Lindsey Powell 

Principal Investigator  |  ljpowell@ucsd.edu

I study the early development of social cognition and motivation.  How do infants and young children understand others' minds, interactions, and relationships?  What motivates them to attend to and engage with social partners?  How do we develop the abilities to cooperate, communicate, and learn from each other in just the first few years of life? 

Alexis Smith-Flores 

Graduate Student  |  alexis-smith@ucsd.edu

Website 

My research investigates the intersection of socio-emotional development and cognition. Specifically, how does children’s understanding of others’ emotions, and evaluation of social interactions, shape their representations of objects and other agents.

Lauren Smith

Graduate Student  |  l7smith@ucsd.edu

CV

My research examines the emergence of visual and motor behaviors related to joint attention in infants with a familial history of autism. 

Bill Pepe 

Graduate Student  |  wpepe@ucsd.edu

My research examines how children identify people as being affiliated and/or belonging to a group, as well as the resultant attitudes and beliefs they express regarding affiliated dyads, and in/out-group members. 

Wenhao (James) Qi

Graduate Student  |  wqi@ucsd.edu

Website

I’m a fourth-year graduate student in Psychology. My long-term research goal is to build human-like machines. My current research studies how people make welfare tradeoffs with other people. I’m starting to transition to work on inductive program synthesis. I completed my undergraduate degree in Automation at Tsinghua University in China.

Jamie Park

I'm a third-year undergraduate majoring in Clinical Psychology. I'm passionate about learning more about social and emotional development in children! Aside from academics, I enjoy writing stories, listening to music, and going on arbitrary adventures!

Sophie Mazor

Hi! My name is Sophie and I'm a fourth-year student at UCSD majoring in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Neuroscience. I'm primarily interested in how neural mechanisms contribute to causal reasoning and social judgements. After graduation, I plan to further my experience in developmental research and pursue a PhD. In my free time, I love to dance, go to the beach, travel, and spend time with friends.

Jonathan Shlesinger

Hi! I'm a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a specialization in developmental psychology. I am passionate about childhood development and how children learn to navigate the social world. In my free time, I love to run, play tennis, cook, and have my friends teach me how to surf!

Nico Navarro

I am a Third Year undergraduate student majoring in Clinical Psychology and minoring in Global Health. I am interested in childhood psychological development, especially how children perceive various activities, people and cultures. Outside of school, I like reading, getting lost in San Diego, binging tv shows and spending time with my friends. 

Seaera Juarez

I am a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in clinical psychology and minoring in human developmental sciences. I am passionate about how children make sense of their social environment and partners. I am also interested in abnormal behavior in children and adolescents. In my free time, I enjoy volunteering with the houseless population in San Diego, reading, playing guitar, and skateboarding. 

Majo Guerrero

I am senior majoring in Clinical Psychology at UCSD.  I have always believed that childhood is the most critical phase of life and dream of becoming a child therapist someday. I am interested in understanding how and when children perceive and categorize gender.  

Leslie Zecaida

I am a third-year undergraduate student majoring in clinical psychology. I am interested in learning about children's learning and their social interactions. After graduating, I plan to attend graduate school for school psychology. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, crocheting, and spending time with friends and family!

Carlos Aguilar

My research interests are on neural development hindrances and more specifically embryology with the development of the central nervous system  involving the spina bifida, anencephaly, and encephalocele.

Something About Me: I have suffered from severe migraines since I was a child, and since then, I have pursued neuroscience research to understand neurological disorders and diseases in children. Aside from studying neuroscience, I am a Wellness Peer Educator, play club water polo at UCSD, play the electric guitar, and enjoy cooking.

Shyla Sullivan

Hi! I'm a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Human Developmental Sciences and Psychology. I am passionate about studying cognitive and social development in children and interested in how they perceive the world and interact with others. In my free time, I enjoy watching the sunset, discovering new music to add to my many playlists, and going thrifting with my friends!

Angelina Borrero

Hello! My name is Angelina and I am currently a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Psychology! Plus a minor in Global Health. I am interested in the ways children establish relationships and interact with the always-changing world around them. After undergrad, I hope to pursue a PhD and work with children in a clinical environment! Outside of academics, I enjoy going to concerts with friends, cafe hopping, and collecting stationery. 

Lauren Beers

Hi! I’m Lauren and I’m a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Clinical Psychology. I am interested in child development and social interactions and psychological factors that affect performance in athletes. In my free time I love playing soccer, hanging out with my dog Cleo, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Leah Schneider

Howdy! My name is Leah, and I am in my third year of college majoring in developmental psychology. A study that really got me interested in psychology was the Visual Cliff study done by Gibson & Walk. From there my interest in children's minds, how they learn and behave, and understanding their development across all aspects flourished! When I'm not in the classroom or lab, I enjoy going outside/being with nature, trying new foods, art, listening to music, and cooking. I also work at In-N-Out!

Eliana Mejia

Hello! I am a Second Year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and am interested in child development; specifically how children learn to navigate social interactions. In my free time, I enjoy reading and exploring new parts of the city with friends! 

Makena Weber

Hi! My name is Makena and I’m a second-year student here at UCSD majoring in clinical psychology with a minor in biology. I’m passionate about how children learn and how their minds develop from a young age and am interested in how certain events provoke that development. I’m from Seattle and in my free time I like to run and go hiking and camping.

Katherine Liang

Hi! I'm a first year undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. I am interested in studying how cognitive and social development in children are affected by their upbringing and environment. In my free time, I love walking along the beach and hiking nature trails, followed by cafe hopping in La Jolla and exploring the city!

Hayley Gamboa

I’m a third year undergraduate student majoring in psychology with a specialization in human health, along with a minor in American Sign Language. I’m passionate about studying children and how they process the environment around them. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, reading, and spending time with loved ones.

Ciara Murman

Hi! My name is Ciara and I am a second-year clinical psychology major. I am interested in child development (specifically how infants and children learn and how their brains develop). I hope to become a licensed psychologist and work with children. In my free time, I go to concerts and the beach with friends and attempt to read.

Elizabeth Granados

Hi! I’m a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. I am interested in the development of children’s social cognition and how they interact with the world. In my free time, I enjoy running, crocheting, and spending time with family and friends!

Jillian Escalante

Hello! I am a third year undergraduate student majoring in Social Psychology with a minor in Human Developmental Sciences. I am very interested in learning about children’s social development and how they come to understand the world. In my free time, I love reading, going to the beach, and attending concerts with friends!