Research Staff

Student Research Assistants

Sarah Karalunas, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology

​Licensed Psychologist (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

Rachelle Swan, Ph.D.

Project Manager

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

Joslyn Burke, B.S.

Research Technician

Joslyn graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Prior to joining the iCAN Lab, she worked as a developmental therapist for children to foster communication and education.

Joslyn's email: burke121@purdue.edu

Caroline Bonczyk

Caroline is a junior at Purdue University studying Psychological Sciences and Linguistics. She plans on going into clinical psychology and chose the iCAN Lab for the chance to work in a clinical setting with kids.

Danielle Wilson

Danielle is pursuing her B.S. in Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. She is a part of multiple mentorships and has joined the iCAN lab in hopes of getting closer to her aspiration of becoming a child psychologist and ABA therapist.

Katelyn Macknyk

Katelyn is a sophomore at Purdue University studying Biochemistry and Brain & Behavioral Science. In addition to the iCAN lab, she works in a genetics research lab focused on the H2A.Z histone modification pathway in Arabidopsis plants, working to understand the CHD5 tumor suppression pathway in humans.

Jack Naumovich

Jack is a sophomore at Purdue University studying Health Science Pre-professional with a pre-medicine concentration. He is very excited to join the lab and gain experience working with children in preparation for a career in pediatrics.

Jason Dude, B.S.

Research Technician

​Jason graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Kinesiology and is currently pursuing his Master of Science in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience. He enjoys using equipment and software to collect, analyze, and model health-related data, and he joined the iCAN Lab to carry out this type of work. Prior to joining the lab, Jason worked as an Exercise Specialist at the University of Utah Health. 

Jason's email: jdude@purdue.edu