People

Director:

Jeffrey M. Spielberg – jmsp@udel.edu – CV

Dr. Spielberg is an Associate Professor of Clinical Science in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware. He completed his doctoral work in Clinical/Community Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Institute for Personality and Social Research (IPSR) and the Institute for Human Development (IHD) at the University of California, Berkeley. Before coming to UDel, Dr. Spielberg was Associate Director of Neuroimaging Analysis Development in the Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center at VA Boston.

Associated Faculty:

Keith Bredemeier – kbredem@udel.edu

Dr. Bredemeier is the Director of the Institute for Community Mental Health Clinic and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Science in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. He received his doctoral degree in Clinical/Community Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, including a predoctoral internship at Brown University. He stayed at Brown for a postdoctoral fellowship, and completed a second fellowship with Aaron Beck M.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to UDel, Dr. Bredemeier was Director of Research Training at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at UPenn. Dr. Bredemeier is involved in several CAD lab projects focused on anxiety-related disturbances in threat perception.

Graduate Students:

Leah Church – lchurch@udel.edu

Leah is a fourth year clinical graduate student in the CAD lab. Before joining the CAD lab as a graduate student, she was our lab manager for two years. She graduated from Temple University, where she received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her main research interests include examining developmental and neural mechanisms of internalizing pathology as well as sex and gender differences in such mechanisms.

Julia Merker – jmerker@udel.edu

Julia is a third year clinical graduate student in the CAD lab. Before joining the CAD lab, she worked as a research assistant in the Neurobiology of Fear lab at McLean Hospital. She graduated from Tufts University, where she received her B.S. in Biopsychology. Her main research interests include examining the neurobiological and endocrinological mechanisms underlying differences in the onset and maintenance of psychopathology.

Madison Gardner – gmadison@udel.edu

Madison is a first year clinical graduate student in the CAD lab. Before joining the CAD lab, she worked as a neuroimaging research technician in the Washington University Neonatal Development Research (WUNDER) Lab at Washington University in St. Louis. Madison earned her B.S. in Psychology and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her research interests include the relationship between technology (i.e., digital device use, social media) and the brain, and along with downstream effects on psychopathology.

Lab Managers:

Paula Salvador – psalv@udel.edu

Paula is a full-time lab manager in the CAD lab, before which she graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Delaware in 2019 and an M.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences in 2021. Paula’s primary focus lies in examining the effects of childhood trauma on cognitive and behavioral development, specifically exploring the role of environmental and social factors in shaping this connection.

Kavya Bhattiprolu – kavyab@udel.edu

Kavya is a full-time lab manager in the CAD lab, before which she graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She also completed a previous postbac position at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research interests include identifying neurodevelopmental mechanisms involved in the onset and maintenance of psychopathology.

Isabelle Courtney – icourt@udel.edu

Izzy is a full-time lab manager in the CAD lab, before which she graduated with a B.A. in Neuroscience from Swarthmore College. She is interested in identifying the neurocognitive maturational trajectories associated with psychiatric disorders.

Sarah Miller – smmill@udel.edu

Sarah is a full-time lab manager in the CAD lab, before which she graduate with a B.S. in Psychology from Stockton University.

Undergraduate Research Assistants:


Emily Derle

Jillian Evans is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Human Development & Family Sciences. Her research interests focus on understanding the neurodevelopment of psychopathology. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a focus on Neuropsychology.

Michaela Hodges-Fulton is a junior with a double major in Neuroscience and Liberal Studies for Medical Scholars and a minor in Disability Studies. Her research interests include understanding the relationship between neuroanatomy and clinical pathology. She plans to attend medical school. 

Carly Morea is a junior Neuroscience major, with a Biological Sciences minor. Her research interests include understanding the impact of chronic stress on hippocampal function. She plans to attend medical school. 

Julia O’Sullivan is a senior majoring in Psychology and double minoring in Forensic Science and Disability Studies. Her interests include the manner in which environmental factors, including trauma, impact cognitive development. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in forensic psychology or clinical/counseling psychology. 

Lauren Weiss is a senior double-majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She is interested in the modulating effect of parenting practices on the development of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Another focus is the interplay between psychopathology and social behavior. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, concentrating on child and adolescent development.

Lab Alumni:

Ruby Smith was one of our lab managers/postbacs for 2 years, before which she graduated with B.A.’s in both Psychology and Writing, Rhetoric, and Communications from Transylvania University. She is currently a project manager at Fahe. 

Leah Green was one of our lab managers/postbacs for 1.5 years, before which she graduated from William & Mary with a B.S. in Psychological Sciences. She is currently working as a Support Services Coordinator at Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

Melanie Matyi completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Science in the CAD lab in 2023. She is currently completing a postdoc at the Frontotemporal Degeneration Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on understanding how affective systems interact with other regulatory systems (i.e., emotion X cognition interactions) with the goal of identifying the ways in which these interactions go awry in mental illness.

Nadia Bounoua completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Science in 2023, working jointly with the CAD lab and Dr. Naomi Sadeh. She is currently an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park. Her research seeks to examine the interplay of environmental, neurobiological, and affective mechanisms underlying risk-taking behaviors across the lifespan.

Kaleigh Wieand was our lab manager for 2 years, before which she was an undergraduate RA in the lab for 3 years. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Neuroscience and minors in Spanish and Forensic Science. She is currently a Data Manager for PEDSNet at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania.

Emily Heilner was an undergraduate RA in the CAD lab for three years. She graduated from UD with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology. She is currently a postbac at the Laboratory for Healthy Minds at Yale University School of Medicine.

Samantha Rodriguez. Samantha was our lab manager for 1 year. She graduated from UD with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Sociology. She is currently in the Cognition, Brain, and Behavior program at The University of New Mexico studying neural networks related to decision-making, aggression, and callousness in violent offenders.

Frequent Collaborators:

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