Research Team
Lab Director
Dr. Allison L. Skinner is the director of the GABBA Lab. She completed her B.A. and M.A. in psychology at California State University, Chico and her Ph.D. in experimental psychology at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She completed postdoctoral training in developmental and social psychology at University of Washington and psychophysiology and social psychology at Northwestern University. Allison is currently an assistant professor in the psychology department at the University of Georgia.
Lab Managers
Mercedes Alvarez is a dedicated post-bacc researcher in a gap year and preparing for graduate school. Her research interests are in Industrial Organizational Psychology, Multicultural Psychology and Social Psychology. She’s especially interested in the diverse experiences of various groups and individuals across different environments and settings, and how these experiences impact both themselves and others. She’s also passionate about the research process and truly enjoys seeing how research comes together.
Dana Theoc is a senior studying psychology with a minor in sociology. She is interested in researching how discriminatory workplace standards of professional attire and hairstyles affect people of color. She is also passionate about climate action and hopes to work as a sustainability consultant promoting resilience in the societies, economies, and ecosystems of Small Island Developing States.
Graduate Students
Chloe André is a fourth year graduate student studying social psychology. She recently completed her M.S. at UGA. Broadly, she is interested in how individual acts of stereotyping and discrimination perpetuate racism on a systemic level within the US.
Becky Harmata is a 4th year PhD student in in the industrial organizational psychology program. They completed their M.S. at San Diego State University and their bachelor's degree at CUNY Brooklyn College. The goal of Becky's research is to not only create equitable access to work, but also equitable experiences. Currently, Becky is focused on defining and measuring microaggressions in the workplace. In their free time, Becky plays tennis in some local leagues, watches reality TV, and trying local food joints.
Apoorva Sarmal is a fifth-year Ph.D. Candidate in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) program at the University of Georgia. She works in the Georgia Attitudes, Bias, and Behavior Acquisition (GABBA) Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Allison Skinner. She examines social inequalities and the negative impacts of social hierarchies which pervade our day-to-day lives. Specifically, Apoorva researches social hierarchies such as race and gender to promote diversity and inclusion. She integrates multiple methodological approaches including, but not limited to, social-cognitive experiments, randomized interventions, qualitative interviews, multi-level models, secondary data analysis, and scale development to rigorously investigate these research questions.
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Undergraduate Research Assistants
Shaneik Buchanan is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing her bachelor's in psychology with a minor in criminal justice at North Carolina A&T State University. As a GABBA Lab Research assistant, she is interested in exploring how forensic psychology can illuminate the mechanisms through which systemic oppression and subtle social cues affect legal judgments and outcomes. She plans to attend grad school after graduating to pursue her future career as a forensic psychologist.
Mithila Ophelia Chakraborty is a third-year currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. As a GABBA research assistant, she is interested to explore how personality traits correlate with socioeconomic changes and political affiliations especially how changes in personality traits might influence views and perspectives. She plans to attend graduate school for psychology in the future.
Vina Linh Doan is an alumna of the University of Georgia. In the spring of 2024, she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an area of emphasis in Neuroscience and minors in Biology and Health Policy & Management. She is currently working as a medical assistant in a pediatric office during her gap year before applying to PA school. Her research interests include implementing cultural competency in healthcare and dismantling medical mistrust. Future career goals include VR research, education, and working in underserved communities.
Blue Jackson is a third-year majoring in both Psychology and Linguistics. As a research assistant of GABBA lab, they are interested in how voice and presentation perpetuate bias, especially against queer populations. They plan on attending graduate school for a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Anahat Kaur is a 4th year Psychology student with a minor in Human Services and Art at UGA. My research interests focus on how the nuances of being an immigrant person of color in the US can affect attitude towards mood and mental health, as it pertains to an academic setting. My plans for the future are to attend graduate school for clinical psychology.
Isabella Marcon is an undergraduate senior at the University of Central Florida, pursuing a bachelor's degree in clinical psychology with plans to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests focus on the intersection of grief, identity transformation, and resilience. Isabella is also passionate about forensic psychology, exploring how psychological principles can be applied within the legal system, including the mental health of offenders and victims. Through her work, Isabella aims to bridge the gap between psychology and law, using evidence-based approaches to improve mental health support and policy reform in forensic settings.
Mohammad Ali is a final-year Master's student in Applied Psychology. He is interested in studying intergroup relations, particularly between groups where one holds greater social, cultural, and economic capital than the other. He is also interested in exploring how privileged groups maintain their dominance in society. Ali plans to pursue a PhD in Social Psychology in the future.
Mandy Ng is a fourth-year currently pursuing her Bachelor's in Biology and a minor in Sociology. As a GABBA research assistant, she is interested in the role that generational racism plays in epigenetics and direct medical consequences and the social structures that exist to reinforce this. She is similarly interested in the link between environmental justice and historical oppression and trauma. She plans to attend PA school in the future!
