People – Brain and Social Cognition Lab

LINDSAY BOWMAN, PH.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., Psychology, University of Michigan, 2013
B.S., Psychology, Queens University, 2007
Dr. Lindsay Bowman is an assistant professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and Principal Investigator of the Brain and Social Cognition (BASC) Lab. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Developmental Psychology. With experience as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Maryland Child Development Lab and as a research fellow in the Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, her work brings together unique perspectives on neuroscience, cognition, social understanding, and development. Her lab uses a combination of neuroscientific and behavioral methods to understand how cognition develops over infancy and childhood and how these early developments set the course for social success or impairment.

RUOHAN XIA
B.A., Psychology & Criminal Justice, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2018
M.Ed., Educational Psychology – Applied Developmental Science, University of Virginia, 2020
M.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis 2023
Ruohan is a PhD student in BASC Lab. She earned her M.Ed. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on Applied Developmental Science from the University of Virginia in 2020 and she earned her M.A. in Psychology from UC Davis in 2023. At UVA, she used dyadic hyperscanning EEG paradigms to investigate parent-child engagement behaviors in various activities in families with or without an autistic child. Being able to investigate parent-child dyads as a whole and witnessing how a child’s emotional response in different situations is impacted by the family dynamics made her wonder what roles family and cultural traditions could play in children’s development. To continue exploring the reciprocal parent-child interactions, Ruohan’s research in the BASC Lab aims to understand the cyclical process between parental response to emotional disclosures and children’s emotional development, and to explore how social conventions and cultural values serve as contexts in the process.

ZOE PESTANA
B.A., Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Hampshire College, 2018
M.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis 2023
Zoe is PhD student in the lab. She graduated from Hampshire College in 2018 with a B.A. in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology. Her senior thesis was on the neural correlates of chronic pain and empathy through the use of electrophysiological methods (ERP). After graduating, Zoe worked as a lab manager at the University of Florida with Dr. Lisa Scott studying the neurological underpinnings of how visual experiences influence learning and attention in infants and young children. She earned her M.A. in Psychology from UC Davis in 2023. In the BASC Lab, Zoe investigates individual differences in the neurodevelopment of emotion processing in infants and preschool children. She is interested in how the brain wires up early in development for face processing predicts both adaptive outcomes (prosociality/empathy) and maladaptive outcomes (anxiety). When not in the lab, Zoe enjoys hiking, baking, and fostering rescue animals.

SONJA HUNTER

M.A Psychology Rutgers university, New Jersey 2021

B.S Psychology University of North Texas, 2019

B.A French University of North Texas, 2019

Sonja is a PhD student in the BASC lab. She received her master’s degree from Rutgers University in 2021 where she completed a thesis on Irrelevant Speech Inhibition in the Bilingual context with Dr. Lisa Payne. Before attending Rutgers, she received her B.S in Psychology and B.A in French at the University of North Texas. Her senior thesis investigated reading patterns in interpersonal decentering narratives in the NeuroCognition lab with Dr. Anthony Ryals. Currently in the BASC Lab she is investigating the developmental neural correlates of Uncertainty Monitoring using electroencephalogram. Broadly, Sonja is interested in the development of social cognition, Executive Functions, and metacognition, including neurodivergent development. How do our brains develop the tools we use to process social information and what developmental variations can lead to interacting with social contexts differently? When Sonja is not in the lab she enjoys drawing and playing tabletop games!

OLUFEMI SHAKUUR NYABINGI

B.A. Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Cognition, 2021

Olufemi (she/hers) is a Ph.D. student in the BASC Lab. She completed her Bachelors at Northwestern University, majoring in Neuroscience with a concentration in Human Behavior and Cognition. In her time at Northwestern she had the opportunity to work with Dr. Elizabeth Norton researching language development and brain activity in toddlers. After graduating, she spent two years as a Faculty Research Assistant at the University of Maryland with Dr. Nathan Fox, working primarily on experimental design and protocol development for the infant EEG portion of the nationwide HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study. Olufemi is interested in exploring how parenting behaviors and early home dynamics relate to the development of regulatory behaviors and processes in infants and children. In her free time Olufemi enjoys painting, cooking, and going on walks.

RUOYU ZHOU

Ruoyu (joined lab Spring 2024) in an undergraduate research assistant on the testing team for UERP. She is a first-year student majoring in Psychology quantitative emphasis along with a French minor. She is fascinated by learning the development of cognitive processes in infants and children, as well exploring the impact of environment as a social factor on this development. Her long-term goal is to attend graduate school in social psychology and pursue a career in research. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and listening to music. She also likes to travel and visit local museums.

