OUR TEAM

MEGHAN, H. PUGLIA, PH.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Meghan earned her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience from Penn State University in 2009, her M.A. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2015, and her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from UVA in 2019. Her research interests include (1) merging human neuroscience and behavioral epigenetics to understand individual differences in human behavior; (2) designing and executing infant longitudinal studies merging multilevel, multidimensional techniques to understand environment-gene-brain-behavior interactions throughout development; and (3) employing innovative methodological approaches to analyze “big data” generated with neuroimaging, longitudinal, and genetics data sets.
GRADUATE STUDENTS

CABELL WILLIAMS
Cognitive Psychology
Cabell studies the environmental influences of epigenetic modifications and how these changes may lead to individual differences in the neurological processing of social cues throughout infancy. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology from George Mason University and her M.S. in Clinical Research from UVA. Prior to her time as a doctoral student, she spent time in a lab studying the effects of parenting mindfully on adolescents’ emotional development, academic success, and risk-taking behaviors and in a clinic where she studied how to create a state of “peak performance” using EEG based neurofeedback.
STAFF

ALLISON BELKOWITZ
Lab Manager

WINNIE CHANG
Project Coordinator

MADELYN NANCE
Lab Technician
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

MADELEINE AMES
Neuroscience 2024

SONI BAE
Psychology 2024

SAM BARNETT
Biology 2025

NASEEB CHHINA
Global Public Health & Psychology 2025

CAMPBELL COLEMAN
Physics & Neuroscience 2025

CHLOE COOPER
Neuroscience 2025

HELENA CULLEN
Psychology (Intended) 2024

EMILY DAVIS
Psychology & Spanish 2024

KALEY DAWSON
Neuroscience 2025

AVERY DOUGALD
Neuroscience 2024

SKYLAR GOODOVE
Neuroscience 2024

STERLING GUTTERMAN
Cognitive Science 2025

ELISE HARRIS
Cognitive Science 2025

MATTHEW IMMORDINO
Global Public Health & Spanish 2024

ZOE KITCHINGS
Biology 2025

LAURYN KUMPE
Psychology and English 2026

ANNA MCSHERRY
Psychology 2023

JESSICA MEDLIN
Cognitive Science 2025

MADISON MONROE-MOHAJERIN
Neuroscience & Psychology 2023

EMILY MORTMAN
Undeclared 2025

EMILY MUNDY
Neuroscience 2025

SUNJAL PATEL
Cognitive Science & South Asian Studies 2024

OLIVIA PRENDERGAST
Psychology 2024

HAYLEE RESSA
Neuroscience & English 2025

BRIDGET RODIG
Cognitive Science 2024

NIKKI SHAH
Cognitive Science 2025

JORDYN SIZEMORE
Cognitive Science 2025

BIANKA SMEULDERS
Cognitive Science 2023

DAVID TEPPER
Biology 2024

ASHLEY TRINH
Neuroscience 2025

SHRIYA VARADA
Neuroscience 2025

VINEE VERMA
Cognitive Science 2024
SUMMER VOLUNTEERS

SHEHER-BANO AHMED
Summer Research Intern

TRACY EVANS
School of Medicine Research Volunteer
LAB ALUMNI
MELISSA ABEL
Cognitive Science & Spanish
2022 - 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistant
KAYLYN FEELEY
Cognitive Science
2022 - 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistant
MADELINE FORD
Cognitive Science
2021 - 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistant
CHLOE HOANG
Cognitive Science
2022 - 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistant
ANNA MCSHERRY
Psychology
2022 - 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistant
MADISON MONROE-MOHAJERIN
Neuroscience & Psychology
2021 - 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistant
BIANKA SMEULDERS
Cognitive Science
2022 - 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistant
KAROLINA STRAZNIKIEWICZ
Psychology 2023
2021 - 2022 Undergraduate Research Assistant
LOREN BLACK
Kinesiology 2024
2022 Undergraduate Research Assistant
GIANNA RODGRIUEZ
Biology 2023
2022 Summer Research Intern
JACQUELINE SLOBIN
Global Public Health 2021
2021 - 2022 Project Coordinator
2020 - 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistant
AVERY DAHL
Cognitive Science 2022
2021 - 2022 Undergraduate Research Assistant
SREYA KUNAPULI
Global Public Health 2023
2019 - 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistant
AARIA MALHOTRA
Neuroscience 2021
2018 - 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistant
2020 - 2021 Harrison Undergraduate Research Grant
2020 - 2021 Distinguished Majors Program
SCARLET OMAIS
English & Biology 2022
2020 - 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistant
HANNAH SHARPE
Biology 2021
2019 - 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistant
PAYTON ST. LOUIS
Chemistry 2022
2019 - 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistant