Juliet Davidow (she/her), PhD

Dr. Juliet Davidow joined the Psychology Department at Northeastern University as an Assistant Professor in 2020, and established the Learning and Brain Development Lab. She earned her BA in Psychology from New York University and PhD in Psychology from Columbia University. She trained as a postdoc at Harvard University, and has also conducted research at UCLA and Weill-Cornell Medical College. The research at the Learning and Brain Development Lab bridges classic areas in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Computer Science.

CV| Google Scholar| OSF

Rebecca Hennessy (she/her)
Lab Manager
Rebecca graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023 with a B.A. in Cognitive Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Changing Brain Lab with Dr. Allyson Mackey, where she completed her senior honors thesis studying reward, motivation, and curiosity in young children. Rebecca was a Penn MindCORE summer fellow, studying the link between decision-making tendencies and moral judgment with Dr. Sharon Thompson-Schill. She also served as a research assistant with the Risk and Resilience Lab and with the Penn Center for Mental Health at Penn Medicine. Rebecca hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a focus in developmental cognitive neuroscience. Outside of the lab, Rebecca enjoys exploring local farmer’s markets, trying new fitness classes around Boston, and supporting the performing arts.

Brianna Aubrey (she/her)
PhD Student – Learning and Brain Development Lab
Brianna Aubrey received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Dartmouth College with minors in Education and Music. She worked as an undergraduate research assistant (2018-2022) and full time lab manager (2022-2024) in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning (Kraemer) Lab at Dartmouth. Brianna is the recipient of the Robert N. Leaton Prize for Best Neuroscience Thesis Presentation for her thesis titled: “Understanding the Neural Basis of Motivated Reasoning through MVPA Classification” as well as the Cameron-Glickenhaus Family Fund Prize for Most Promising Minor in Education. Brianna’s research experience includes fMRI work studying Motivated Reasoning, Math Anxiety, and Language Learning. She hopes to improve education by studying the neural mechanisms that underlie learning and reasoning. Outside of research, Brianna enjoys singing, yoga, baking, and crocheting.

Haley Hegefeld (she/her)
PhD Student – Social Development and Wellbeing Lab (Alexandra Rodman, PhD)
Haley graduated from Yale University with a B.S. in Psychology. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Clinical Affective Neuroscience & Development Lab with Dr. Dylan Gee and studied the development of emotion regulation in daily life. After graduating, she spent three years as a research coordinator for LBDL. In this role, she worked with Dr. Davidow to study the development of decision-making during adolescence. Currently, Haley is a doctoral student in NU’s Social Development & Wellbeing Lab working with Dr. Alex Rodman and continues to collaborate with LBDL on several projects studying adolescent development. Outside of research, Haley likes to take spin classes at the Handle Bar, read, and sample every ice cream shop around Boston.

Nick Kathios (he/him)
PhD Candidate – Music, Imaging, and Neural Dynamics Lab (Psyche Loui, PhD) 
Nick (he/him/his) received his B.A. in Psychology and Music from Columbia University. He currently is a graduate student working in the Music, Imaging, and Neural Dynamics Lab under Dr. Psyche Loui. Nick is interested in investigating the link between adolescent music listening and ongoing brain development. In his free time, Nick enjoys playing the French horn.

Francesca Morfini (she/her)
PhD Candidate – EPIC Brain Lab (Sue Whitfield-Gabrieli, PhD)
Francesca is a Ph.D. candidate in the Psychology Ph.D. at Northeastern University working with Dr. Davidow and Dr. Whitfield-Gabrieli. Francesca graduated from San Raffaele University (Italy) with a B.S. in psychology and neuroscience and a M.S. in clinical psychology. Francesca is interested in applying multimodal neuroimaging techniques to better characterize depression and anxiety in youth, improve the diagnostic process, and develop novel treatment interventions.

Erica Niemiec (she/her)
PhD Student – Learning and Brain Development Lab

Erica graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Classical Civilization and completed post-baccalaureate studies in Psychology at Columbia University in 2021. At Columbia, she worked as a research assistant and lab manager of the Developmental Affective Neuroscience Lab. Erica is interested in researching the dynamics of adolescent learning under conditions of change through multiple methods, including neuroimaging. She can also often be found exploring a hiking trail, immersed in a good book, or maintaining her Duolingo streak (étudie le français и плохо говорит по-русски).

