People
Principle Investigator
Affiliated Faculty
David B. Miele, PhD
d.miele@bc.edu
Dr. David Miele is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology (CDEP) in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Dr. Miele graduated with a BA in philosophy from Columbia University and PhD in social psychology from Northwestern University, where he studied with Dan Molden and Wendi Gardner. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive psychology at Columbia University with Janet Metcalfe.
Gabe Avakian Orona, PhD
oronag@bc.edu
Gabe Avakian Orona is an Assistant Professor of Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. His research examines the cognitive and affective mechanisms underlying thinking and reasoning. He focuses particularly on how educational experiences shape epistemic cognition—the set of mental processes by which individuals construct, evaluate, and revise beliefs about knowledge, truth, justification, and evidence. Drawing on perspectives from educational and cognitive psychology, he investigates how learners reason under conditions of uncertainty and how educational environments support the development of intellectual virtues—the cognitive traits and critical thinking skills needed to override bias, reason effectively, and form accurate beliefs. His research employs experimental, longitudinal, and intervention-based designs to study these questions. His methodological interests include Bayesian multilevel modeling, measurement theory, and quantitative approaches to modeling cognitive processes..
Doctoral Students
Zainah Elsaid (she/her)
elsaidz@bc.edu
Zainah is a first-year doctoral student in the Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology program, and she is passionate about understanding how learners respond to challenges and how educational environments can support motivation and self-regulated learning. She earned her B.S. in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin and her M.A. in Cognitive Science in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her previous experience as an English Language Arts teacher in underserved high schools in Austin, Texas, shaped her interest in supporting students whose potential is often overlooked by traditional education systems. Zainah’s research interests center on how motivation and metacognition interact to shape learners’ responses to setbacks, and how evidence-based interventions can promote engagement and learning. Currently, she is studying feelings of compulsion in social media use among undergraduate students with the goal of identifying adaptive attitudes and behaviors when engaging with social media.
Cate Schultz
schultcg@bc.edu
Cate Schultz is a third-year doctoral student who is passionate about play, children’s mental health, and science learning. She majored in Psychology and Human Development and Family Science, with a minor in Conflict Management, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cate has worked to empower children in science learning in pediatrics at UNC Children’s Hospital (Wonder Connection), with asylum-seeking families in Denmark, and at Boys and Girls club after-school programming. Her previous research experience at the University of Cambridge PEDAL Center and the UNC Neurocognition and Imaging Research Lab focused on play as a coping method for children enduring adversity. She is interested in researching how to strengthen children’s self-esteem, self-efficacy, and motivation in STEM through evidence-based interventions.
Vishal Easwar
easwarv@bc.edu
Vishal is a third-year doctoral student in the ADEP Program. He received his B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Vishal is broadly interested in the intersection between educational psychology, cognitive psychology, and educational neuroscience — specifically, understanding how student motivation interacts with their metacognitive processes to influence their moment-to-moment and overall self-regulated learning. Currently, he is also investigating how educators’ beliefs about student attention and motivation affect their approach to classroom management.
Research Assistants
Abigail Fletcher
stonekq@bc.edu
Abigail is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Transformative Educational Studies & Applied Psychology and Human Development with a concentration in Policy, Advocacy, and Community Change, and a minor in Research, Evaluation, and Measurement. She is broadly interested in educational psychology, adolescent mental health, and civic & social justice education. Her previous research experience at The Center for School Behavioral Health at Massachusetts General Brigham includes examining the relationship between substance use and the development of mental health disorders in adolescents, and investigating substance use curriculum design intended to replace punitive discipline for students.
Chelsea Suarez
suarezck@bc.edu
With a deep interest in sociocultural values, national identity, and achievement, Chelsea explores how cultural and educational contexts shape understandings of success, identity, and learning. A double major in Applied Psychology & Human Development and Transformative Educational Studies at Boston College, she is particularly interested in how national and cultural identities influence achievement-related beliefs and aspirations, especially across Southeast Asian contexts. Her previous research has examined sociocultural pragmatism in Singapore’s public education system. Chelsea ultimately hopes to help young people develop a sense of purpose and a self-driven love for learning.
Ashley Kim
kias@bc.edu
Ashley is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Applied Psychology and Human Development at Boston College. With deep interests in behavioral neuroscience and social psychology in the educational field, Ashley has extensive experience working in a classroom setting, particularly as a TA under GO Project NYC. Under the MML lab, Ashley is currently working under the coding team for a study surrounding the work of educational psychology. Ashley is passionate in contributing to the field of psychiatry post-grad.
