People

Join us! We’re currently hiring multiple full-time and part-time positions.

Dr. Emily Grossnickle Peterson

Dr. Emily Grossnickle Peterson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education and an affiliate faculty member in the Psychology Department and in the Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience PhD program. She has a PhD in Human Development (specialization: Educational Psychology) from the University of Maryland. In her research, Emily combines methods from educational psychology and cognitive neuroscience to investigate factors that support (or hinder) student learning in STEM disciplines. Before making a career change to pursue educational psychology, Emily studied to be a classical musician. She was the first women to study the tuba at the Royal Academy of Music in London, a world-renowned music conservatory founded in 1822.

Sarah Wene

Sarah is a graduate student in the Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience Ph.D. program at American University. Prior to this position, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and in Music from Central Michigan University in 2022. She then worked as a research technician in the Lumeng lab at the University of Michigan where she studied how emotion, attachment, and feeding behaviors between mother and infant develop over time. Sarah is interested in investigating how motivation, mindset, and emotions affect learning. When not in the lab, she spends her free time playing the flute, reading, and baking.

Cassey Ivie 

 Cassandra (Cassey) Ivie is a PhD student in the Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience program. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Utah State University with minors in Computer Science, American Sign Language, and Japanese. She previously worked in the Multisensory Cognition Lab investigating the connection between multisensory input and preschoolers’ numerical cognition. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, hiking, and traveling. 

Elshadai Melkam

Elshadai is a full-time Post-bac Research Assistant in the Educational Neuroscience Lab. She graduated from Cornell University this past May with a BA in Psychology and minor in Nutrition. At Cornell, she studied infant language development at the B.A.B.Y. Lab and hopes to pursue a PhD in developmental psychology after her time here. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing the violin, and watching soccer!

Dalia Abdo Kahin 

Dalia Abdo Kahin is an undergraduate student at AU, majoring in both Psychology and Economics. She’s the Research Assistant in Dr. Peterson’s Educational Neuroscience Lab, and loves studying and participating in the rigor of the scientific method. Along with Psychology, Dalia is interested in Philosophy, Literature, Neuroscience, and many other disciplines that explore human thought and behavior. After college, she hopes to pursue research and academia to do just that

Krissy Kanu

Krissy Kanu is a third-year undergraduate at AU majoring in Psychology with a double minor in Communications and Legal Studies. She is interested in behavioral and motivational psychology. Previously, she has worked with the Character Lab reviewing and giving feedback on educational research methods. After college, she hopes to continue to expand her love for research.

Sophia Stull

Sophia Stull is a second-year undergraduate student at AU majoring in elementary education and minoring in psychology. She is interested in behavioral psychology research. After college, she hopes to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher.

Alumni:

  • Ushara Mayarata, Abigail Jackson, Madelyn Smith, Jada Sosa, La’Nita M. Johnson, Nhi Dinh, Dira Hanifah, Zoe Carlini, Sophia Duke-Mosier, Alexis Godwin, Crissy Sak, Bailey Kroner, David Godinez, Lillie Hornung, Emily Carlson, Ghelatia Araia, Matt Wilkinson, Daniel Coughlin

Graduate Alumni:

  • Christine Bresnahan, PhD (2023)
  • Jazelle Pilato, PhD (2024)