Stefen Beeler-Duden

Stefen Beeler-Duden is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Neurology at the University of Virginia. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minor in Anthropology, where he studied the impact of emotions, sensory processing, and oxytocin on altruistic behavior. He then earned a Master’s degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Boston University, focusing on the neurobiological, cognitive, and emotional underpinnings of social decision-making. Next, Stefen completed his PhD at UVA, where his research extended into the socioemotional development of children, exploring themes such as empathy, gratitude, and cognitive processes shaping social behaviors. During his time at UVA, he also developed expertise in neuroimaging methods, studying the neural correlates of empathy and social motivation in developmental contexts.

Currently, Stefen works primarily with Dr. Kevin Pelphrey at UVA, where he is part of the Center for Healthy Brain Development. In the VAIL, Stefen is collaborating on research projects that explore the insula’s involvement in interoceptive processing in autistic individuals and how variations in gut-brain communication may influence socioemotional development decision-making. Broadly, he is interested in the neurobiological underpinnings of emotional and social development, focusing on the complex relationship between brain, body, and emotions across the lifespan.

In addition to science, Stefen enjoys knitting/crocheting, reading fantasy and science fiction books, being in nature (hiking, camping & kayaking), and keeping a toddler alive and entertained.

Lauren Beliveau

Lauren is a rising second year PhD student in the Social Psychology program at UVA who works primarily with Dr. MacCormack. She graduated from Elon University in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Peace and Conflict Studies where she studied parenting and youth emotion regulation. She then worked at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center where she studied pain and aging in special populations. Lauren is interested in affect, interoception, and self-regulation. Outside of work, you can find her doing yoga, watching Grey’s Anatomy, discovering new places, and shopping local.

Tehya Drummond

Tehya is an incoming first year PhD student in the Social Psychology program at UVA who works primarily with Dr. MacCormack. She completed a B.S. in Behavioral and Social Sciences at North Carolina Central University and an A.A. in Teaching at the University of Hawai'i. Prior to coming to UVA, she worked in numerous research settings at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill including the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Most recently, Tehya worked as a project coordinator in the Cohen Lab in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC. She is broadly interested in the brain-body pathways linking interoception and social-affective and cognitive processes, and how this may contribute to health disparities. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting, making quilts, reading, and playing pickleball!

Jingrun Lin

Jingrun is a fifth year Clinical Psychology PhD student in the Department of Psychology at UVA. She graduated from Boston College in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology where she studied theory of mind in social context. She then worked as a lab coordinator with Dr. Peter Mende-Siedlecki at the University of Delaware, Department of Psychology, focusing on pain perception and inter-group processes. Currently, she works primarily with Dr. James Coan (link to lab website: https://affectiveneuroscience.org/) at UVA. In the VAIL, Jingrun is collaborating on projects focusing on social proximity and health through a multi-level approach. More generally, she is interested in understanding why people like to be around other people, and its link to mental and physical health. In her free time, Jingrun enjoys hiking, trying new restaurants, board games, reading, and cooking for friends.

Emma Stephenson

Emma is an incoming first year PhD student in the Social Psychology program at UVA who works primarily with Dr. MacCormack. She completed her B.S. in Psychological Sciences and M.S. in Experimental Psychology as a fellow at William & Mary. She worked with Dr. Jennifer Stevens in the CogNeuro Lab examining neuroaesthetics and use of tactile information to perceive surrounding space. For her M.S. thesis, she examined how maternal interoception aids interpretation of children’s cardiac states and predicts emotion development. She is broadly interested in the interconnectedness of physiology and aesthetic experiences, interoception across the lifespan and wellbeing, dyadic interaction, and methods development. Beyond the lab, she loves staying active (especially outdoors), being with friends, enjoying music & movies, and eating really good food!

Kayden Stockwell

Kayden is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Developmental Psychology program at UVA. He graduated from Binghamton University in 2018 with bachelor's degrees in psychology and in human development where he studied the stigmatization of autistic college students. Before coming to UVA, Kayden served as the lab manager of the Binghamton Infant and Child Studies Project under Dr. Peter Gerhardstein. Currently, he works primarily with Dr. Vikram Jaswal (https://jaswallab.org/) at UVA. With the support of the VAIL, Kayden's dissertation focuses on the social regulation of physiological arousal in non-speaking autistic adults. More generally, he is interested in understanding the social experiences and relationships of autistic individuals. In his free time, Kayden can be found taking his cat Clancy for walks, listening to audiobooks and musical theatre tunes, and trying to find the time to play Dungeons and Dragons.

Grace Allen

Grace is a third year pursuing a Psychology major and Data Science minor at UVA. She is interested in how external factors can impact our internal emotions and neurological function. After graduating, Grace hopes to continue her education in a graduate program. In her free time, she enjoys camping, cooking, playing tennis, outdoor adventures, and music.

Sophia Asefi

Sophia is a third year Biostatistics major on the Pre-Med track at UVA. She is interested in how brain-body interactions and health relate to aging and interceptive development. After graduating, Sophia hopes to go to medical school and pursue a career as a trauma surgeon. In her free time, she loves to spend time outdoors, watching reality TV with her roommates, and cook new foods. 

Henry Becker

Bio forthcoming.

Char Camarota

Char is a fourth year psychology major at UVA. She is interested in understanding how beta blockers impact the removal of specific severe phobias. After graduating, Char hopes to continue research as a quantitative psychology in an academic setting. In her free time, she enjoys working as a transfer transition coach for the university as well as a math and science tutor.

Mackenzie Carlsten

Mackenzie is a first year majoring in Biology on the pre-medical track at UVA. She is interested in how the body’s physical conditions influence the mind’s stress levels, potentially revealing how humans can achieve improved mental well-being through physical changes. After graduating, Mackenzie hopes to enroll in medical school with the ultimate goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. In her free time, she enjoys going for relaxing runs around campus and watching movies with friends.

