanish from Marquette University in 2008. <<email Nicole at ns537@georgetown.edu
Laura Zimmermann (Barr) is a first year student with a concentration in Human Development and Public Policy. Through the Georgetown Early Learning Project she is investigating the role that media sources play in infants' learning and memory processes. Laura received her BA in Psychology, with a minor in American Sign Language, from the University of Rochester in 2011. She has previously worked at the University of Rochester's Baby Lab and was an intern at the Laboratory for Developmental Studies at Harvard University. <<email Laura at ljz7@georgetown.edu
Dual MPP/PHD Students
Beth Corrington Meloy (Phillips) is a sixth year student in the Dual MPP/PhD program. Her research interests focus on the effects (especially cognitive/school readiness) of early education programs for vulnerable children, including low-income, minority, and special needs children. As well as the effect of involvement with the child welfare system on subsequent child development. Her dissertation examines factors that effect the type, amount, and stability of child care arrangements for children in foster care, as well as the developmental (cognitive and social-emotional) and structural (placement stability) impact of exposure to child care for these vulnerable young children. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 and her Masters in Public Policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute in 2008. «email Beth at mec87@georgetown.edu
Cristina Novoa (Moghaddam) is a fourth year student in the joint degree program in Human Development and Public Policy. Her research focuses on the psychology of intergroup relations, particularly in immigrant-receiving countries. She is especially interested in the implications of policies of assimilation and multiculturalism for individuals as well as communities. Her dissertation will use mixed methods to examine the immigrant paradox in academic performance in the United States. Prior to coming to Georgetown, she worked as a research assistant at Yale University and volunteered with ESL middle school students in New Haven, CT. She received her BA in Psychology from Yale in 2006 and her Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown in 2010.<<email Cristina at cmn32@georgetown.edu
Melissa Richards (Calvert) is a second year student in the Dual MPP/PhD program. Her work at the Children’s Digital Media Center examines the ways that children can learn and benefit from using various types of media outlets. Melissa became interested in this subject area after working as a research assistant at Yale University’s Social Cognitive Development Lab, interning at a television station, and conducting undergraduate research on media’s effects on youth sleep patterns. She received her BA in Psychology and Sociology from the College of the Holy Cross in 2010 <<email Melissa at mnr25@georgetown.edu
Sarah Vidal (Woolard) is a fourth year student in the Joint PhD/MPP Human Development and Public Policy Program. Her primary research interests include adolescent development in the context of juvenile delinquency. For her dissertation, Sarah will examine the relationship quality between juvenile probation officers and juvenile probationers, explore possible factors (e.g., juvenile mental health and substance use problems) that contribute to this relationship, and assess how these variables relate to supervision practices and case outcomes. Sarah received her BA in Psychology and Social Behavior and Criminology, Law, and Society from University of California, Irvine in 2006 and her Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown Public Policy Institute in 2010. <<email Sarah at sjv6@georgetown.edu
Zach Warren (Moghaddam) is a third year student researching creativity and human development across cultures. His field research in Afghanistan has measured differences in humor styles, social attitudes toward child development, display rules for children’s laughter, and conceptions of creativity. Previously, Zach was awarded Harvard’s prestigious Sheldon Traveling Fellowship for a year of fieldwork in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Zach received his MPP from Georgetown in 2011, an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School in 2007, a B.A. in Human Development and Social Relations from Earlham College in 2003. <<email Zach at zw35@georgetown.edu.
