Ariel Starr, PhD (she/her)
Ariel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and the director of the LCD Lab. She grew up in Seattle and feels very lucky to be living here again! In the intervening years, she received a BA in Psychology and Neuroscience from Wesleyan University and a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Duke University before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley. Outside of the lab, she likes powerlifting and watching music videos.
Claudia Wimsatt — Lab Manager (she/her)
Claudia graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2024 with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences with a minor in Sociology. In college she was a research assistant in a lab studying bilingualism and language learning in relation to cognitive development. In her free time she likes to read, hike, and go to concerts.
Bahar Sener — Graduate Student (she/her)
Bahar graduated from Emory University with a BA in Psychology and joined the lab as a graduate student in 2020. She is broadly interested in exploring how we use spatial representations and spatial language to think about more abstract domains. Outside of the lab, Bahar likes to practice guitar and watch lots of movies.
Carol Lu — Graduate Student (she/her)
Carol is a first-generation PhD student from Hawaii who joined the lab in 2022. She graduated with her BA in 2022 from Johns Hopkins University, where she triple majored in cognitive science (focal areas: neuroscience & computation), psychology, and public health (concentration: mental health). She spends her free time daydreaming about Pikachu, Paddington Bear, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and her shiba inu, Hojicha.
Ishaan Ambrish — Graduate Student (he/they)
Ishaan Ambrish joined the lab as a graduate student in 2022. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara in the spring of 2021 with a B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences and a B.A. in Anthropology. Ishaan is interested in researching how language and language acquisition affect cognition and the way we see the world. Outside of school, you can find them singing/writing music, watching Hindi movies, and playing video games.
Siying Zhang — Graduate Student (she/her)
Siying (pronounced “see-ing”) is a graduate student who joined the lab in 2024. Prior to this, she worked as a full-time postbac at Stanford University, where she led studies on young children’s counterfactual reasoning and essentialism in Large Language Models. With an M.Ed from Vanderbilt University and several years of teaching experience, she is interested in how casual language and problem-solving skills develop in early childhood, particularly how children seek help and express ideas during challenges. She also leverages computational methods to explore how children’s language reveals their understanding of causality. Outside the lab, she chats with her cats, crushes HIIT workouts, and dives deep into psychological thrillers.
Alice Aizza — Graduate Student (she/her)
Alice joined the lab as a graduate student in 2024. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Psychology and Sociology and she worked as a research coordinator at the Lugo Lab at Columbia University. She is broadly interested in the interplay between executive function and language development. Outside of the lab, Alice likes to read, walk outside, and watch shows/movies.
Emery Park — Research Assistant (she/her)
Emery is a third year hoping to major in Psychology with a minor in Education. She hopes to attend graduate school for a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology to become a Child Psychologist. She loves dancing with her teams here in Seattle in her free time and she loves the color pink.
Michelle Wu — Research Assistant (she/her)
Michelle is a junior double majoring in Psychology and Education Studies: Early Childhood and planning to minor in Data Science. She is especially interested in developmental and cognitive psychology. She enjoys learning new things about human beings and herself. She loves watching anime and also enjoys li J-pop music. During her personal time, she makes handcrafts, like knitting, crocheting, and beading.
Stella Wang — Research Assistant (she/her)
Stella is a third-year at UW majoring in Early Childhood and Family Studies and hoping to eventually go to medical school. Her career interests include several branches of pediatric medicine. She enjoys cooking, baking, and running while listening to true crime podcasts and loves to make ultra-specific Spotify playlists and take care of her plants.
Natalie Elder — Research Assistant (she/her)
Natalie is a junior from California majoring in Psychology and minoring in Business. She is interested in how language and development affect perception specifically in early childhood. She hopes to take a gap year after graduating to gain more experience in the psychology field and to travel before attending graduate school. Although she is not sure of her intended interest, she is planning on working with children and young adults professionally. In her free time she enjoys exploring Seattle, crocheting semi functionable scarfs and crafting.
Madeline Silvernail — Research Assistant (she/her)
Maddie is a third-year UW student majoring in psychology and minoring in English. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology and work as a mental health therapist. As for right now, she has been spending a lot of time reading, frequenting Boba Gem, and cuddling with her cat, Betty.
