Nice to Meet You

We’re a team of researchers, students, and professionals who are interested in learning more about social and biological factors that influence the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families. We have a lot of fun in our lab and the best part? You can too! We’re always planning new projects and visiting communities all over Georgia. In fact, the next time you see us, ask for a brain hat!

Staff

  • Kyle L. Bower, Ph.D.

    Kyle L. Bower, Ph.D.

    Administrative Director

  • Anna Grossman, M.S.

    Anna Grossman, M.S.

    Research Assistant

  • Caroline Hall, M.S. (Recruitment & Communication Coordinator)

    Caroline Hall, M.S.

    Recruitment & Communication Coordinator

  • Lauren Holley, M.S., CCLS (Child Life Specialist)

    Lauren Holley, M.S., CCLS

    Child Life Specialist

  • Sarah Whitaker, Ph.D. (Family & Community Engagement Specialist)

    Sarah Whitaker, Ph.D.

    Family & Community Engagement Specialist

  • Morrighan Surrett Wingate, B.S.

    Morrighan Surrett Wingate, B.S.

    Research Assistant

Graduate Research Assistants

  • Rabeeh Azarmehr (HDFS Graduate Student)

    Rabeeh Azarmehr

    Human Development & Family Science

    Graduate Student

  • Brooklyn Crabtree (Neuroscience Graduate Student)

    Brooklyn Crabtree

    Neuroscience

    Graduate Student

  • Avary Evans (HDFS Graduate Student)

    Avary Evans

    Human Development & Family Science

    Graduate Student

  • Katie Harmeyer (HDFS Graduate Student)

    Katie Harmeyer

    Human Development and Family Science

    Graduate Student

  • Cullin Howard (HDFS Graduate Student)

    Cullin Howard

    Human Development & Family Science

    Graduate Student

  • Michelle Perez (Psych Graduate Student)

    Michelle Perez

    Psychology | Behavioral And Brain Sciences

    Graduate Student

  • Feiyu Wang (Human Development and Family Science)

    Feiyu Wang

    Human Development and Family Science

    Graduate Student

  • Linhao Zhang, M.S. (HDFS Graduate Student)

    Linhao Zhang

    Human Development & Family Science

    Graduate Student

Faculty

  • Charles Geier, Ph.D.

    Charles Geier, Ph.D.

    Associate Director & Director of Training

  • Assaf Oshri, Ph.D.

    Assaf Oshri, Ph.D.

    Center Director

Co-Investigators

  • Steve Kogan, PhD (HDFS Affiliate Faculty )

    Steve Kogan, PhD

    Human Development and Family Sciences Affiliate

  • Larry Sweet, PhD (Psychology Affiliate Faculty)

    Larry Sweet, PhD

    Psychology Affiliate Faculty

  • Kalsea Koss, PhD (HDFS Affiliate Faculty )

    Kalsea Koss, PhD

    Human Development and Family Sciences Affiliate

Research Partners

  • Drew Abney, PhD (Psychology)

    Drew Abney, PhD

    Psychology, University of Georgia

  • Geoffrey Brown, PhD (HDFS Affiliate Faculty )

    Geoffrey Brown, PhD

    Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Georgia

  • Margaret Caughy, PhD (HDFS Affiliate Faculty)

    Margaret Caughy, PhD

    Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Georgia

  • Andrea Gonzalez, PhD (Psychiatry Affiliate Faculty )

    Andrea Gonzalez, PhD

    Psychiatry, McMaster University

  • Itai Himelboim, Ph.D.

    Thomas C. Dowden Professor of Media Analytics

  • Jiaying Liu, PhD (Communication Studies Affiliate)

    Jiaying Liu, PhD

    Communication Studies, UC Santa Barbara

  • Catalina Lopez-Quintero, PhD (Epidemiology Affiliate)

    Catalina Lopez-Quintero, PhD

    Epidemiology, University of Florida

  • James MacKillop, PhD (Psychiatry Affiliate)

    James MacKillop, PhD

    Psychiatry, McMaster University

  • Niyantri Ravindran, PhD (Human Development and Family Science)

    Niyantri Ravindran, PhD

    Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia

Lab Alumni

Ava Reck, PhD

“Neurocognitive and Protective Pathways Linking Food Insecurity to Impulsivity Among Adolescents”

2024

Landry Huffman, PhD

“Contextual and Neurobiological Foundations of Externalizing Behavior in Early Adolescence”

2022

Zehua Cui, PhD

“Psychosocial Deprivation and Working Memory: A Preliminary Investigation of Neural Efficiency”

2022

Sihong Liu, PhD

“The Moderating Role of Amygdalar and Hippocampal Activations in the Effects of Family Rearing Environments on Youth Adjustment”

2020

Erinn Duprey, PhD

“Child maltreatment and preadolescent psychopathology: indirect effects via physiological stress reactivity”

2019

Jeri Sasser, PhD

“Examining Adolescent Sleep Within a Family Context: Evidence from Three Studies Spanning Early, Middle, and Late Adolescence”

BS 2019 | PhD 2023 ASU

Matthew Carlson, PhD

“Paths from child maltreatment to sexual revictimization: the role of family and community contexts”

2018

Josephine Keiser, PhD

“The Influence Of Socioeconomic Adversity, Race and Immigrant Generation on the Trajectories and Pathways of Health Behaviors”

2017

Stephanie Kors, PhD

“Borderline personality disorder and the rate of intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment between mothers and adolescents”

BS 2017 | PhD 2020 UTK