LAB MEMBERS
Doctoral Students
Simone Boyd
Fourth-year Clinical PhD Student
Simone is a fourth year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at Rutgers University. She graduated with a BA in Psychology and Sociology and an MA in Psychology from Stony Brook University. As a graduate research assistant at SBU, she worked with Dr. Daniel Klein in the Klein Developmental Psychopathology Lab and examined the effect of temperament and peer victimization on adolescent psychopathology. Afterward, she worked as a clinical research assistant at Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University Psychiatry with Dr. Mark Zimmerman, investigating treatment outcomes in a partial hospital program. Simone is interested in understanding how self/identity development and social factors are implicated in the generation of self-injurious thoughts/behaviors and aggression. She is also interested in identifying shared causal mechanisms that underlie self-injury and aggression. Simone also enjoys yoga, trying out new recipes, watching Oscar-nominated films, playing video games, and going out to trivia.
Melissa Dreier
Fourth-year Clinical PhD Student
Missy is a fourth year Ph.D. student in the Hamilton Lab. She graduated from Harvard University in 2019 and then worked as a research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital. Missy is broadly interested in why adolescents do things that are not in their own best interest. Recently, she has been interested in characterizing ‘adaptive’ and ‘maladaptive’ social media use patterns using frameworks from other self-destructive behaviors and emotion regulation. Missy is also passionate about narrowing the research/implementation gap and increasing access to career paths in psychology. Outside of lab, Missy enjoys yoga, running, reading, and learning foreign languages. Her cat, Fiyero, is thrilled his mom is in a musical-themed lab.
Maya Dalack
Third-year Clinical PhD Student
Maya is a third year PhD student in the Hamilton Lab. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 and subsequently worked as a clinical research coordinator at Columbia Medical Center. Maya’s research interests focus on risk and protective factors for suicide in adolescence, specifically through the lens of social media use and how that use is impacted by larger factors like family structure and community. She is also dedicated to communicating scientific findings in an accessible, helpful way. Maya loves singing, hanging out with her family and friends (especially her two nephews and niece!), reading, exploring new restaurants, and watching good TV.
Aijia Yao
Second-year Clinical PhD Student
Aijia is a second year Ph.D. student in the Hamilton Lab. She graduated from Stony Brook University with a BA and an MA in Psychology and worked as a Research Program Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Aijia is interested in how sociocultural factors impact daily mental health experiences, presentations, and social media use among adolescents. Specifically, she hopes to explore depression and suicidality in minoritized teens, unraveling risk and protective factors unique to their sociocultural backgrounds. Aijia also loves to communicate psychological science by creating culturally-sensitive materials tailored to the audience. Outside of work, she enjoys playing video games of various genres, singing, and trying out restaurants in the area.
Post-Baccalaureate
Research Coordinators
Marcus Shipp
Post-Baccalaureate Research Coordinator
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Marcus graduated from Rutgers University in 2023 with a BA in Psychology and minors in Sociology, Criminology, and Health and Society. During his time as an undergraduate student at Rutgers, Marcus obtained various experiences as a Neuropsychology undergraduate intern working with clients presenting with a variety of psychological disorders, concussions, sports-related head injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. Marcus also worked as an undergraduate research assistant studying cognitive-affective and biological vulnerabilities that may increase risk for anxiety pathology and substance use disorders. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is generally interested in further studying anxiety, depression, and stress. He is also interested in assessing the various barriers that exist that prevent equitable access to mental health care and resources to all communities. Outside of research, Marcus works with multiple high school marching band and color guard programs and is a part of The Black Watch World Class Winter Guard. Marcus also enjoys running, listening to music, and traveling.
Srushti Untawale
Post-Baccalaureate Research Coordinator
Srushti graduated from Saint Louis University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Visual Communication. She is broadly interested in studying how stress affects suicidal thoughts and behaviors in youth with minoritized identities - particularly in Asian Americans. She is also passionate about developing and implementing scalable and accessible digital mental health interventions to target these stressors. She deeply values community outreach, science communication, and mentorship. She intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and create culturally competent, evidence-based children's books in the future. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, creating art, listening to jazz, volunteering at SAMHIN, and hanging out with friends!
Affiliated Graduate Research Assistants
Xinyi Lin
Graduate Research Assistant
Xinyi is a first-year Masters student at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in the Addiction Counseling Training program. She graduated from Rutgers with a BA in Psychology and minor in Digital Communication Information and Media. She's interested in developmental psychology, particularly social-emotional development. She enjoys working with youth and wants to promote adolescent mental health as a clinical or school psychologist. Outside the classroom, she likes watching movies and playing video games with family and friends.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Hiba Babekr
Undergraduate Research Assistant - McNair Scholars
Hiba is a senior at Rutgers University and plans to major in Psychology and minor in Creative Writing. As a first generation woman of color, Hiba is interested in exploring the intersectionality of those identities, and how cultural identity shapes and affects ones mental health. She hopes to be an advocate of mental health and provide accessible therapeutic services and resources within these underrepresented minority communities. In her free time, she enjoys quality time with friends, finding and listening to music, reading, and watching A24 movies.