Victoria McCray (she/her)
Master’s Student
Victoria is a Masters of Science Candidate in Bioinformatics. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Psychology with a minor in Data Science. She completed her undergraduate honors thesis with Juliet Davidow, PhD investigating the effects of cannabis on reward network functional connectivity for people living with schizophrenia. Her research interests lie in computational methods and techniques in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging disciplines. Outside of research, she serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit Black In Neuro, dedicated to building community, providing resources, and career development for underrepresented groups in neuroscience fields. She is also a double husky and honorary forever member of LBDL! 

Rebecca van Rijn (she/her)
PhD Candidate – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Rebecca followed the bachelor’s program Biology at Leiden University before diving into Neuroscience. She completed a double master’s degree of Cognitive Neuroscience and Medical Biology Neuroscience at the Radboud University Nijmegen. After graduation, Rebecca worked as a research assistant on the ERC project of prof. dr. Lydia Krabbendam at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Rebecca is currently a PhD Candidate at the department of Clinical, Developmental and Neuropsychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research focuses on (prosocial) risk-taking behavior in adolescence using different techniques. She is supervised by prof. dr. Lydia Krabbendam, dr. Barbara Braams and prof. dr. Paul van Lange. Rebecca collaborates with the LBDL on designing and validating a prosocial risk-taking questionnaire for adolescence. She visited the lab and Boston during Spring 2024. When not doing research or exploring Boston, Rebecca enjoys running or spinning, doing crafts or reading a book. Click here to read more about Rebecca’s visit!

Ahadu Betselot (he/him)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Ahadu is an undergraduate Psychology student at Northeastern University with a strong interest in social and emotional development throughout the lifespan and the different developmental experiences that cause psychological disorders to form. Whether it be as a teacher’s assistant, camp counselor, or tutor, he truly enjoys working with children. He hopes to one day complete a PhD in Child Psychology and provide affordable care for children who suffer from psychological disorders. In his downtime, Ahadu enjoys weightlifting, biking, and watching movies.

Aanchalika Chauhan (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Aanchalika is an undergraduate student majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a minor in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. She has previously worked on a research project with her district’s health board on the effects of acute stress on adolescent brain development. She is interested in learning how experiences during adolescent brain development influence behavior and health throughout adulthood. After graduating, Aanchalika plans to apply to medical school and pursue a career in neurology. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and visiting art museums.

Kai Doran (they/them)
PEAK Research Scholar
Kai Doran is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience and minoring in Philosophy. They hope to apply research in adolescent neurodevelopment to improve the education system and child mental health services. Kai was awarded the AJC Merit Research Scholarship for Spring 2023, and intends to pursue an MD-PhD or MD-MPH degree following graduation. In their free time, Kai enjoys reading, writing, hiking, and creating art.

Maddy Hammell (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Maddy is an undergraduate student at Northeastern majoring in behavioral neuroscience and minoring in art. Currently, she is helping to conduct research surrounding development and memory. Maddy was awarded a Project-Based Exploration for the Advancement of Knowledge (PEAK) Award to support her work in the lab. After graduation, she is hoping to attend medical school and pursue a career in pediatric psychology, while continuing to focus on the neurological processes that contribute to learning. In her free time, Maddy spends a lot of time in bookstores and coffee shops, and she loves to paint and draw!

Natalee Huli (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Natalee Huli is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a Philosophy minor. She has an interest in developmental and emotional neuroscience and wants to learn more about how the experiences one has during their developmental period can affect how those memories are remembered and how neurological changes due to experiences can affect future behaviors. After graduation, Natalee hopes to attend medical school and become a neurologist. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, crocheting, baking, listening to music, and watching Gilmore Girls.

Monica Karori (she/her)
COS Research Scholar
Monica is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience. She has a strong interest in the development of adolescent behavior and how certain experiences in childhood can impact adulthood. After graduation, Monica hopes to go to medical school and specialize in pediatrics. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing tennis, painting, and trying new restaurants.

Matt Love (he/him)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Matt is an undergraduate student at Northeastern majoring in Computer Science and Cognitive Psychology. He hopes to apply his current understanding of computer science and experience working with children in both psychiatric and camp settings to current research projects. He currently works as a Milieu Counselor for pediatric psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, and has experience working as a summer Camp Counselor & Group Leader. He is interested in the motivation of learning in children. In his free time, he enjoys biking and binging TV shows.

