Fall 2022 Lab Party at Sarah's!
Research Staff
Rachelle Swan, Ph.D.
Senior Lab Operations Specialist
Rachelle received her doctorate in Human Development from her native county at the University of California, Irvine, where she studied father involvement and its impact on the child, marriage, and school community. She left academia to pursue a career in evaluation research but has recently returned to manage the iCAN Lab for Dr. Karalunas.
Rachelle's email: rachelle@purdue.edu
McKenzie Figuracion, B.S.
Graduate Student
McKenzie graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Psychology. They are currently pursuing their Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Karalunas at Purdue University. McKenzie's research interests include how EEG biomarkers can be used to understand heterogeneity within ADHD and how these may be used to enhance access to clinical diagnosis.
McKenzie's email: mfigurac@purdue.edu
Sarah Karalunas, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology
Licensed Psychologist (Indiana, #20043695A; Oregon, #2414)
Sarah was born and raised in upstate NY. She completed her B.A. in Neuroscience at Hamilton College and received her Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from Pennsylvania State University with a Specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. She is passionate about ensuring that all children and families have access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health care that addresses their unique needs and hopes her research can contribute to that goal.
Sarah's email: skaralunas@purdue.edu
Sarah Pieper, B.S.
Graduate Student
Sarah graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in Psychology and spent several years working in pediatric neuroimaging labs at the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Irving Medical Center before joining the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Purdue under Dr. Sarah Karalunas. Her research interests include the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying ADHD and how that knowledge can be leveraged to further parse the heterogeneity present within the disorder.
Sarah's email: pieper4@purdue.edu
Madelyn Heise, B.S.
Graduate Student
Madelyn graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Karalunas. Madelyn is interested in the underlying neurophysiology associated with cognitive impairments and emotion dysregulation in children with ADHD.
Madelyn's email: madelynheise@purdue.edu
Gideon Miller, B.S.
Research Technician
Gideon graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a B.S. in Biostatistics in 2022 and is currently pursuing a joint master's degree in Statistics and Computer Science at Purdue. He enjoys applying statistical methodology to diverse fields and joined the iCAN Lab for a chance to help with research that can improve people's lives.
Gideon's email: mill3167@purdue.edu
Sydney Aller, B.S.
Research Technician
Sydney graduated from Saint Louis University with a B.S. in Neuroscience. She is working as a research technician in the iCAN Lab before applying to graduate school for Clinical Child Psychology. Sydney's research interests include academic outcome research with ADHD diagnoses as well as the development of accessible classroom and home interventions to best support students and their families.
Sydney's email: saller@purdue.edu
Josh Becerra, B.S.
Research Technician
Josh graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Psychology, minoring in Sociology. His studies focused on Criminology and Drug Use & Abuse. Josh has experience working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder as a licensed Applied Behavior Analyst, and he is currently building his resume for graduate school with his clinical interviewing experience from the iCAN Lab. Josh is still deciding between careers—will he pursue an M.S. in Counseling or Forensic Psychology?!
Josh's email: jibecerr@purdue.edu
Annie Menart, B.S.
Research Technician
Annie graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. She previously focused on neural networks and machine learning, and she is excited to apply her data processing and analysis skills to psychology research!
Annie's email: amenart@purdue.edu
Student Research Assistants
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Chandni "Maggie" Garg
Maggie is a senior majoring in Genetics with a minor in Biotechnology at Purdue University. At the iCAN Lab, she works on data analysis and modeling along with our Research Technician, Jason. Her passion for research combined with a zeal to apply theory to solve real-world problems makes her super excited to work hands-on in the biotechnology industry post-graduation.
Madalyn Owen
Madalyn is a junior at Purdue University studying Brain and Behavioral Sciences. She joined the iCAN lab to gain experience with researching, as she hopes to pursue a career as a clinical psychologist.
Sarah Ramsey
Sarah is currently pursuing her B.S in Psychology and Human Development Family Sciences. After graduation she plans on attending graduate school for clinical psychology so she may reach her goal of becoming a clinical psychologist for teens and young adults. She chose the iCAN lab for the chance to work in a more interpersonal clinical setting to become more prepared for her future career.
Izabella Santos
Izabella is pursuing a B.S. in Psychological Sciences and Human Development Family Studies. She eventually plans on attending graduate school for clinical psychology and working as a Child Therapist. She saw the iCAN Lab as an opportunity to enhance her skills working in a clinical and child-based environment and is excited to gain more experience within her future career field.
Lillian Millspaugh
Lillian is a junior in Psychological Sciences, with minors in Human Development and Philosophy. Lilly hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology and eventually treat children with anxiety-related disorders.
Trina Tagamolila
Trina is studying Brain and Behavioral Sciences with a focus on pre-med and a minor in Statistics. Her goal is to gain experience in research working with children and eventually pursue a career in child psychiatry.
Benjamin Blachly
Ben is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Statistics. He is excited to join the iCAN Lab to explore a different side of clinical psychology, since his other work mostly involves adults with mood disorders and anxiety. He hopes to get a PhD in clinical psychology and work as a practitioner or researcher.
Kennedi Cole
Kennedi is pursuing a B.S. in psychological sciences. Post-graduation, Kennedi plans on attending graduate school with a focus on clinical psychology with a goal to become a child psychologist to raise awareness to psychological disorders in children and child advocacy.
Grace Gilbert
Grace is a Brain and Behavioral Sciences major and she has plans to earn a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. She joined the iCAN lab because she has an interest in researching better ways to diagnose ADHD and provide resources and treatments to the individuals that won't change core aspects of their personality. ADHD is very personal to her as three of her four siblings have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Alex Davis
Alex Davis is studying Psychology with minors in Human Development and Family Studies, and Learning Sciences. Alex later plans attenting graduate school to get her doctorate in hopes of becoming a school/child psychologist. She saw the iCAN Lab as a wonderful opportunity to learn from professionals in the field and get a glimpse of what clinical practice with children and families may look like!
Elizabeth Clark
Elizabeth is majoring in Psychology with minors in HDFS and Art & Design. She aims to pursue a career researching interventions strategies designed for children who have experienced adversity or trauma.
George Reillo
George Reillo is majoring in psychology with a Spanish minor. George enjoys being with friends and family. He joined the lab to gain research experience in pursuit of his Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
Emma Pucket
Emma Puckett is majoring in Brain and Behavioral Sciences with minors in Forensics and Biological sciences. Emma hopes to purse a Ph.D. in Neuropsychology. She is excited to join the iCAN lab and for the opportunity to gain valuable research experience.
Amanda Davis
Amanda is studying Brain and Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Spanish for the Professions. She is excited to work in the iCAN lab and gain experience while also working with kids, as she aspires to be a child psychiatrist.
Ayush Bansal
Ayush is studying Biomedical Health Science, with a pre-med concentration. Outside of the lab, he is an EMT and loves working with kids. He hopes to one day be a pediatric emergency medicine doctor.
Sarah Ghormley
Sarah is majoring in Brain and Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Spanish. Sarah joined the iCAN lab to gain valuable experiences contributing towards her goal of earning her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
Colleen Duguid
Colleen is studying Brain and Behavioral Sciences. She is very excited to gain lab experience aligning with her passion for developmental psychology.