Kelsey Lucca, PhD

Principal Investigator | email

Kelsey is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University in the Psychology Department. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology & Neuroscience from Duke University, and conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington. Her research on curiosity and cognitive development has been recognized through the Society For Research in Child Development’s Early Career Award and the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award. She is the co-director of the Early Childhood Cognition Research Group, a lead investigator on the ManyBabies project, and faculty at the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute. When Kelsey is not in the lab, she can be found exploring the Southwest with her dogs, Homer and Juno.

Julie Vaisarova, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

I earned my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2022. My research primarily focuses on the development of creative thinking in childhood, and intersections with the development of other cognitive processes (e.g., executive function) and experiences (e.g., starting school). I also love teaching, and I’m interested in practices that help create more inclusive learning spaces. When I’m not science-ing I love to knit, play board games, and work on the most challenging jigsaw puzzles I can find.

Nayen Lee, M.A.

PhD Candidate

I graduated from Sogang University, South Korea in 2019 with a B.A in Psychology & English literature. I received my master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Yonsei University, South Korea in 2021. My research mainly focuses on understanding early curiosity: (1) how we measure early curiosity, (2) what contributes to individual differences in early curiosity, and (3) how early curiosity is related to social and cognitive development. I am an animal lover and I enjoy doing yoga and watching movies (my favorite is Inception!) in my free time.

Elise Mahaffey, M.A.

PhD Student

I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2019 with a B.S. in Child Development. Before coming to ASU, I was a Lab Manager at Rutgers University-Newark (PI: Vanessa LoBue) and at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (PI: Elizabeth Bonawitz). My research explores adult-child pedagogical interactions, including how children interpret nuances from their social environment to determine when it is optimal to take on challenging tasks. Through my research, I hope to better understand under what conditions adult caregivers can best support children's learning, persistence, and challenge-seeking behavior. Outside of the lab, I enjoy weightlifting, running, and reading fiction (my favorite author is Liane Moriarty)!

Chris Moore

Research Assistant & Student Lab Manager

I am a junior at ASU majoring in psychology. Right now, I am most interested in learning about children and their development, specifically how to encourage healthy characteristics like resilience and curiosity in them to best prepare them for life’s challenges. I hope to become a therapist so that I can work to make people’s lives better. To make my life better, I like to work out, sing, cook, and spend time with my friends and family.

Christina Stewart

Honors Thesis Student

I am a Junior at Barrett, the Honors College studying Psychology and Family and Human Development. I have always had a passion for kids and knew I wanted to help them throughout my career. So, I am excited to pursue a career in Child Clinical Psychology and learn more about children through research and help them through clinical practice. For fun, I like to watch crazy psychology documentaries, bake, do puzzles, and have game nights with friends!

Helena Goldbaum

Honors Thesis Student & Imagine That Team Lead

Hi everyone! My name is Helena Goldbaum, and I am a Senior at Barrett, the Honors College at ASU. I am double majoring in Psychology and Family and Human Development. My main interests include developmental and clinical psychology, both with a specific focus on children in the early development stage! I believe we can make a huge positive impact on kiddos and support them to become great humans! After graduating, I plan to get a Ph.D. in developmental or clinical psychology. This way, through science and research, I can make an impact and learn more about my passions! For fun, I enjoy cooking, hanging out with friends, as well as traveling, and watching comedy shows. 

Lily Gosar

Honors Thesis Student

Hi everyone! I am a junior at Barrett, the Honors College, and I am currently pursuing a Psychology (B.S.) degree. I am interested in clinical and developmental psychology due to my past work experience as a teaching assistant at a preschool and camp counselor. After graduation, I plan to pursue a PhD to become a clinical child psychologist. I enjoy making music, dancing, baking, and going to the movies in my free time!

Diana Espinoza

Research Assistant

Hello, my name is Diana Espinoza Aguilar and I am a sophomore majoring in psychology! I am interested in school psychology, developmental psychology, and family structures. I plan on furthering my education by attending graduate school after receiving my undergraduate degree. In my free time I enjoy reading all kinds of things, watching movies and shows, and playing games!

Miranda Salinas

Research Assistant & Emerging Scholars Summer Intern & Mini Minds Team Lead

Hi! I am a junior at ASU and I am majoring in psychology. Currently, I am most interested in developmental and clinical psychology. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I plan on continuing my studies in graduate school. In my free time I enjoy reading, spending time outside, cooking, and going to the gym!

