Current Post-Doctoral and Graduate Students
Dr. Susan White’s Students:
Zachary Algaze, B.S.
Zach Algaze is a first year Clinical Psychology PhD student. He graduated from Villanova University in 2018 with a B.S. in Psychology. His research interests include implementing, testing, and developing early intervention and prevention programs targeting internalizing disorders in children and adolescents. In his free time, he enjoys running, watching reality TV, and going to concerts.
Nicole Friedman, M.A.
Nicole Friedman is a fourth-year doctoral student in the clinical child concentration working with Dr. Susan White. Nicole is currently on clinical internship. Her research interests include investigating EEG/ERP methodologies as a marker of treatment success when paired with intervention. Additionally, she is interested in implementation of evidence-based treatment in community settings.
Paige Hemming, M.S.
Paige Hemming is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical child concentration, working with Dr. Susan White. She has a broad interest in supporting families and children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Her current research focuses on autism, emotion regulation, and intervention programs. Outside of academics, Paige enjoys hiking with her dog, traveling, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Alexandra Kalinyak, B.S.
Alexandra Kalinyak is a clinical child track doctoral student working with Dr. Susan White. Her research focuses on factors that improve quality of life and therapeutic outcomes as well as the relational contexts autistic people are part of. Outside of research, Alexandra enjoys running, bowling, and spending time with her dog, Daphne.
Dr. Sharla Biefeld’s Students:
Kyndal Mays, B.A.
Kyndal Mays is a second year graduate student in the Developmental Psychology program. She received her Bachelor of Arts from The University of Alabama where she worked on a number of research projects across an expanse of topics including body image, health behaviors, and how friends discuss their bodies. Her research interests are predominantly centered around eating disorder symptomatology, experiences of weight-based harassment and positive body image specifically within adolescent populations.
Tasnim Rahman Nira, B.S.
Tasnim Rahman Nira is a first-year graduate student in the Developmental Psychology program at The University of Alabama. Originally from Bangladesh, Tasnim holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s in Clinical Psychology. Before starting her graduate studies, she worked as a psychotherapist, providing care to individuals facing a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges. Tasnim has also been actively involved in research focused on the mental health of gender and sexual minority communities, particularly in the context of substance use and coping mechanisms. Her current research interests center around substance use, body image, maladaptive coping, and eating behaviors, especially as they relate to minoritized populations. Beyond academics and research, Tasnim enjoys reading fiction, capturing everyday moments through photography, and discovering new places.
Lexi Tavakoli
Lexi Tavakoli is a first-year student in the Developmental-Social Psychology PhD program at The University of Alabama. Lexi’s research interests relate to feminist psychology, with specific interests in body image and appearance, internalized and externalized misogyny and racism, traditional gender roles, sexual violence and aggression, and the role of media in the development and reinforcement of these in cross-cultural contexts.
Dr. Summer Braun’s Students:
Zachary Schornick, M.S.
Zach Schornick is a third-year graduate student getting his PhD in Developmental Psychology. He is interested in mindfulness, social and emotional competencies for both teachers and students, and cultivating social and emotional learning within school contexts.
Avery Westbrooks, B.S.
Avery Westbrooks is a third-year graduate student in the developmental psychology program studying well-being in occupational and educational contexts. Her current research focuses on teachers’ classroom experiences and how this influence both teacher health/well-being and student outcomes. Avery also enjoys community outreach with teachers and Indigenous education as a Native American from North Carolina!
Dr. Ansley Gilpin’s Students:
Bahare Bahmani, M.A.
Bahare Bahmani is a third-year doctoral student in the developmental psychology. Bahare’s research interests include how music training supports children’s development in areas such as executive function, emotion regulation, and academic achievement. She is especially interested in the ways that engaging with music can nurture both cognitive skills and emotional well-being, and she is excited about exploring how these benefits can be incorporated into educational settings to support children’s learning and growth.
Emmy Bray, B.A.
Emmy Bray is a fourth-year PhD student in developmental psychology. Emmy’s research interests include children’s fantastical play and their STEM skill development. She is currently working on her dissertation to examine children’s mathematical language usage and scientific inquiry behaviors during different types of play at children’s museums.
Mahtab Haghshenas
Mahtab Haghshenas, is a second-year doctoral student in developmental psychology. Mahtab’s research interest includes children’s conceptual development and how their understanding of some concepts, changes under the influence of factors like gender, age, parenting, religion and culture.
Lauren Rivers, M.S.
Lauren Rivers is a third-year doctoral student in developmental psychology. Lauren’s research interests include the benefits of play on mental health and well-being, play therapy research, and a growing interest in positive psychology and strengths-based approaches, and how to incorporate these approaches into our work with young children and their caregivers.
Dr. Andrea Glenn’s Students:
Olivia Thompson, M.A.
Olivia Thompson is a fifth-year doctoral student in the clinical child concentration, working with Dr. Andrea Glenn. Her research interests include exploring how adverse childhood experiences impact overall development and promoting resilience, trauma-informed care for juvenile delinquents, and youth violence prevention within minority communities.
Tristin Winkler, B.A.
Tristin Winkler is a member of the Developmental Psychology program as a second-year graduate student. Originally from Mount Holly, North Carolina, Tristin earned his B.A summa cum laude in Psychology from Hampden-Sydney College. His research has mainly focused on microaggressions committed against couples with intersecting minority identities. Specifically, he has conducted studies related to what factors, such as stereotypes, type of microaggressions, and the identities of the victim, influence the 3rd party acceptance of microaggressions.