ALE PELKOWSKI

Ale (joined lab in winter 2025) is a second-year undergraduate research assistant on the Prosocial Foundations (PFP) video coding team. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Education. She is interested in education policy and hopes to conduct research in that area. She is also interested in becoming a bilingual elementary school teacher and is fluent in English and Spanish. She hopes to continue to explore the field of child psychology — especially in emotion and language development. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, crocheting, hiking, and reading!

KIRPA KAUR BAINS

Kirpa (joined Summer 2025) is an undergraduate research assistant working for the BBB coding team. She is a first-year Human Development major. She is interested in how the development of children is affected through a variety of factors whether that be biologically, socially, or environmentally. Through exploring these factors, she aspires to be a pediatric doctor who is able to take these factors into consideration to provide the best possible care for children. In her free time, she enjoys watching/playing basketball and spending time with family/friends!

RILEY CADE

(joined Winter 2026) is an research assistant on the BBB recruitment team. She is a fourth-year psychology and human development double major. Riley is interested in cognitive and social development in infancy and early childhood, as well as the impact of social and romantic relationships across the lifespan. After graduating in spring 2026, Riley plans to take a gap year to continue working in the lab and as an apprentice teacher at UC Davis’s Early Childhood Lab School. Following her gap year, she plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in clinical psychology and postsecondary teaching. Outside of her academic pursuits, Riley loves to spend time with her loved ones, travel, and sew.

NATASHA GUILAR

Natasha (joined Summer 2026) is a research assistant working on the BBB project. She recently graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in French. She is interested in developmental psychology, with a particular focus on cognitive development. She hopes to pursue graduate studies in developmental psychology and continue conducting research with children. In her free time, she enjoys taking ballet classes and reading.

MJ HEISE
Ph.D. in Psychology
Research Data Analyst at UCSF/Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital center for AIDS research

MARIYA CHERNENOK
B.A., Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, 2012, M.S.
M.S., Child Development, University of California, Davis, 2018

CHRISTOPHER R. GONZALES
Ph.D., Psychology, Arizona State University, 2018
B.A., Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, 2012

KATIE SO
B.S. in Cognitive Science (neuroscience emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2023
Katie plans to pursue a PhD in neuroscience

AMANDA MANANGAN
B.A. Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2022
B.A. Political Science, University of California, Davis, 2022

KRITI IYER
B.S., Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, 2024
In the future, Kriti hopes to continue exploring the intersection of development and neuroscience.

CHURONG XU
B.S. Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2024
B.A. Cognitive Science, University of California, Davis, 2024
Churong is currently applying to graduate programs and will be pursuing a master’s in mental health counseling.

ADRIEN WARD
A.B. Psychology and minor in Neuroscience, 2023.
Lab manager for Yuko Munakata’s lab at UC Davis

ADITI HOSANGADI
B.S., Psychology (Biological emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2021

SAFAH BHATTI
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2022
Safah is currently pursuing a master’s in the Eliot Pearson Human Development and Child Study program at Tufts University.

PAUL RUST
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2021
B.A., Cinema & Digital Media, University of California, Davis, 2021
Paul will be applying to schools to get a doctorate in clinical psychology or an M.S. in counseling.

KELLY KURATA
B.S., Psychology (Biological emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2020

MIRIAM GARFINKEL
B.S., Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, 2020
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2020

CASSIE NGUYEN
B.S., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2019

NINA VELASQUEZ SINGH
B.S., Cognitive Science (Neuroscience emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2019
B.A., Spanish, University of California, Davis, 2019

JOSEPH MUSSANO
B.S., Cognitive Science (Neuroscience emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2019

JORDAN THOMPSON
B.S., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2019

ELLICIA WONG
B.S., Human Development, University of California, Davis, 2018
Ellicia is currently pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy.

ALEXANDRA KERSHAW
B.S., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2018
Alex is currently pursuing a Masters in Nursing.

JILLIAN MCLENITHAN
B.S., Human Development, University of California, Davis, 2017
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2017
Jillian is currently pursuing her master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

ARIEL MADRIGAL
BA in Psychology and a minor in Aging and Adult Development.
She is currently the Community Engagement Specialist at Empower Yolo and is planning to start applying to MSW and MFT programs.

HELEN VAN
B.S., Psychology, University of California, Davis 2023
She is currently applying to medical schools while working as a Mohs Histotechnician.

MELISSA KUCUKDEMIRCI
B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Human Development, University of California, Davis, 2023
She is volunteering with a Crisis Text Line as a crisis counselor.

ANNAH WEBB
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2019
Annah is working towards an M.S. in Counseling at Sacramento State, specializing in marriage child and family counseling.

KRISTEN KNAUS

B.A., Psychology, and minor in Human Development University of California, Davis, 2022

Kristen is currently pursuing a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Pepperdine University.

