Juliet Davidow (she/her), PhD

Dr. Juliet Davidow joined the Psychology Department as an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University 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

Haley Hegefeld (she/her)
PhD Student – Social Development and Wellbeing Lab
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.

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 will visit 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.

Rebecca Hennessy (she/her)
Lab Manager
Rebecca graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023 with a BA 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 thesis on children’s curiosity, motivation, and reward learning. She also worked in the Risk & Resilience Lab with Dr. Sarah Jaffee studying social belonging in emerging adults. She plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology with a neuroscience focus. Outside of the lab, Rebecca enjoys cooking, musical theatre, and photography.

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.

Anika Kopczynski (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Anika is an undergraduate student majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a keen interest in clinical neuroscience and research, especially focusing on helping individuals with mental health disorders. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology after graduation. In her free time, Anika likes to engage in painting, running, and yoga.

Rishi Kudaravalli (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Rishi is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a minor in Art. Previously, she worked at York College with Dr. Lesley Emtage studying the aggregation of the Huntingtin protein in yeast cells. She is a certified EMT and enjoys the hands-on experience it provides. She plans on continuing this work in Boston and applying to medical school after graduation. In her free time, Rishi loves to paint, dance, and try all the best taco places in Boston.

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.

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! 

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.

Carlie Orr (she/her)
Undergraduate Volunteer
Carlie is an undergraduate student majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish. She is specifically interested in pediatric neuroscience with a focus in brain development. After graduation, she is planning on attending medical school to pursue a career in pediatric neuroscience. In her free time, she enjoys running, watching her favorite tv shows, and spending time with family and friends.

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).

Mirabelle Khazei

Win Vu