Dr. Kristina McDonald’s Students:
Pratibha Gautam, M.A.
Pratibha Gautam is a fifth-year doctoral student in developmental psychology. Pratihba’s research interests include adolescent social-emotional development, family processes, and well-being. Currently her work focuses on adolescent emotions, parent emotion socialization, and factor that influence parent emotion socialization approaches.
John Meyer, M.A.
John Meyer is a third-year Ph.D. Student working with Kristina McDonald and Jeffrey Parker in the Developmental area of the Psychology department. John received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University at Buffalo (SUNY), where he worked with Julie Bowker to examine how different friendship experiences (e.g., triadic vs. dyadic friendships) relate to loneliness during early adolescence. His current research is focused on friendship jealousy in adolescence as well as how the beliefs that teens hold about friendships relate to conflict and aggression in peer relationships during adolescence.
Dr. Brad White’s Students:
Victoria Ward, B.A.
Victoria Ward is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical child concentration, working with Dr. Bradley White. Her research interests include the impact of traumatic events on children and their role in the development of empathetic vs callous-unemotional traits.
Peter Xu, M.Ed.
Peter Xu is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical child concentration, working with Dr. Bradley White. Peter completed his BS in Shanghai, China. He then attended the University of Toronto, where he completed his MEd in developmental psychology. He is interested in research regarding intervention and cultivating empathy in individuals with Disruptive Behavior Disorder. He loves hiking, cycling, and travelling in his free time.
Past Post-Doctoral and Graduate Students
Rebecca Bauer, Ph.D.
Rebecca Bauer graduated in 2022 from the Cognitive Psychology and Developmental Science dual program, working with Dr. Ansley Gilpin. Rebecca is interested in creativity and imaginative processes and how they relate to executive functioning and language throughout the lifespan. Further, she is interested in whether creativity and imagination are modifiable and whether improvement can positively impact other skills.
Alexis Brewe, Ph.D.
Alexis Brewe graduated in 2024 from the Clinical Psychology program in the Child concentration, working with Dr. Susan White. Alexis is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program. Her research interests include 1) designing and deploying clinical interventions that improve outcomes for autistic people, 2) utilizing an implementation science approach to increase the use of research-supported interventions in community settings, and 3) understanding client/therapist factors and treatment processes that influence effectiveness of those interventions. In her free time, Alexis enjoys hiking and paddleboarding, reading, and watching any and all reality television.
Breanna Dede, Ph.D.
Breanna Dede is currently on clinical internship at UNC, after working with Dr. Bradley White in the CEaSR lab. Her research interests include researching social factors that influence disruptive behavior in children and adolescents, such as peer relations, family dynamics, and interpersonal skill deficits. Breanna graduated from undergrad from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Leah Efferson, Ph.D.
Leah Efferson graduated in 2019 and accepted a position as lab manager in Madison, WI studying psychopathy. While at The University of Alabama, Leah was a developmental student working with Dr. Andrea Glenn. Her research interests include gender differences in psychopathy, empathy, and morality along with how people with psychopathic traits perceive others with similar traits. She has worked in multiple prisons and jails in Alabama, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.
Carmen Farrell, Ph.D.
Carmen Farrell graduated in 2020 after working with Dr. Ansley Gilpin. Her interests include young children’s social-cognitive development. Her masters’ thesis was conducted on how executive functions relate to understanding deception. Carmen intends to continue to explore how self-regulatory abilities relate to the development of more advanced social skills.
Josh Golt, M.A.
Josh Golt is an alumnus of the clinical child concentration and Dr. Susan White’s lab. His research interests include child and adolescent autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, he is interested in emotion regulation and the impact that emotion regulation has on other psychiatric and behavioral problems. Additionally, his broader research focuses on implementation science and better understanding how to increase clinicians’ use of evidence-based interventions.
Meagan Heilman, Ph.D.
Meagan Heilman is currently on clinical internship at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute in Salt Lake City, after working with Dr. Brad White. Her research interests include early prevention and intervention strategies for antisocial and associated behaviors, and the effects of frequently comorbid disorders (i.e., substance use, trauma) on development and outcome.
Lindsey Held, M.A.
Lindsey Held graduated in 2025 from the developmental concentration, working with Dr. Ansley Gilpin. Lindsey is currently an Assistant Professor at Rollins College. Her research is focused on understanding how play leaders are involved in imaginary play.
Brandon McCormick, M.A.
Brandon McCormick graduated in 2024 in the clinical law concentration, working with Dr. Andrea Glenn. He is interested in long-term behavioral and mental health outcomes following mild traumatic brain injury (e.g., concussions) especially in children and adolescents. Additionally, he is interested in identifying the mechanisms through which mild traumatic brain injury leads to changes in mental health and behavior as well as creating treatment programs to target these symptoms.
Allie Nancarrow, Ph.D.
Allie Nancarrow graduated in 2019 and is now a post-doctoral scholar at Oregon State University. While here, she worked with Dr. Ansley Gilpin. Her interests include children’s social cognitive development and school readiness. She is also interested in using physiological measures to assess development. Allie’s master’s thesis examined children’s developing deception detection skills in relation to Theory of Mind and emotion knowledge.
Grace Lee Simmons, Ph.D.
Grace Lee is currently on clinical internship at UNC-TEACCH, after working with Dr. Susan White. Her research focuses primarily on psychosocial interventions targeting social impairments in youth with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly those integrating creative and/or performance-based skills (music, art, etc.). In her free time, she enjoys running and hot yoga, trying out new recipes, and traveling.