Kristal Jensen

Research Assistant

Hello! I am a junior majoring in Psychology (BS). My main areas of interest are developmental and clinical psychology. I am particularly intrigued by how learning evolves throughout development and its impact on success in adulthood. As a first-generation college student, I plan to continue my educational journey by earning a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Angela Sun

Research Assistant

Hello. My name is Angela Sun, and I'm a sophomore double majoring in psychology and family and human development. My research interests include neuroscience, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and many more! For fun, I like hanging out with friends, going out on boba tea runs, and running.

Sarisha Trivedi

Research Assistant

Hi! I’m currently a junior majoring in Medical Microbiology at Barrett. I am particularly interested in learning about social psychology and child development! After graduation, I plan on pursuing a career in the medical field, specifically in pediatrics. In my free time, I love baking, journaling, singing, and trying new hobbies!

Saumya Sriram

Research Assistant

Hello! I am a Junior double majoring in Psychology and Family Human Development. While I am still exploring the field of Psychology, I am leaning towards therapy- either as a Marriage and family therapist or as an Applied Behavioral Analyst. I am also passionate about kids and hope to serve the community to the best of my ability! After graduation I plan to earn a Master’s degree at minimum and then think about a PhD or a PsyD. Apart from being an RA and a full-time student, I am a member of a competitive Bollywood fusion dance team at ASU called Andaaz.

Isabella Martin

Research Assistant

Hello! I'm currently a junior at Barrett, the Honors College studying Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Family and Human Development. After graduating I plan to attend medical school to pursue my interests in pediatrics and neurology. Every aspect of my pre-med journey has been focused on the aging process, so I've worked with people from the ages of 2-94 to better understand how our brain changes throughout our lifetimes. In my free time, I love going to music festivals, swing dancing and going on road trips!

Rachel Menna

Research Assistant

Hello! I’m Rachel and I am currently a sophomore at Arizona State University majoring in psychology and double minoring in early childhood education and studio art. I have always been very passionate about working with children and have been fascinated about learning more about what goes on in their brains as they develop. In the future, I am hoping to conduct more research on child psychology as well as special education. In my free time, I love to hangout with my friends and my cat. I am also on the ASU Stunt team which keeps me active and gives me a team environment with girls that I love.

Sindhuri Nayudu

Research Assistant

Hi everyone! I am a sophomore at ASU majoring in Biomedical Sciences. I am interested in studying the cognitive development of young children. After graduation, I plan on pursing medical school with the intent of specializing in pediatrics! In my free time, I enjoy photography, baking, watching TV/movies and hanging out and making memories

Isabel Camargo

Research Assistant

Hi everyone! My name is Isabel and I am currently a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Kinesiology. My favorite areas of psychology to study are developmental psychology and psychological disorders. I absolutely love working with children and am constantly fascinated by how they learn about the world around them! My professional goal is to become an occupational therapist specializing in either pediatrics, neurology, or hand therapy.

Jenna Fredenberg

Research Assistant

Hi everyone, my name is Jenna and I am a senior at Arizona State University, Barrett the Honors College!I am majoring in psychology (BS) with a minor in biology. I'm especially interested in how developmental psychology predicts behavior and influences decision-making. After graduating in the Spring of 2026, I plan to continue my studies at graduate school. In my free time I enjoy reading, yoga, and watching true crime documentaries.

Addison Vinck

Research Assistant

Hi everyone!! I am currently a junior majoring in Psychology (BS) with a minor in Communications. I’ve always loved being around children and am really interested in how their surroundings influence their curiosity and development. After I graduate, I plan to go to graduate school to study neuropsychology so I can better understand how the brain impacts behavior and development.  In my free time, I love going to the movies, thrifting, and hot yoga!

Pragalbha Ghatigar

Research Assistant

Hi! I’m Pragalbha, a Neuroscience major at Arizona State University with a strong interest in developmental psychology and epigenetics—especially how early-life experiences and environmental factors shape the brain. I'm passionate about women's health and plan to take a gap year after graduation to gain more clinical and research experience before applying to medical school. My long-term goal is to become an OB-GYN and help bridge the gap between research and patient care. In my free time, I enjoy cooking,learning new songs on the piano, going on walks, and playing pickleball with friends.

Emily Sager

Research Assistant

Hi everyone! My name is Emily Sager, and I am currently a junior at Barrett, the Honors College. I am majoring in Psychology, with a minor in Criminology & Criminal Justice. I have passions within Clinical, Forensic, and Developmental Psychology. My love for the field of Psychology and working with kids is what brought me to EML! After graduation, I hope to earn my PhD in Clinical/Forensic Psychology, and work with individuals across diverse walks of life. In my free time, I love to read, go for hikes, and check out new coffee shops with friends!

