Lab Researchers

Graduate Students

Ashley Ezpeleta is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Human Development area within the Department of Educational Psychology working with Dr. Haley Vlach in the Learning, Cognition, and Development Lab. Before starting graduate school, Ashley attended Miami University and received her B. A. in Psychology and a minor in Linguistics. She was also the lab manager for Dr. Edward Hubbard’s Educational Neuroscience Lab (also here at UW). Ashley’s current research interests lie in understanding how lower (e.g. biological)- and higher (e.g. meta)- memory processes influence young children’s language learning, with the goal of applying her work to educational settings.

Samantha Macksey is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Human Development area of the Department of Educational Psychology. Samantha received her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Mathematical Modeling of Complex Systems from Northeastern Illinois University in 2023. Her research interests involve the examination of how children’s understanding of science and math can predict how likely they are to go into STEM careers. Also, to navigate mechanisms driving acquisition of math and science understanding which is essential for increasing the capacity for students to enter into biomedical and STEM research. Her objective is to enhance the early-stage development of the educational system and curriculum.

Yi Tong is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Human Development area in the Department of Educational Psychology. Yi received her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies and Psychology from UW-Madison in Fall 2019. Yi’s research interests primarily lie in the study of children’s language learning processes with a focus on educational applications. She is interested in how children’s prior knowledge and experience with language shape their learning and how they use contextual cues to facilitate word learning. Yi is being advised by Dr. Haley Vlach.

Ezgi Melisa Yüksel is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Psychology area of the Psychology Department. Ezgi received her B.A. from Middle East Technical University in Psychology and her M.A. in Cognitive Psychology from Bilkent University. Her main interest is how we train learning and memory processes. She is also interested in whether we can change people’s learning strategies to make them better learners.

Lab Manager

Alyssa Shack is the lab manager of the LCD Lab. She earned a B.S. in Psychology and Spanish from UW-Madison, and hopes to attend graduate school in the field of Developmental/Cognitive Psychology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, biking, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends.

Annabelle Letizia is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD Lab. She is a junior studying Communication Sciences and Disorders with a certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies. After graduating, she plans to attend graduate school for Speech Language Pathology. She enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants, reading, and going on walks!

Annika Johnson is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a Certificate in Education & Educational Services. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school for School Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, visiting coffee shops, and playing tennis!

Ava Sainterme is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD Lab. She is a Junior studying Philosophy and Psychology. After graduating, she plans to attend graduate school for Educational Psychology with an emphasis on its interconnection with Philosophy. She enjoys soccer (playing and watching),  listening to music, and baking. 

Dora Chang is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD Lab majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school for Speech-Language Pathology. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, watching movies, and going on sunset walks. 

Eva Sakellakis is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD lab. She is majoring in Psychology and Neurobiology with certificates in Education & Education Services. She plans to attend graduate school for School Psychology after graduation. She enjoys going on long walks, trying new restaurants, cooking, and spending time with her friends.

Eveanna Mendoza is a junior double majoring in Global Health and Spanish with a minor in Public Policy. She has been with the LCD lab for the past two years. Outside of the lab, she is a part of PALMA, a pre-health association. In Eveanna’s free time, she enjoys working out at the gym, going on coffee dates, and spending time with her brother and niece.

Julia Xiong is a fourth-year undergraduate research assistant in the LCD Lab majoring in Psychology with a certificate in Science communication. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue further research in psychology. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks, playing the guitar/piano, and spending time with her loved ones!

Kylie Schumacher is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD Lab studying Elementary Education with minors in Mathematics and Science. After graduating, she wants to be a science teacher. She is very interested in research and understanding how children learn science concepts.

Leela Hart is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD lab majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. After graduating, she plans to attend graduate school for Speech-Language Pathology. She enjoys traveling, walks, baking, and spending time with family and friends. 

Max Komisar is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD lab studying Psychology and getting a certificate in Education and Educational services. After graduating, Max hopes to attend graduate school for psychology. Outside of the lab, Max loves to run, read, and travel!

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Michael Trotier is a senior majoring in Psychology. After he graduates, he plans on attending a graduate program in Clinical Psychology. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym, playing tennis, and fishing.

Renata Almachnee is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCD lab. She is a freshman studying Neurobiology on the pre-medical track. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend medical school. In her free time, she enjoys watching Gossip Girl, trying new coffee shops, working out, and spending time with her loved ones.

 

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Taylor Mielke is an undergraduate research assistant in the LCB lab. She is a senior studying Neurobiology and Psychology. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to attend graduate school and continue her education in psychology. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing pickleball, trying new restaurants/coffee shops, going for long walks along the Lakeshore Path, and spending time with her family.