Yaxi (Rena) Fan
fanno@bc.edu
Rena is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Boston College, double majoring in Applied Psychology and Human Development and Studio Art, with a minor in Special Education. Her research interests focus on child and adolescent development, particularly how family relationships, sociocultural experiences, and educational environments shape individuals’ motivation, emotional well being, and sense of self. Ultimately, Rena hopes to integrate her interests in psychology, education, and the arts to support the academic and socioemotional development of children and adolescents.
Iris Lee
leefuz@bc.edu
Iris is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Applied Psychology and Human Development. Broadly, Iris is interested in how perceptions of socioeconomic mobility affect motivation and academic performance in students — especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. She is passionate about issues of economic inequality, applications of research to further justice, and student success outcomes. Outside of the lab, Iris enjoys playing the piano, watching movies, and cooking for her friends.
Aaron Dustin
dustina@bc.edu
Aaron is a full-time research associate at Boston College. He earned a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Maine and an M.A. in Criminal Justice at the University of Massachusetts. Aaron is interested in how beliefs (e.g., religion, ideology, worldview) affect reasoning processes, especially political reasoning and perceptions of social inequality. He is particularly interested in the conditions under which people overcome biases and revise inaccurate beliefs. He plans to apply for a PhD during the upcoming cycle.
Dr. Alexander S. Browman
Assistant Professor of Psychology at College of the Holy Cross
Dr. Andrew C. Butler
Associate Professor of Education at Washington University in St. Louis
Dr. Kristen Bottema-Beutel
Associate Professor of Special Education at Boston College
Dr. Bridgid Finn
Director, Behavioral Science at Fidelity Investments
Dr. Kentaro Fujita
Professor of Psychology at The Ohio State University
Dr. Elida Laski
Associate Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at Boston College
Dr. Abigail A. Scholer
Batten Family Bicentennial Distinguished Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the University of Virigina
Dr. Marina Vasilyeva
Associate Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at Boston College
Dr. Cristina Zepeda
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University
Post-doctoral Fellows
- Alex Browman is an associate professor in the Psychology Department at the College of the Holy Cross.
Doctoral Students
- Lindsey Caola is a former doctoral student who is currently a faculty lecturer in the Psychology Department at the College of the Holy Cross.
- Sidney May is a former doctoral student who is currently a research and evaluation associate at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice
- Meghan Jacobs is a former doctoral student who is currently works as a private math specialist.
- Tyrone Fleurizard is former doctoral student who is currently a program manager at Biohub, where he helps to fund scientists and projects using AI to understand human biology
- Katherine Muenks is a former doctoral student (when the MML Lab was at the University of Maryland) and one of the lab’s founding members. She is currently an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
- Shenira Perez is a former doctoral student who is currently an adjunct professor at Unity Environmental University.
- Emily Rosenzweig is a former doctoral student (when the MML Lab was at the University of Maryland). She is currently an associate professor in Developmental Psychology at Teachers College
- Chen Shen is a former doctoral student who is currently an Institutional Research Manager at Boston University
Lab Managers
- So-Yoon Kim managed the MML Lab for two years. She is currently a professor in the teacher education department at Duksung Women’s University.
Graduate Research Assistants
- Michael Diamond is a former graduate research assistant who is currently the Senior Manager of Audience Research and Insights at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston
- David Rhee is a former graduate research assistant who is currently is a Product Manager at Early Alert
- Declan Foley is a former graduate research assistant who currently works as a school counselor at St. John’s Preparatory School located in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
- Kate Stone is a former undergraduate research assistant who is pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Duquesne University
- Juyun (Sophie) Lee is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing (Direct Entry RN) student at Simmons University
- Ashley Dumais is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently a Child Access Assessor for the Harford County Government
- Helen Fagan is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently a Product Manager at The D. E. Shaw Group
- Allie Blaskowsky is a former undergraduate research assistant who went on to pursue pursue a graduate degree in speech-language pathology at Emerson College.
- Kristina Hancock is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently an Occupational Therapist at The Talcott Center for Child Development
- Gabriela Jimenez-Thompson is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently a Supervising Children’s Counselor at Reach Out and Read
- Clara (Yoon-Shin) Lee is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently a Senior Account Manager at Guild Education
- Camille McCobb is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently an In-Home Therapy Clinician At North Suffolk Community Services
- Allison Pyo is a former undergraduate research assistant who is currently a Assistant Camp Director at Yleana Leadership Foundation
- Alex Sullivan is a former undergraduate research assistant and is currently a teacher at Edison Township Public Schools.
- Vivian Chuang is a former undergraduate research assistant and is currently working as an Senior Assurance Associate at EY