Briana Mallouh (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Briana is a freshman undergraduate student at Northeastern majoring in biology. She is interested in learning more about neurological development and how it can impact learning in children. After graduation, she has hopes of attending medical school and becoming a psychiatrist. In her free time, she likes to bake, listen to music, and go to the gym.

Eve Melychev (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Eve is an undergraduate student majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a particular interest in developmental neuroscience. After graduating, Eve plans to attend medical school where she will pursue a career in psychiatry. In her free time, Eve enjoys running, reading, and hiking.

Viktor Nemes (he/him)
Directed Study Student
Viktor is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a focus in counseling, and a minor in Art. As a mental health specialist working with bipolar and psychotic disorders on an inpatient unit at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, he has particular interest in abnormal psychology in adolescence, and hopes to utilize this experience to contribute to the LBDL. In his free time he enjoys all things outdoors, drawing, and playing video games.

Kiara Roque (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Kiara Roque is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience. As a previous counselor and daycare worker, she has seen first-hand how quickly children learn and imitate novel behaviors. Whether that be a new phrase or word, she saw how adolescents continuously learned from different experiences as their brain developed. Now as a Behavioral Neuroscience student, she would like to see why and how the children she used to interact with at her jobs learned through a scientific perspective. This fervor has ignited her membership in LBDL, where she aims to contribute her passion and curiosity to the field. Following her graduation year, she hopes to attend medical school and become a pediatric psychiatrist. In her free time, Kiara likes hanging out with friends and family and exploring new restaurants!

Xingfang Zhao (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Xingfang is a sophomore undergraduate student majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience and Philosophy. She is interested in memory formation and retrieving, and how this process can be influenced in an adolescent brain. She hopes that through exploring this topic researchers can establish a better understanding of the biological basis of memory. She plans to pursue a Ph.D degree in Neuroscience, and perhaps a M.A. for Philosophy. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, going on road-trips with friends, and watching sitcoms (her favorites include Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, and Will & Grace).

Danny (he/him)
High School Intern
Danny is a rising senior at Needham High School. As a freshman, Danny took an online course in psychology, which really sparked his interest in the subject. From then on, Danny worked at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, helping with research on psychological treatments for IBS, where he was learning to understand the research process. Danny plans to study something related to psychology in college, but he doesn’t know where his future will take him. Outside of school, Danny volunteers for Special Olympics, works for the Samaritans text line, plays lacrosse, and enjoys spending time with friends.

Harry (he/him)
High School Intern
Harry is a rising senior at the Brimmer and May school. While being invested in his academics, he is also interested in sports. He plays Varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball at Brimmer and follow professional Boston sports teams. He is from Somerville and has lived around Boston his whole life. He also reads, watches movies and tv shows, and exercises. He has three brothers and a dog and a cat, all who he loves very much (mostly the pets). Harry is currently enrolled in the YSP at Northeastern which has allowed him to experience STEM research and what it feels like to be studying STEM at a university. He is working with Dayna Pahn in the LBDL researching Motivated Learning in Adolescence. He is extremely excited to continue on this amazing opportunity this summer to research the brain and learning and can’t wait to dive deeper into the work.

Dayna (she/her)
High School Intern
Dayna is a rising senior at Revere High School. She has been helping take care of her grandmother for 6 years, which has naturally led to her passions in STEM and medicine. She plans to major in biochemistry in the pre-med track since her favorite subjects are AP Chemistry and Anatomy and Physiology. Currently, she is working with Dr. Davidow on Motivated Learning in Adolescence research as a YSP student. Outside of academics, Dayna volunteers at Tufts Medical Center, is a leader of her school’s Feminist Empowerment Movement club that advocates for social, gender, and economic disparities, and loves to crochet!

Maya (she/her)
High School Intern
Maya is a rising senior at Boston Latin School. Her favorite classes include Biology and AP Language & Composition, and wants to pursue deeper findings about cognitive neuroscience in adolescence as a field of interest since she has previously worked with the lab before! She hopes to develop more skills and heighten her passions in research as she prepares to study Biology in college, working in places such as Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital to facilitate work experience. Outside of school, she enjoys dancing and performing, listening to music, volunteering within her community, leading clubs, and playing video games with friends!

Anika Kopczynski

Jing Wen Ren