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.
Christine Bresnahan
Christine Bresnahan is interested in investigating the cognitive and neural mechanisms that contribute to learning differences. Prior to her position in the Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience Ph.D. program, she taught elementary special education. She earned her teaching degrees from Saint Joseph’s University in 2010, followed by an Education Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2011.
Jazelle Pilato
Jazelle is a graduate student in the Behavior, Cognition and Neuroscience Ph.D program at AU with research interests investigating the cognitive and neural correlates of learning in STEM domains with a particular focus on the role various ecological contexts play in these processes. Prior to joining this program, Jazelle was an undergraduate student at Clark University, double majoring in biology and psychology. Her previous research investigated child development across ecological contexts. She specifically focused on the school setting and this research aimed to better understand how ecological contexts played a role in relationships in school, attitudes towards school and psychopathology.
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
Andra Mutu
Andra is a third year undergraduate student at American University majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Data Science. She is interested in cognitive and computational neuroscience, and has experience in public health computational and social research. She is heavily involved in STEM at AU as a tutor, supplemental instructor, and E-board member of the premedical fraternity. After completing her undergraduate degree, Andra plans to attend graduate school to further specialize in neuroscience.
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 first year undergraduate student at AU majoring in Elementary Education. She is interested in behavioral psychology research. After college, she hopes to pursue a career in the field of education as an Education Policy Analyst.
Daniel Coughlin
Daniel Coughlin is an undergraduate student at American University, majoring in Neuroscience. He is a member of the American University Swim Team. He has past experience with analyzing proton affinities using Computational Chemistry. He is looking forward to learning about better ways to educate the younger generation through studies of the retina and brain. After college, he hopes to attend medical school and become a doctor.
Alumni:
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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