Cameron Manard

 

Cameron Manard is a third-year undergraduate student studying social psychology. He has been a research assistant with the DN Lab since the summer of 2022. He is interested in finding ways to alleviate anxieties caused by disabilities. He plans on getting his Ph.D. after finishing his undergraduate degree. In his free time, Cameron enjoys reading and creating stories as well as spending time with friends and family.
 

 
 
 
Danna Wu

 

Danna is a third-year undergraduate student at UCSD majoring in Psychology. She is interested in understanding more about the human psyche and how human interaction shapes experiences. After undergraduate, she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field. In her free time, Danna enjoys reading, trying new food places, and watching Asian dramas.
 

 
 
 
Mincong Wu

 

Mincong is a 2023 UCSD graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree Psychology at UCSD, with a minor in cognitive science; she is currently pursuing her post baccalaureate. Since joining the Developmental and Neuroscience Lab in Spring 2023, Mincong has assisted with data entry and preprocessing of EEG data using MATLAB and R scripts. She is mainly interested in the learning and cognition aspects of human development. Upon graduation, Mincong hopes to pursue a graduate degree in the field of developmental psychology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending quality time with her cat, cooking meals for friends, and watching movies.
 

 
 
 
Jhanvi Natarajan

 

Jhanvi Natarajan is a 4th year undergraduate studying general biology at UCSD, and has been working at the DN Lab since Spring 2023. She first got interested in understanding learning behaviors in neurotypical and autistic groups after shadowing occupational therapists at a government hospital in Mumbai. Jhanvi plans on getting her Psy.D and working towards becoming a clinical psychologist once she graduates. Outside of the lab, Jhanvi is currently interning and working at a neurosurgery practice, and enjoys dancing, playing board games and watching Ted Lasso.
 

 
 
 
Sunshine Falkoff

 

Sunshine is a fourth-year student at UCSD majoring in Psychology. She loves learning about everything psychology-related and wants to expand scientific literature about underrepresented groups, such as those with autism. After graduation, she wants to go to graduate school to become a therapist for young children and adolescents. Sunshine likes to travel, watch movies, and go to concerts in her free time.
 

 
 
 
Sophia Bokovikova

 

Sophia is a second-year at UCSD majoring in Human Developmental Sciences with a minor in Biology. She joined the lab in the spring of 2023 and is interested in the interplay between genetics and the environment throughout the lifespan, as well as brain development and degeneration. In the future, Sophia aims to become an obstetrician or genetic counselor and in her spare time, she loves to play the piano, play volleyball, surf, and read.
 

 
 
 
Nicola Schmelzer

 

Nicola is a fourth-year transfer student at UCSD majoring in Psychology. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Neuropsychology. Her interests lie specifically in investigating the neural underpinnings of transdiagnostic behavior in neurodevelopmental disorders. One of Nicola’s major passions is helping other transfer students get involved with research and is currently co-chair of UCSD’s Psi Chi Research Committee. In addition to the DNLab, she is a Data Documenter for Northwestern University’s Developmental Mechanisms (DevMech) Lab and a Clinical Interviewer at San Diego State University’s Translational Emotion and Neuroscience Development (TEND) Lab. In her free time, Nicola likes to paddleboard, camp, and play video games. 
 

 
 
 
Sravanti Cheruvu

 

Sravanti is a second year undergraduate student pursuing a major in human health psychology with a minor in business economics. She joined the DN lab in fall of 2023 and is fascinated by psychometrics and how they can be creatively utilized when designing psychological studies, specifically relating to ASD. In the future, she hopes to become a healthcare consultant as it’s a blend between her interests in business practices and medicine. Sravanti is currently helping run a women’s health organization at UCSD and in her free time, she likes to cook, sing, and dance.
 

 
 
 
Zara Fearns

 

Zara is a sophomore undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in clinical psychology with a minor in philosophy. She joined the DN Lab in the fall of 2023 and is interested in studying developmental disorders such as ASD and ADHD as well as infant cognition. Currently, Zara is working on a study focusing on how infants make predictions and understand casual relationships. In the future, she aims to pursue graduate school in the form of a PhD. She is also a women’s saber fencer on UCSD’s Division 1 fencing team and enjoys cooking and running in her free time.
 

 
 
 
Amanda Salatino

 

Amanda is a second year undergraduate student at UCSD studying Psychology. She joined the DN lab as an RA in the winter of 2024. She is interested in studying types of neurodiversity such as ASD and ADHD. In the future, she hopes to become a therapist for children with developmental disorders. In her free time, Amanda enjoys painting, watching horror movies, and writing.
 

 
 
 
Haley Rippon

 

Haley is a third-year undergraduate student at UCSD majoring in Clinical Psychology and minoring in Philosophy of Cognitive Science. She is interested in the various presentations of developmental differences in children and the modes by which clinical psychologists and researchers detect these differences (i.e., through neuropsychological testing, neuroimaging, etc.). She is also interested in the neurocircuitry of the brain. In the future, Haley hopes to obtain a Ph.D. and become a pediatric clinical neuropsychologist. In her free time, she loves to exercise, bake, watch movies, and travel.
 

 
 
 
Joshua Cervantes

 

Joshua is a First-Year student at UCSD double-majoring in Neurobiology & Clinical Psychology. He joined the lab in Winter 2024 and is interested in BioPsychology and understanding the biological factors that play a role in developing disorders. He plans to expand scientific knowledge in both Psychology and Biology in order to form a connection between the two. In the future, Joshua plans to pursue a career in the medical field and obtain his PhD and MD, and become a medical scientist to pursue research in medicine. In his free time, Joshua enjoys going to the beach, hanging with friends, and trying new foods.