Jasmine Yeung — Research Assistant (she/her)
Jasmine is a junior studying psychology and education. She has always been interested in early childhood experiences and their effects on the trajectory of their lives. In the future, she hopes to either do research on early childhood development or provide therapy for young children. In her free time, she likes to crochet, read, learn music theory, play piano, and spend time with the people she loves!
Wendy Lei — Research Assistant (she/her)
Wendy is a junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school pursuing a degree in Clinical Psychology. She is interested in learning about the development of humans, especially in children. It is fascinating to her to learn about how people develop and change over time and how different cultures and environments can impact the growth of individuals. In her free time, she likes to explore all kinds of food.
Charissa Holcomb — Research Assistant (she/her)
Charissa is a junior studying Psychology and Early Childhood and Family Studies. She is interested in developmental psychology and hopes to attend graduate school to become a Child Psychologist. Outside of school, she enjoys volunteering with preschoolers, re-organizing her room, and hanging out with friends!
Beatrice Tassoni — Research Assistant (she/her)
Bea is a second year UW student majoring in psychology and minoring in Law, Societies, and Justice. In the future, she plans to take a gap year to travel around Italy before attending graduate school to get her PhD in Clinical Psychology. When she’s not in the lab and studying, Bea loves to journal, watch college gymnastics, find new music, and thrift!
Christina Zuo — Research Assistant (she/they)
Christina is a freshman intending to major in Psychology and Early Childhood and Family Studies, with a minor in Leadership. Outside of her academics, she serves as a Behavioral Health Specialist in the Army Reserve. She has a long-standing passion for studying children’s cognitive development, understanding what children can learn from various settings, and exploring the roles we can play in assisting children to learn and thrive. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school to study child psychology and become a child psychologist. Christina enjoys reading, cooking, and exercising.
Kaylee Yokoyama — Research Assistant (she/her)
Kaylee Yokoyama is a junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Education. Kaylee has research interests in studying the development of children and adolescents. She aspires to attend graduate school to become a child clinical psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes, playing board games, reading, and listening to music!
Julia Kwon — Research Assistant (she/her)
Julia is a third year double majoring in Psychology and Early Childhood Family Studies and minoring in Global Health. She hopes to enter a Ph.D. program in Clinical Child Psychology after graduation. She is interested in studying the association between cognitive and emotional development, and how early social and family experiences affect such development. Her career interest is supporting underrepresented children and families with trauma to help them heal and build resilience through providing interventions and research. In her free time, she enjoys lifting weights, cooking, and journaling.
Jiayu He — Research Assistant (she/her)
Jiayu is a second-year student at UW majoring in Psychology BS combined with a minor in Data Science. She is a motivated and responsible student with a desire to take on new challenges. She is interested in expanding her knowledge and skills in the field of developmental and cognitive psychology. She enjoys playing badminton, piano, and cooking in her spare time.
Ziqi Guo — Research Assistant (she/her)
Ziqi is a masters student in the Learning Science and Human Development program at UW. She graduated with a BA in Psychology and a minor in evolutionary biology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Ziqi is interested in how cognitive function in early childhood is influenced by language environment. Outside of school, she loves to watch stand-up comedy, snowboard, play tennis, and hike. She is also planning on learning drums.
Kaycie Suzuki — Research Assistant (she/they)
Kaycie is a fourth-year student at UW studying biochemistry, psychology, and Japanese. She plans to go to graduate school and hopes to pursue a career in psychology research or psychiatry. In her free time, Kaycie enjoys reading, crocheting, and playing games with her friends!
Sydney Collo — Research Assistant (she/her)
Sydney is a fourth-year student pursuing a double degree in Psychology and Linguistics with a minor in Diversity. Originally from Northern Virginia, she plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology with the goal of becoming a therapist. Sydney’s research interests include the influence of language on cognition and the accessibility of mental health resources for underrepresented populations. In her free time, she enjoys film photography, reading, writing, and collecting blind boxes.
Lindsay Deng — Research Assistant (she/her)
Lindsay is a third year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Business Administration. She has always been interested and motivated to help children and adolescents who struggle with childhood trauma. Lindsay plans to pursue a PhD specializing in developmental or child clinical psychology. Outside of academics, she enjoys watching movies, baking, and traveling.
