With the Boiler Maker Special!

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Lab Undergrads Presenting at the 2024 Psych Undergrad Research Conference!

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Rachelle's Going Away Party!

Our team at the iCAN lab is made up by our Principal Investigator, Graduate Students, Research Technicians, and Research Assistants. From various walks of life, we've all come together in an attempt to understand the basic processes contributing to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to improve assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD. Meet our lab staff and take a peek at how we looked like around the ages we would have participated in our main study, the NEMO Study!

Research Staff

McKenzie Figuracion, M.S.

PhD 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: mtfigura@syr.edu

Sarah Karalunas, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Cobb-Jones Endowed Professor of Psychology & Department Chair

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: sbarth02@syr.edu

Sarah Pieper, B.A.

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: smpieper@syr.edu

Madelyn Heise, B.A.

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

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's email: jibecerr@syr.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: ammenart@syr.edu

Casey Winters, B.S.

Casey graduated from the University of Evansville with a B.S. In Psychology and worked as a Psychometrist before joining the lab. He aims to pursue a Ph.D. In Clinical Psychology, with a special interest in irritability, anger expression, and emotion regulation across development.

Casey's email: cwinte01@syr.edu

Fred the Head, B.S.

Fred the Head graduated from SFSU (Styro Foam State University) with a Bachelors of Science in Brain and Behavioral Studies. His roles in our lab involve helping us store our EEG caps, and helping make our participants feel comfort and at ease!

Student Research Assistants

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.