Cy'Riah Pearson is a fourth year student currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Psychology with minors in Sociology and Personal Health & Well-Being. As a GABBA research assistant, she is interested in the role that bias plays in higher education, and the journeys of POC minority students navigating predominantly White institutions. She plans to attend graduate school in pursuit of a MSW and/or MPH.
Maia Sanders is a fourth-year student currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Child and Family Studies at North Carolina A&T State University. She is interested in researching how perceived parental styles influence the development of children’s personal and social identities. Maia plans to attend graduate school to receive a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Reesa Schroeder is a third-year student pursuing a Bachelors in psychology with a studio arts minor. In the GABBA lab, Reesa is interested in the way that bias and prejudice presents in the professional workplace and for multiracial groups. She plans on earning her MD at medical school in the future.
Nikki Vu is a Fourth Year Undergraduate at the University of Georgia majoring in Psychology with an Emphasis in Neuroscience. As a GABBA Lab Research Assistant, she is interested in studying the effects of stigma and stereotypes on first generation college students coming from immigrant households.
Alumni
**If you are a former member of the lab and have updates on where you are now please let me know**
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Itohan Aigbekaen
Saba Alemayehu
Megan Anandappa (medical student, Medical College of Georgia)
Chelsey Beck
Brooke Blystone
Ayanna Brewton (Ph.D. student, Florida State University)
Leah Cha (Ph.D. student, University of California Los Angeles)
Neha Chaparala
Kathy Chavez (Clinical Research Assistant Women & Infants Hospital/Brown Medical School)
Vaishnavi Chennareddy
Cristina D'Alto
Evana Darby (Graduate Student, University of North Carolina, Charlotte)
Trinity Davis
Maleehah De Almeida
Natalie Rose DeVooght
Catherine Ellis (assessment counselor, Peachford Hospital)
Anna Evanson
Mahnoor Farooq (Masters of counseling student, Northwestern University)
Kaylee Friedman (patient screener, Athens Piedmont Regional)
Sarah Gage
Ciara Gamble
Lillian Glushka
Zoe Grant
Keisha Hays
Hannah Hu
Sierra Hudson (Medical student, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine)
Bailey Jones Baldwin
Aliyah Kath
Neha Kattoju (intern at Shaw Industries IT Digital Marketing)
Akshata Ketkar
Zainab Khawaja
Hannah Kim
Dasha Kissina
Ashley Ko
Anchal Kumar
Alexandra Kunin
Abigail Lassiter
Gabrielle Lindquist (Associate Attorney, Williams Kastner)
Christine Li
Kara Litwin
Xiuling (Lynn) Liu (Graduate Student, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, & Practice)
Alyssa Mack (Undergraduate student, Georgia Gwinnett College)
Boyd MacDonald
Tionna McClean
Arturia Melson-Silimon (Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech)
Carsynn Miller
Suraya Mohidul (graduate student in epidemiology, Columbia University, anticipated MPH 2023)
Makenzie Muilenburg (Makenzie Muilenburg Counseling)
Mai Chi Nguyen
Megan Nguyen (Doctor of Physical Therapy Student, Touro College)
Shawnnae Nguyen
Gandalf Nicolas (Assistant Professor, Rutgers University-New Brunswick)
Ogechi Ogbonna
Chinyere Ohuoba
Adilene Osnaya (Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student, Purdue University)
Bhumi Patel
Meet Patel
Bradley Patterson
Sebastian Perdomo
Sydney Phillips (Strategic Communications Associate at Narrative DC)
Kaya Pollack
Sarah Punjani
Briana Purves
Elizabeth Quinn (Social Psychology Ph.D. student, University of California, Santa Barbara)
Elisa Rapadas (Social Psychology Ph.D. student, Northwestern University)
Madison Reeves
Jordan Ricketts (Psychology Ph.D. student, Georgia State University)
Kasheena Rogbeer (Psychology Ph.D. student, University of California Los Angeles)
Markayla Roland
Charlotte Román (PhD student, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
Alexandra (Alex) Sanders
Drew Siegenthaler (Law student, Boston University Law School)
Lindsey Smith (Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech, School of History and Sociology)
Sara Sohani (MD Student, AU/UGA Medical Partnership)
Iyana Stringer
Emily Summers (Dental student, Augusta University, anticipated DMD 2025)
Elizabeth Swank
Tamerra Thompson
Joanna Tran
Furwah Turabi
Manasa Vemuri
Kira Ventura
Katherine Wadhwani (Research Technician, Loren Frank Lab, University of California San Francisco)
Connor Ward
Cynthia Ware (graduate student, Georgia Southern University)
Sienna Ware
Mia Weed (graduate student, Fordham University)
Maia Williams
Titobioluwa Williams (US-UK Fulbright Student at Northumbria University)
Ericka Woods (Analyst at Civic Consulting Alliance)
Kenneth Xu (Doctoral student, Tulane University)
Harvey Yeager
Qianru (Tiffany) Yang (Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University)
Ellen Zhang (Teaching fellow, Breakthrough Atlanta)
Jennifer Zhu
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