Natasha ChakuNatasha Chaku is an assistant professor in the department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. Her core research interests involve understanding how puberty, specifically its timing and experience, can set youth on different cognitive and health trajectories, emphasizing that adolescent outcomes are multidetermined, person-specific, and the manifestation of their unique biopsychosocial context. To investigate these questions, she uses intensive longitudinal assessments (e.g., daily diary), physiological data collection (e.g., saliva), and behavioral assessments (e.g., neurocognitive testing) alongside secondary data analyses and community-orientated data collection (e.g., youth participatory action research) to better understand youth’s lived experiences.
CONTACT
Layla QureshiLayla Qureshi is an Indiana University graduate with bachelor degrees in Public Health and Neuroscience. Her professional research experience involves studying patterns of substance use and addiction in young women. She has focused specifically on alcohol and cannabis use risk factors. Her research interests include the impacts of trauma and stress on development and patterns of substance use. She hopes to gain more research expereicne and eventually apply to graduate programs that focus on the mind body interaction and the impact of it on mental and physical health outcomes. In her free time Layla loves to enjoy time outside, drink coffee, try new workout classes, cook plant based meals, and spend time with family and friends!
lqureshi@iu.edu
Ritika GandhiRitika Gandhi is the joint lab manager of the interACT Lab and the NICE Lab at Indiana University. She graduated from the University of South Carolina, where she received her B.S. in Experimental Psychology. Her research interests include the understanding of adolescent experiences and how it shapes adulthood. She hopes to explore and dive further into her research interests in her role as lab manager while working alongside and learning from like-minded individuals and professionals in the field. Outside of the labs, you can find Ritika at a workout class, trying a new coffee shop, or at home watching her favorite shows on Netflix!
rkgandhi@iu.eduMarianne Chirica is a fourth-year Clinical Science doctoral student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Ph.D. program at Indiana University. Marianne’s research broadly aims to identify potential risk and protective factors for anxiety and suicidal behavior, particularly among adolescents, in attempt to better understand and predict maladaptive outcomes. Using a developmental psychopathology framework, her research assesses various units of analysis across the lifespan, such as behavioral (i.e., self-harm behaviors), sociocultural (i.e., racial and ethnic differences) and biological (i.e., medications used) markers that interact both cross-sectionally and temporally to predict developmental trajectories. This work will ultimately help identify those at heightened risk for suicide and suggest potential targets for interventions. Before coming to IU in 2021, Marianne received her M.S. degree in Psychology: Clinical Counseling from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and is a licensed professional counselor. Mostly specializing in children with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Marianne has expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention, and is currently getting certified in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT). In her free time, Marianne loves going on long walks, spending time in coffee shops or book stores, and teaching Pure Barre fitness classes!
Zinah is a first-year doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program. Her research interests include investigating the effects of early life and adolescent experiences on socioemotional, psychobiological, and cognitive development. She is also curious about the effects of stress exposure on development during these stages of life. Developmental outcomes she wants to investigate include learning trajectories, academic achievement, and mental health and well-being. In her research, Zinah is interested in working with adolescents from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Taylor is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Science program. Her research interests focus on understanding how pubertal timing and changes in hormones influence psychological, neurological, and behavioral development across adolescences. She is also interested in examining how parent-child relationships and maternal depression play a role in this development. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her yorkie, Gwen, finding new paths to go for runs on, and reading crime novels.
Jasmine Bigelow is a second-year PhD student working with Dr. Natasha Chaku. Her research investigates the multifaceted dynamics of adolescent social development, focusing on the interplay between individual differences and the social environment. She is interested in how personal attributes and peer network dynamics and functions foster vulnerability to negative social development (e.g., aggression) and promote the facilitation of positive social development (e.g., prosociality). Ultimately, she hopes to apply her research in schools to support healthier and more positive adolescent social development. Apart from academia, Jasmine performs flute with the All-Campus band and plays pickleball with the Bloomington Pickleball Club.
Stewart Boring is a Sophomore majoring in Psychology with an interest in developmental psychology, neuroscience, and psychiatry. He is interested in the topic of how middle children develop in comparison to their siblings. He recently started the premed track and wants to go to medical school for psychiatry after graduating and receiving his bachelor's degree. Stewart enjoys creating and writing stories, reading books, playing trivia, and playing a variety of video games.
Lauren Lesko is a sophmore undergraduate studying Biology (B.A.) and minoring in Spanish. She is on the premedical track interested in how parenting styles and differing environments affect child development, language development, and how culture influences child development. Post-graduation she hopes to attend medical school to become a pediatrician. Lauren loves all aspects of art including painting, pottery, drawing, digital design, sewing, and crafting. She enjoys reading, playing guitar and piano, and paddleboarding in her free time.
Christopher Chang is a junior undergraduate student studying Clinical Psychology (B.S.) at Indiana University. Christopher is interested in mental health disorders and their treatments. He plans on going to graduate school and continuing his education after undergrad.
Violet Landrum is a senior undergraduate studying Clinical Psychology (B.S.) with a minor in Counseling. Violet is interested in how the structure of educational environments impact a child's instrinsic motivation for learning and how perceptions of self-efficacy might influence one's motivation to learn during later childhood. She is curious how families may play a role in fostering independent learning in early childhood. Outside of her time in the lab, Violet leads the aftercare program at Bloomington Montessori School, serves as a congressional chair in Indiana University's Student Government, and is a member of the ReWild club. She also loves to travel and is planning a road trip to Olympic National Park for summer of '25!
Rohma Khan is a Senior Undergraduate majoring in Clinical Psychology B.S. with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Rohma is interested in the evolution of children's behavior in relation to the environment, particularly the impact of how families/individuals interact with children and how this influences the child's behavior. Aside from being a Research Assistant at interACT Lab, she works as a crisis intervention specialist at Middle Way House and a Behavior Technician at Sunshine ABA. She enjoys spending her free time with her cat!
Riley Lindenmayer is a senior undergraduate majoring in Clinical Psychological Science with a minor Biology. Riley is interested in mental health disorders and plans to go to graduate school to become a mental health counselor with a specialization in anxiety and depression. Riley is interested in what the root bioloigical and environmental causes of mental health disorders are and how they interact with one another. In his free time, Riley likes to play basketball with his friends, watch movies on Netflix or listen to music.
Anvitha Vadlamudi is a senior undergraduate student majoring in Clinical Psychology with minors in Non-Profit Managament and Health Care Management and Policy. Anvitha is currently working on her honors thesis which aims to understand how how parents' mental health stigma can influence their children's help-seeking behaviors. Outside of being a research assistant for interACT lab, she serves as a logistics chair for Raas Royalty, works as an undergraduate teaching assisant, and volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters! In her free time, Anvitha enjoys baking sweet treats, watching reality TV, and reading books.