Noah Tang

Research Assistant

Hello! My name is Noah, and I am a senior at Barrett double majoring in Psychology and Anthropology.My interest in psychology lies largely in developmental psychology where I want to research educational methods for children and how to better education in general for minority and non-traditional families. I also have an interest in health psychology and speech and hearing science. In my free time, I love writing and performing music, and I also have a very extensive Converse collection! 

Aniyah Roberson

Research Assistant

Hello, my name is Aniyah, and I am a rising sophomore in Barrett at ASU, majoring in psychology. Right now, I’m passionate about child development, mental wellness, and cultural inclusivity. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist for kids and eventually start my own mental health foundation. To decompress, I like to work out, film and edit my content, draw, listen to music, and spend time with my friends and family. 

Homer

Daisy

Arwen

Blueberry Jr.

Juno

Hiccup

Eggsy

Gracie

Mordecai

Wybie

Nuala

Chewy

Harley

Kitty

Lab Alumni

Past Lab Managers & Post-Bac Research Staff

Past Research Assistants

• Kristine Kim - Research Assistant ‘25

• Haley Ratcliffe - Research Assistant ‘24-’25

• Arianna Colosimo - Research Assistant ‘24-’25

• Michael Kim - Research Assistant ‘24-’25

• Isabella Ira - Research Assistant ‘24-’25

• Hanna Zubairi - Research Assistant ‘24-’25

• Heather Peters - Research Assistant ‘24-’25

• Dylan Perazzo - Research Assistant ‘24-’25

• Sarah Nesbit - Research Assistant ‘23-’25

• Natalia Gonzalez - Research Assistant ‘23-’25

• Soham Gawali - Research Assistant ‘24

• Avery Sulzer - Research Assistant ‘24

• Eva Stein - Research Assistant ‘23-’24

• Kendall Turk - Honors Thesis Student ‘23-’24

• Madison Saldano - Research Assistant ‘23-’24

• Subhana Siddiqui - Research Assistant ‘23-’24

• Sandra Lewkins - Research Assistant ‘23-’24

• Andrea Jamieson- Research Assistant ‘23-’24

• Alina Kurec - Research Assistant ‘23-’24

• Michael Moroz - Research Assistant ‘23

• Faith Keist - Research Assistant ‘23

• Neelsha Parekh - Research Assistant ‘23

• Emma Orser - Research Assistant ‘23

• Gemma Trimble - Honors Thesis Student ‘22-’23

• Anna Hinojosa - Research Assistant ‘21-’23

• Eryk Mejia - Honors Thesis Student ‘22-’23; Recipient of Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award

• Paola Hernandez - Honors Thesis Student ‘22-’23; Recipient of Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award & the Janessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Award for outstanding research, “Using Curiosity to Build Resilience”.

• Anika Islam - Honors Thesis Student ‘22-’23; Recipient of Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award and the Barrett Honors College Mensch Award for creativity and innovation in research.

• Vijaya Nandiwada-Hofer - Research Assistant ‘21-’23; Awarded second place presentation at AZPURC 2023

• Brooke Smith - Research Assistant ‘21-’22, Student Lab Manager ‘22

• Lex Saguid - Research Assistant ‘20-’22

• Nicole Johnson - Honors Thesis Student '21-'22,  Recipient of the Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award

• Sonia Patel - Honors Thesis Student '20-'22,  Recipient of the Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award

• Kaitlin Van Houghton - Honors Thesis Student '21-'22, Recipient of the Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award

• Alejandro Caballero - Research Assistant ‘19-’22, Awarded first place presentation at AZPURC 2022 for work on children’s persistence.

• Natalie Snodgrass - Research Assistant ‘21-’22 

• Courtney Hoffman - Research Assistant ‘22

• Savannah Goshgarian - Research Assistant ‘21 

• Olivia Zimmerman -  Research Assistant ‘21 

• Kyleigh Gates-Haas - Research Assistant ‘21 

• Kalie Scirpo -  Honors Thesis Student '20-'21,  Recipient of the Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award 

• Shani McCollum - Honors Thesis Student '19-'21,  Recipient of the Barrett Honors College Thesis Funding Award

• Carlos Gomez - Research Assistant ‘19-’20 

• Nathan Tesman - Research Assistant ‘19-’20

• Mudita Belani -  Research Assistant ’20

• Taylor Henderson - Research Assistant ‘19-’20