Research Interests
Early Experiences on brain and behavior development
The brain is remarkably plastic. This means that the brain changes based on (1) how we learn and (2) how we experience different environments. My research takes what we know about brain plasticity to understand how experiences change the brain to affect the way we think, learn, and behave. In graduate school, I aim to understand how differences in early life experiences shape patterns of children’s brain and behavior development.
At NYU, I work with Dr. Clancy Blair to examine the impact of growing up in rural poverty on young children’s self-regulation abilities. I use epidemiological, large-scale data collected in naturalistic home environments to examine how caregiving behaviors and childhood stress affect the development of attention, learning, and socio-emotional processes. I use complex statistical approaches such as growth curve modeling and structural equation modeling to answer these questions.
I also conduct research with Dr. Natalie Brito using neuroscience to understand how the early home environment impacts trajectories of learning and behavior development. This research has critical implications for identifying early risk and resilience factors associated with later school readiness. I ask questions such as, how does caregiver stress affect the developing infant? Using a multi-wave longitudinal study, we collected electroencephalography (EEG) data to measure brain activity across infancy and test for associations between infant brain maturation and caregiver cortisol levels. I lead the brain imaging arm of this study by coding the experiment, collecting the data, and building the data processing and analytic pipeline.
Clinical and Intervention Research with Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Prior to joining NYU, I conducted clinical research at the University of California, San Francisco. In this lab, I used MRI and EEG to study the structural connectivity of children with autism and attention disorders. I also coordinated research programs that used app-based assessments and interventions for attention and learning in clinical and educational settings.