Alumni

Dr. Waddell earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Arizona State University where his program of research examined the etiology of alcohol and cannabis use disorders, with a focus on the dynamic interplay among cognition, personality, and subjective experience in predicting alcohol and cannabis use problems. While at UC San Diego, Dr. Waddell continued this line of work, focusing on transitions into and out of high-risk alcohol and cannabis use patterns, while integrating ecological momentary assessments, biosensor technology, and longitudinal data. Dr. Waddell’s research has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Health, the Research Society on Alcohol, and the Arizona Institute on Mental Health Research. 

Time in lab

August 2024 - July 2025

Where is he now?

Dr. Waddell is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University. He is the Principal Investigator of the Dynamic Research on Addiction and Momentary Assessment (DRAMA) Lab.

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Ms. Aks earned her B.S. in Cognitive Science with a Specialization in Computing from the University of California, Los Angeles. At UCLA, she conducted research on schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders in the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Lab (CCNL) under the mentorship of Dr. Katherine Karlsgodt. Through her independent research project, she examined the implications of early-life adversity on prosocial behavior. As a Research Coordinator in the Pelham Lab, Isabel leveraged data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study to characterize the relationship between mental illness and substance use among adolescents.

Time in lab

June 2023 - June 2025

Where is she now?

Isabel will start a PhD program in clinical psychology at the University of Michigan in Fall 2025 in the Michigan Neurogenetics and Developmental Psychopathology (MIND) Lab. 

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Ms. Davis earned her B.S. in Psychology and Human Development from Cornell University where she conducted research in the Person and Context (PAC) Lab under Dr. Vivian Zayas as well as the Memory and Neuroscience Lab under Dr. Charles Brainerd.  As a Research Coordinator in the Pelham Lab, her work focused on causal processes linking parental monitoring to externalizing behavior disorders among adolescents.

Time in lab

June 2023 - June 2025

Where is she now?

Bella will start a PhD program in clinical psychology at Arizona State University in Fall 2025 in the Child Emotion Lab and the Hyperactivity, Executive function, and Attention Treatment (HEAT) Lab. 

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Athena earned her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish at Middlebury College in Vermont. At Middlebury she conducts research in the Sleep and Anxiety Lab under Dr. Martin Seehuus. As a summer research assistant in the Pelham Lab, Athena focused on using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study to improve equitability of screening measures for substance use among adolescents.

Time in lab

June 2024 - August 2024

Where is she now?

Athena is a research coordinator in the Doyle Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. She plans to apply to a PhD program in clinical psychology in the future.

Ms. Ralston earned her B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego. At UCSD, she conducted research for both the National Consortium on Alcohol & Neurodevelopment in Adolescence - Adulthood (NCANDA-A) Study and the Discreet Wearable Device for Continuous Real-time Monitoring of Alcohol Study under Dr. Susan Tapert. As a Lab Assistant in the Pelham Lab, Fiona worked with Dr. Herry Patel to investigate co-occurring trauma and substance use during adolescent development.

Time in lab

August 2024 - July 2025

What next?

Fiona will be applying to doctoral programs during the 2025-2026 cycle!

Ms. Schulze earned her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Child Development from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. At Cal Poly, she conducted research in the Bennion & Antony Memory lab under Dr. Bennion and Dr. Antony, as well as the Relationships Lab under Dr. Jovanovic.  As a Research Coordinator in the Pelham Lab, Emily's work focused on the links between parenting and substance use among adolescents.

Time in lab

January 2024 - July 2025

What next?

Emily will be applying to doctoral programs during the 2025-2026 cycle!

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