People
Current Team
Andrew J. Fuligni, Ph.D.
Director
Andrew is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. He also is Co-Executive Director of the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. Receiving his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan, he was a recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Boyd McCandless Award for Early Career Contribution to Developmental Psychology, a William T. Grant Faculty Scholars Award, a FIRST award from NICHD, and he is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.
Jasmine Lynn Diaz
Assistant Research Coordinator
Jasmine is the assistant research coordinator for a study of behavioral interventions to improve sleep in early college students. Her research interests include how social and emotional processes influence mental and physical health across adolescent development. Outside the lab, she enjoys surfing, teaching yoga, and hiking.
Francesca De Geronimo
Doctoral Student
Francesca is a doctoral student in developmental psychology. She is interested in understanding how biological and social processes interact to shape developmental trajectories during adolescence. Her research focuses on the role of pubertal development in influencing behaviors and mental health.
Jasmine Hernández
Doctoral Student
Jasmine is a doctoral student in developmental psychology. She studies cultural and environmental influences on behavior and brain development during adolescence. She utilizes multimodal methods (e.g., behavioral, fMRI) to investigate prosocial and risk taking behavior in youth from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Ann Nguyen
Administrator
Ann keeps things running smoothly here in the Lab and beyond. She is known for her management skills, insights and grace under pressure. Ann additionally serves as the Center Administrator for the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent and is a lifelong UCLA Bruin.
Ava Trimble
Doctoral Student
Ava is a doctoral student in developmental psychology. She is interested in how adolescents’ interpersonal relationships influence their social development, psychological well-being, and physical health. Her research also aims to examine the influence of diverse cultural and ecological contexts on relationship processes.
Amal Aboumerhi
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Amal is a Psychobiology major passionate about adolescence and mental health. She volunteers at a transcranial magnetic stimulation clinic and has studied neurodegenerative diseases. She enjoys yoga, organizes food drives, and records episodes for her pre-med podcast, Future MDs, Current Messes.
Rimi Bhoopalam
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Rimi is a UCLA undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Film/TV. She’s particularly interested in clinical psychology and exploring how psychological concepts can be applied creatively to the film world. Outside of the lab, she can be found cafe-hopping, playing guitar, or watching movies/tv shows!
Vincent Li
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Vincent is a first year undergraduate Psychobiology major interested in clinical work. In his free time, he enjoys binging Studio Ghibli movies and playing story games with friends and family.
Owen Pentz
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Owen is a third year Philosophy and Psychology double major interested in how physical ailments influence mental health. Outside the lab, he can be found taking yoga classes, on walks, or exploring a new national park.
Elaine Xu
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Elaine Xu is a third-year Psychology major at UCLA. She is interested in the intersection of brain dynamics and group differences. She joined the lab to learn more about development psychology. Outside of the lab, she plays tennis, experiments with different recipes and listens to music.