People
Principal Investigator
Carolyn B. Mervis, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Scholar and Professor
Research Associates
Research Associate, Senior
View my CV here
Graduate Students
Experimental PhD Student
“I am a graduate student in Experimental Psychology Ph.D. with a focus on neurodevelopmental disorders. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, Canada with a specialization in Neuroscience and Genome Biology. My current research interests include genotype-phenotype relations in the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of children with Williams syndrome.”
Vitor Neves Guimaraes
Experimental PhD Student
vitor.nevesguimaraes@louisville.edu
Kaelin Kinney
Experimental PhD Student
Research Analysts
Research Analyst
Research Analyst
Research Analyst
Alumni
Our work would be impossible without the wonderful people that have joined our team throughout the years. Below is a picture featuring some of our alumni, current staff members, and current graduate students.
From left to right (Ca. 2017): Jen Speak (alumni), Adam Moseley (research analyst), Myra Huffman (Ph.D. graduate), Juliana Eovino (alumni), Carolyn Mervis (principal investigator), Angela Becerra (senior research associate), Holley Pitts (Ph.D. graduate), Caroline Greiner de Magalhaes (Ph.D. graduate), and Marinie Joseph (graduate student).
Ph.D. Graduates from the Neurodevelopmental Sciences Lab
C. Holley Pitts Arnold, Ph.D. 2022
Self-regulation in young school-aged children with Williams syndrome (Dissertation title)
Dr. Pitts Arnold (Ph.D.) currently serves as a postdoctoral fellow with the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Lab at the University of South Carolina. Her ResearchGate profile can be accessed here.
Caroline G. Richter (Greiner de Magalhães), Ph.D. 2021
Literacy abilities of children and adolescents with Williams syndrome (Dissertation title)
Dr. Richter (Ph.D.) currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She is the founder and director of the STARS lab associated with the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
Myra Huffman, Ph.D. 2019
Speech Articulation in children with Williams syndrome or 7q11.23 duplication syndrome (Dissertation title)
Dr. Huffman (Ph.D.) currently serves as an adjunct professor for Bellarmine University's Department of Psychology.
Danielle Henderson, Ph.D. 2017
Interaction Style of Mothers of Young Children with Williams Syndrome and Relations with Child Expressive Vocabulary (Dissertation title)
Dr. Henderson (Ph.D.) currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Diversity Affairs at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Angela Becerra, Ph.D. 2016
Patterns of Early Lexical and Gestural Development in Children with Williams Syndrome (Dissertation title)
Dr. Becerra (Ph.D.) currently serves as a Senior Research Associate with the Neurodevelopmental Sciences Lab at the University of Louisville.
Nicole Zelli, Ph.D. 2013
Anxiety in children with Williams syndrome: Association with negative reactivity, self-regulation, and sensory modulation (Dissertation title)
Dr. Zelli (Ph.D.) currently works as an independent consultant and behavioral scientist.
Angela John-Thurman, Ph.D. 2011
The Regulatory Function of Social Referencing in Preschoolers with Down Syndrome or Williams Syndrome (Dissertation title)
Dr. John-Thurman (Ph.D.) currently works as an Assistant Professional Researcher with the Laboratory on Language Development in Neurodevelopmental Disorders at UC Davis, MIND Institute.
Ovsanna Leyfer, Ph.D. 2007 (Committee co-chaired with Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D.)
Anxiety Disorders in Children with Williams Syndrome, Their Mothers, and Their Siblings: Implications for the Etiology of Anxiety Disorders (Dissertation title)
Dr. Leyfer (Ph.D.) currently works as a Research Assistant Professor with the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston College.
Melissa "Missy" Rowe, Ph.D. 2007
Mastery Motivation in Young Children with Williams Syndrome or Down Syndrome (Dissertation title)
Jamie Edgin, Ph.D. 2003 (Denver University; Committee co-chaired with Bruce Pennington, Ph.D.)
The Role of Executive Functions and Long-Term Memory in the Cognitive Profiles of Mental Retardation Syndromes: Evidence from Down Syndrome and Williams Syndrome (Dissertation title)
Dr. Edgin (Ph.D.) currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech.
Bonnie Klein-Tasman, Ph.D. 2000 (Emory University)
Distinctive Personality and Behavioral Characteristics of 8-, 9-, and 10-Year-Old Children with Williams Syndrome (Dissertation title)
Dr. Klein-Tasman (Ph.D.) currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She also directs the Child Neurodevelopment Research Lab and the UWM Child Assessment Clinic.