Graduate Students
Da Eun Kim
E-mail: dkim915@gatech.edu
I am a third-year graduate student in the adult development and aging program. I earned my M.A. in Ewha Womans University specializing in counseling psychology. Afterwards, I worked at a clinical research institute in Korea researching cognitive intervention methods for elderly with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. Combining the two, my current research interests include the individual differences in memory function and how it impacts meaning-making in later life. I am also interested in how technology plays a role in memory reconstruction.
Sarah A. Kim
E-mail: skim3432@gatech.edu
Hi. I am a second-year graduate student in the adult development and aging program of Georgia Tech. I completed my undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Washington. As I spent years interacting with various age groups – infants to older adults, I became interested in human development in general. Narrowing down, I have passion in studying individual and cultural differences in language development, loss, and usage and how it may impact social skills and emotion and create bonds between different generations.
Nikhil Shanbhogue
E-mail: nshanbhogue6@gatech.edu
Hello, I am a first-year Master’s student in Electrical and Computer Engineering focusing on Machine Learning and its myriad applications. I obtained my Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from B.M.S College of Engineering in India and worked for a few years as an embedded engineer at a US-based startup called Netradyne. My current research interests revolve around Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Generative AI, and their implementation on real-world problems comprising classification and interpretation of medical images, and VAE-based collaborative Filtering for recommendations. I aspire to continually develop my passion and make a meaningful impact that benefits all with prejudice.
Anisa Aisha
E-mail: aahmed377@gatech.edu
I am a second year Master’s student in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, specializing in Computer Graphics. I obtained my BS in Computer Science from Habib University in Pakistan. Later, I worked for 2 years as a software engineer at a US based startup called Securiti.ai. My current research interests include graphics and video game programming, with a particular emphasis on using AR/VR technologies to develop innovative solutions for real-world problems.
Liam Hart
E-mail: lhart39@gatech.edu
I am a first-year psychology PhD student in the Adult Development and Aging program at Georgia Tech. I am from the Detroit area and completed my undergraduate degree at Grand Valley State University. Between then and now, I worked as a research coordinator at Henry Ford Health. I am interested in examining the structure of autobiographical memory using natural language processing. Further, I hope to investigate how meaningful life events may shape development and impact engagement with everyday life.
Simran Pillarisetty
E-mail: psetty.simran@gatech.edu
I am a first year PhD student in the Adult development and Aging program at GA Tech. I completed my undergraduate degree in Counseling Psychology in India and subsequently worked for two years as a life coach. I also completed my Masters in Psychology at Rutgers University-Camden where I explored the role of nostalgia in regulating feelings of isolation. Growing up in a multicultural environment and working in diverse settings has shaped my interest in examining how individuals use episodic past and future thinking to enhance their psychological well-being. I am also interested in studying how self-defining memories of immigrants may be leveraged to promote adaptive aging.
Ammara Umme
E-mail: uammara3@gatech.edu
I am a first-year Master’s student in Human-Computer Interaction at Georgia Tech. I completed my bachelor’s in computer science from Pakistan. Between my undergraduate studies and now, I worked as a Research Assistant focusing on HCI research in health-tech and AI, and also worked as a User Experience Designer at a startup. I am interested in improving the usability of VR technology to address the memory challenges faced by young and older adults.
Lab Manager
Emily Hutson
E-mail: ehutson3@gatech.edu
Hi, I received my Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in data science and analytics from Kennesaw State University. I spent two years as an undergraduate research assistant working on two projects: memory in adults with autism, and how symptom masking affects quality of life in adults with autism. I am excited to broaden my knowledge of adult development and aging while using mixed methods and some new technologies!
Undergraduate Students
Kesha Patel
E-mail: kpatel714@gatech.edu
My name is Kesha Patel, and I’m a third-year Neuroscience major with a minor in Spanish and Health and Medical sciences. I have currently volunteered at Children’s in the Emergency department, worked as a medical assistant and lead trainer at a dermatology clinic, and worked with several non-profits. I plan on attending graduate school for my MBA and later medical school to earn a medical degree to work in pediatric oncology. I became interested in human development after taking a course in it my freshmen year. I find it very interesting how different approaches and experiences in life can better or worsen a person’s cognitive and sociocultural aspect of life. I have a desire to help better people’s lives and studying that through daily life processes can provide insight on people’s lives through careful observation, data collection, and analysis.
McKenna Croft
Email: mcroft8@gatech.edu
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology and Psychology. My research interests include constructing preventative mental health measures and curriculum in schools and evaluating the extent to which they reduce the severity and prolong the onset of mental illnesses. Thus, I am interested in enhancing well-being throughout human development and individualizing education using a biopsychosocial model approach. I am also excited to study the social and cognitive processes people use to adapt to life transitions and adversities.
Mallory McRae
Email: mmcrae30@gatech.edu
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Health and Medical Sciences. Serving as President of both the Excel Mentorship Program and Buzz Buddies organization here at Tech, I have seen the value of giving back to younger generations and the impact of advocacy on behalf of those deserving better resources and opportunities. Through research and working alongside healthcare providers both locally and abroad, I have witnessed the importance of helping individuals in underserved communities. I hope to carry all I have learned through these experiences into a career in dentistry, prioritizing affordable and compassionate care. I am excited to broaden my understanding of aging and development through my time as an undergraduate research assistant this year!
Lab Alumni
URA: Theresa Glasgow, Class of 2024, Psychology Major; Bidhya Pradhan, Class of 2024, Neuroscience Major; Hannah Dancy, Class of 2023, Biochemistry Major; Kelsey Sauers, Class of 2021, Neuroscience Major
GRA: Siddhi Pandare, MSECE; Prasanth Bathala, MSECE; Cagla Aktas, Dokuz Eylul University
VIP student teams: Fall 2021-Fall 2022
Bell, K., Burchfield, S., Chun, G., Davis, McMorris, B., and Rehberg D. G. practiced together for their presentations at the 16th Annual Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium and the 1st Annual Conference of Psychological Research in April 2022 at Georgia Tech.
See also Director and Collaborators.