Meet Our Lab Members!
Junqiang (Jacob) Dai, Ph.D.
Lab Director
Dr. Junqiang (Jacob) Dai earned his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Penn State University in 2021 (advisor: Dr. Suzy Scherf) and worked as a post-doc at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (mentors: Drs. Eva Telzer and Kristen Lindquist) before he joined Georgia State in 2024. Dr. Dai’s past research mainly focuses on the complex relationship between adolescent brain development, social behaviors and perception, pubertal development (hormones/stage), peer influence susceptibility, and individual differences in health-related developmental outcomes (e.g., risky behaviors, susceptibility), using interdisciplinary approaches such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), behavioral paradigms, sociometric network analysis, and survey measures.
Doye Kim, M.S.
Doctoral Student
Doye (pronounced like Do as in doughnuts and Ye as in Yes), is an incoming doctoral student in the CAN program at GSU. She previously studied at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. Her research interests include adolescent (mal)adaptive beliefs, bias, and adverse childhood experiences. She wishes to investigate how those factors influence decision-making and belief-updating in adolescents. In addition to understanding the neural foundation of such processes through the interdisciplinary lenses of developmental cognitive neuroscience. Doye also has a 17 year old cat named Corner, after his favorite spot as a kitten.
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Anushka Phake, B.S.
Masters Student
Anushka Phadke is a first-year graduate student in the M.S. in Biology program at Georgia State University, pursuing a research concentration. She completed her B.S. in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Mumbai, India. She is especially interested in the molecular and cellular processes that make memory possible, and in how emotion and stress shape memory consolidation. She hopes to use this work to better understand and eventually help address how these same mechanisms become disrupted in neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Outside the lab, Anushka is also an artist and enjoys bringing creativity into her scientific communication.
Tyler Klitenic, B.S.
Lab Manager
Tyler graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Psychology. As an undergraduate she completed an honors thesis under Dr. Paul Frick, examining the genetic and environmental factors of callous-unemotional traits. Her research interests center on the development of psychopathology in adolescence, particularly within the context of parental behavior, neighborhood environment and genetic predisposition, with an emphasis on effective and culturally competent treatment methods. Tyler also has a pet Holland Lop bunny named Mitch and a German Shepherd named Miller.
Brinae Pugh
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Brinae is currently a junior Psychology Major and has a Neuroscience Minor. She is interested in cognitive and applied neuroscience, particularly how environmental and situational factors influence brain function, behavior, and decision making. After graduation, she plans to complete a post-bacc program to strengthen her research experience before applying to graduate school to pursue her Ph.D. Brinae also works alongside a local State Representative, specializing in community outreach and advocating on behalf of marginalized communities.
Sujay Vijayakumar
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Sujay is currently a junior Public Health major on the Pre-Med track. His research interests include understanding how adolescent brain development interacts with social behaviors, sociocultural factors, and influences such as gaming and social media. He also wants to explore how these factors shape mental health outcomes in adolescents. After graduation Sujay plans to attend medical school. In his free time he enjoys traveling and trying new foods.
Leonel Sanchez
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Leonel is currently a freshman psychology major. He is currently developing his research interest and is generally interested in the effects of grief and various mental health conditions. After graduation he plans on getting a masters and then a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. In his free time he enjoys writing poetry, song writing, drawing, nature and going to the gym.
Eileen Delgado
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Eileen is a junior Neuroscience major with a minor in English. Her research interests are currently Neuroplasticity, therapeutic effects of LSD, and Developmental Neuroscience. After she graduates she plans to go to graduate school for her Ph.D. In her free time Eileen loves to travel and one time went to Japan solely for a concert.
Joel Jenny
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Joel is a Computer Science major at Georgia Tech University. His current research interests are Data Analysis and Computer Systems Architecture. After graduation he plans to join the workforce while pursuing a Master’s degree in computer science. He hopes to become a well-rounded distributed systems engineer with experience across a variety of fields, including data analysis, systems design, and large-scale infrastructure, enabling him to build reliable, scalable solutions informed by both theoretical insight and practical application.
Nikhil
Adolescent Advisor
Nikhil is currently a junior at Lambert highschool. His research interests are mainly in Neuroscience. He is interested in Brain imaging, Brain modeling, and EEGs. He intends to go into college on the Pre-Med track. In his free time he loves reading books and being able to explore different worlds through the words he reads.
Shreya
Adolescent Advisor
Shreya is currently a junior at Denmark High School. In college she intends to major in Psychology. In her free time she loves to teach yoga.
Lab Alumni
Dharani Mandla, M.S.
Former Masters Student
Dharani recently graduated with a Masters in Computer Science from Georgia State University. She is currently working as an Associate AI Engineer (Cybersecurity Team) at Pros office based in Houston, Texas.