KATE EVERHARDT
B.S., Psychology (Biological emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2021
Kate is working as a research assistant at the Anxiety Disorders Center and will be applying to graduate school in clinical psychology.

ALEX VARALLO
B.S., Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, 2021

LINA SAVAGE
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2020
Lina is currently pursuing a Masters in Art Therapy.

SHARLENE DELOS SANTOS
B.S., Human Development, University of California, Davis, 2020 M.S., Medical Health Science, Touro University California, 2021
Sharlene received a M.S. in Medical Health Science and will be attending Touro University California to receive her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree with intentions to become a primary care physician.

NATALIE ANDEN
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2020
Natalie is currently pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology at Palo Alto University.

SHARANI RAMESH
B.A., Cognitive Science, University of California, Davis, 2021
B.A., Design, University of California, Davis, 2021

JODY ZHOU
B.S., Cognitive Science, University of California, Davis, 2018
Jody is currently pursuing her PhD in Human Development at University of California, Davis.

COURTNEY JIMENEZ
B.S., Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, 2017
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2017
Courtney is currently pursuing her PhD at Dartmouth College in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

AARON MINHAS
B.S., psychology (Biological Emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2022
Aaron is currently pursuing attending medical school.

DAVID CHANG
B.A. Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2022
David will be pursing a PhD in clinical psychology.

KAYLA LITTLE
B.A. Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2022
Kayla is planning to pursue a master’s in social work.

KARA HA
B.S., Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of California, Davis, 2022
B.A. Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2022
Kara is planning to pursue a PhD in developmental biology.

SERENA MON
A.B., Neuroscience, Princeton University, 2020
Serena is currently pursuing a PhD in communication sciences and disorders at Northwestern University.

UJASHI SHAH
B.S., Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, 2021
Ujashi will be attending University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine starting Fall 2022.

HALEY MAJOR: A.B. in Psychology, 2023

REESE LEE: A.B. in Psychology, 2023

SAMUEL ZAKI
Applying to medical school

MIA LAM
B.A., Psychology and a minor in Sociology, University of California, Davis, 2024
Mia is currently applying for MS programs in psychological research.

SOFIA SIMON

B.S., Cognitive Science, University of California, Davis, 2024

Sofia is pursuing a graduate degree in UX Design at the University of Michigan.

ANA GARCIA

B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2024
Ana is a Talent Acquisition Assistant at Fulgent Genetics Company.

GURLEEN KAUR

B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2024
Gurleen is taking additional classes at community college.

GABE CABALLERO

B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2025
Gabe is working an an Applied Behavior Technician.

ANANYA AIYER

B.S., Cognitive Science, University of California, Davis, 2025

XINZHU CHAI

B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2025
Xinzhu is attending a PhD program in Psychology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

AUDREY BOYCE

B.A., Psychology, University of California, Davis, 2025
Audrey is working an an Applied Behavior Technician, with plans to go to graduate school in LMFT.

AMANDA SOETH

B.S., Cognitive Science (Neuroscience emphasis), University of California, Davis, 2024
Amanda is currently working as a lab manager at the Infant Cognition Lab at the Center for Mind and Brain, with plans to pursue a PhD in developmental psychology.

SHARON TAN

LORELEI TAYBI

KATHLEEN LY

AKRITI DAS

KATHLEEN LY

TAMMY PHAN

AYUSHI AMBEKAR

ROWAN EL-ARABATY

HANNAH MIN

ZENA LABABIDI

DANIELLE HALL

PATRICE DELARA

ADITI JAIN

ABBIGAYLE LIBONATI

JAZMINE MINHAS

JIENEL VALENZUELA

KAASHVEE KUMAR

SHABAZ KHAN

ALLYSA DE VERA

SHREYA NENE

MELANY MEDINA

ALLYSON KANG

NABIYA HAIDER

RYAN MCCABE

HANAN JAOUNI

IMAAN SYED

KAYLEE CHRISTIANSON

COLBY PECK

MARIE TRUMM

LINETTE JUN

AVA AZEVEDO

ERIKA VILLASENOR

NOLAN CHING

HAILEY CHOW

ARI ALMACEN

COLBY HUANG

ALEJANDRO PAGAN

MAITHREYI NARAYANAN

HANNAH DAPKEWICZ

AMANDA WU

JENNA CHUI

CLAIRE LEONARD

ANEE GUILHOT

ADRIKA SEN

LAYSA VELASQUEZ MORENO

HARMONI LA

ELLIE CORDOVA

EESA SABOOH

EMMA HEGAZY

KATE NELSON

MAGGIE DIXON

CHUNKUN XIAO

SIMONA KAMAT

Meet the Research Team

Principal Investigator

Lab Coordinator

Graduate Students

Research Assistants

Lab Alumni

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