Ella Cifaldi
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ella is a sophomore at Rutgers University pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Music. As a member of the Voorhees Choir, Douglass Residential College, and DRC Global Village, Ella understands the importance of community and will continue to prioritize a great sense of community within the lab. She plans to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology and is excited to continue to grow and evolve with the help of the Hamilton Lab!
Alejandro Castellanos
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Alejandro Castellanos is a senior Psychology major at Rutgers University. His work at Hamilton Labs is a part of his passion to become a figure for those struggling with mental illness, particularly through owning a private practice of his own and possibly pursuing research as a profession. Alejandro looks to either work as a Psychiatrist or as a Clinical Psychologist. He has a passion to constantly learn and apply, and takes pride in his current work as a Direct Care Professional at Visitation Home where he cares for folks living with developmental disabilities. He is also very interested in artistic self expression, and serves as the Treasurer for the student organization Celebrating Latinx Arts & Works.
Ziva Davis
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ziva is a junior at Rutgers New Brunswick who is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Health and Society. In the future, Ziva hopes to become a Clinical Psychologist who primarily works with adolescents. She is interested in substance use disorders, eating disorders, and anxiety disorders. Outside of the classroom, Ziva enjoys listening to music, journaling, going on walks with her dog, and singing.
Sam Gerry
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Sam is a senior at Bates College studying Psychology with a minor in Digital & Computational Studies. His research interests include the epidemiology of suicidal/self-injurious behaviors and the importance of science communication to suicide prevention initiatives and campaigns. In the future, Sam looks forward to pursuing a career in suicidology. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with his younger siblings.
Mercy Jacobs
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mercy is a sophomore at Rutgers, majoring in psychology with a minor in military sciences. She is interested in pursuing her clinical doctorate to work with veterans and military school districts. At Rutgers, she is a coordinator for the Brain Exercise Initiative and is a Thrive SSS Scholar. In her free time, Mercy likes to work out and play with her dog, Meena.
Laasya Kandakurti
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Laasya is a sophomore at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, double majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science, as well as double minoring in Linguistics and South Asian Studies. She aspires to work in the Clinical Neuropsychology field and advocate for mental health awareness in Asian-American communities. In addition to academics, she is a vocalist and the secretary in RU Dhol Effect, a South Asian fusion band on campus. In her free time, Laasya enjoys reading, listening to music, gardening, and baking/cooking.
Christian Nicolas
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Christian is a junior at Rutgers University, planning on majoring in psychology and possibly double-majoring in CBN. He also interns at the Urban Health Collaborative, a non-profit in New Brunswick that aims to serve the various health needs of the surrounding community. He's also a huge plant fan, with his succulents taking up his desk space. Additionally, one of his biggest passions is fitness, with his favorites being biking and weight training.
Mehlika Ozgencil
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mehlika is a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology. She is interested in pursuing a career in clinical psychology with a focus on working with immigrant and refugee communities. She hopes to make mental healthcare more accessible to immigrant and refugee populations through her clinical work but also through research findings and their application in practice! She hopes to study how the developmental process for adolescents and children exposed to racism, war, and displacement is affected and how to improve the long term disadvantages on mental health these factors can produce. She is on the e-board for the Rutgers University Blood Initiative and tutors for the Rutgers Writing Centers!
Nithila Samuel
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Nithila is a a freshman at Middlesex College, majoring in Psychology. She aspires to go into Nursing after finishing her Associate's degree. She professionally aims to work with children and adolescents who may be struggling with their mental health. Nithila likes to stay involved with her local and college community in her free time. She is part of several club boards ranging from student mental health, multiculturalism, and statistics, often using her interpersonal skills to engage everyone and encourage closeness! She also volunteers at her church's food pantry, serving over 100 families monthly with food donations from chains such as Wawa and Panera Bread. In addition, she loves the performing arts, as she's active with the theatre community, sings, plays the piano and guitar, and dances (even though she dances with two left feet). Ultimately, Nithila values involving herself in her community personally and wants to further this by striving to serve people professionally through the Hamilton Lab!
Athena Thai
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Athena is a senior at Rutgers University majoring in Psychology. She has always been interested in adolescent mental health and mood disorders. Athena aspires to be a clinical psychologist for young adults and to help destigmatize mental health in minority communities. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching new TV shows, and spending time with family and friends.
Anjali Vijan
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Anjali is a senior at Rutgers University, majoring in Psychology with minors in Health & Society and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is also a Leadership Scholar at the Institute for Women’s Leadership, where she will recieve a certificate in Women’s Leadership. Anjali’s research interest involves understanding the complexities of suicide risk and trauma among adolescents and marginalized communities, including racial groups and sexual and gender minorities. Her career aspirations is to become a Clinical Psychologist, blending her interests in research and clinical practice. Her summer internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia continued her preference for hospital settings, as she feels she can make the most impact there. Outside of academics, Anjali serves as the Director of Community Engagement for the Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA), where she plans/staffs campus-wide events and manages event logistics. She also finds joy in exploring new vegan places, thrifting, adding to her plant collection, and listening to music.
Meher Muzaffar
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Meher is a sophomore at Rutgers University-New Brunswick majoring in Psychology and Information Technology and minoring in Biological Sciences. She