Helen Dunn

Bio forthcoming.

Nathan Ferns

Nathan is a third year Biology major at UVA. He is interested in the neural representations of interoception and cognition. After graduating, Nathan hopes to pursue medical school and continue research. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing soccer, and going on trips with friends.

Ava Fisher

Ava is a third year Psychology major and ASL minor at UVA. She is interested in researching how interoception varies across cultures, ages, and contexts. After graduating, Ava hopes to attend graduate school for Clinical Mental Health Counseling to later pursue a career as a Mental Health Therapist. In her free time, she enjoys reading, trying out new coffee shops, and going to the beach.

Gabrielle Flores

Gabrielle Flores is a third year majoring in an Echols interdisciplinary major involving psychology, chemistry, and global public health with a minor in history at UVA. She is interested in areas focused on visceral body-brain, specifically how psychological factors affect patient perception and health. After graduating, Gabrielle hopes to go to medical school and become an OBGYN or reproductive endocrinologist. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, photography, and tennis. 

Caroline Gilman

Caroline is a fourth year student at UVA who plans to major in biology on the pre-med track. In the VAIL, she is interested in how varying bodily states influence the brain and mind. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in pediatrics. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, hiking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Jay Kim

Jay is a fourth year psychology major at UVA. They are interested in variations in interoceptive processes between different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. After graduating, Jay hopes to either continue working in research labs or they will take some time to themselves before pursuing a Masters in Clinical Psychology. In their free time, Jay is either binging a new Gordon Ramsay show, singing with the Glee Club, or finding new renditions of Greek mythology to obsess over.

Abigail Koehler

Abigail is a third year Behavioral Neuroscience student at UVA. She is interested in studying interoception, and how stress affects behavior.  After graduating, Abigail hopes to work as a research assistant before applying to a clinical psychology program. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and reading murder mysteries.

Gianna Latorre

Gianna is a fourth year student Neuroscience student at UVA completing a Distinguished Majors Project in the VAIL. She is interested in the brain-body relationship, human behavior, and psychopharmacology. After graduating, Gianna hopes to pursue her PhD and ultimately a career in research. In her free time, she enjoys reading and taking care of her houseplants.

Amanda Lee

Mandy is a fourth year Cognitive Science major at UVA. In the VAIL, she is currently interested in studying brain-body relationships as it relates to stress and emotion in decision-making. After graduating, Mandy hopes to attend medical school. In her free time, she enjoys all things arts and crafts, spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, traveling, movie/game nights, and volunteering as an EMT in Charlottesville

Jessica Lee

Jessica is a third year Psychology major at UVA. She is interested in mind-body interactions, including interoception and idiopathic pain disorders, the impact of psychological states on metabolism, and the gut-brain axis. After graduation, she hopes to possibly pursue a PhD & a career primarily with patient care. In her free time, she likes to dance with friends, cook/bake, play tennis, and make jewelry.

Jeany Lin

Jeany is a second year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Economics at UVA. She is interested in how interoceptive senses change throughout human development and how that affects emotion, behavior and daily functioning. After graduating, Jeany hopes to go to graduate school to pursue clinical psychology. In her free time, Jeany enjoys playing tennis, reading, watching psychological movies/shows, and taking care of her succulent collection!

Jessica Lin

Jessica is a fourth year student pursuing either a Biology and Psychology double major or a neuroscience major with a minor in Entrepreneurship. In the VAIL lab, she is interested in studying interoception, how hunger affects the body, and neuroimaging. After graduating, she hopes to attend dental school and become an orthodontist. In her free time, she loves to spend time with family and friends, eat good food, volunteer at the UVA Dental Clinic, and picnic on the Lawn.

Emily Luong

Emily is a fourth year Neuroscience major at UVA. In the VAIL , she is interested in studying the brain-body relationship, specifically the interconnection between stress and the body. After graduating, Emily hopes to attend medical school and become a neurologist. In her free time, she enjoys Yelp recommendations, working out, traveling, going to concerts, and spending time with family and friends.

Mary Holland Mason

Mary Holland is a third year majoring in Neuroscience or Psychology at UVA. She is interested in studying the physiological interconnections of stress, emotion, and behavior. After graduating, she hopes to pursue graduate school for science. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and trying new Ben & Jerry’s flavors.

Izah Qureshi

Izah is a fourth year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Philosophy at UVA. She is interested in the concept of how bodily sensations and states can shape not just our emotions, but also our decision-making processes and social dynamics. After graduating, she hopes to pursue Psychology further and go to graduate school for Clinical or Counseling Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys playing chess, hanging out with her friends, and being with her Siberian Cat.

Samantha Reynolds

Samantha is a fourth year Psychology major on the Pre-Med track at UVA. She is interested in investigating how the awareness of the body affects one's decision making. After graduating, Samantha plans to further her education and attend medical school to pursue a career in pediatric psychiatry. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar, cooking, and spending time with her dog.

Abrielle Robare

Abrielle is a second year Cognitive Science and Behavioral Neuroscience double major at UVA. She is interested in the broader mind-body relationship, especially how bodily representations change over time. After graduating, Abrielle hopes to pursue higher education, likely in the medical field. In her free time, she enjoys performing and studying music, dancing, reading, and trying new foods.

Ryder Robins

Ryder is a third year student pursuing Neuroscience at UVA. He is interested in how the brain processes stimuli and stressors and the ways in which those influences are reflected. After graduating, Ryder hopes to attend medical school with the intention of pursuing sports medicine. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, listening to music, and being with friends.

Emma Shin

Emma is a third year at UVA majoring in Psychology. She is interested in the relationship between hunger and emotions, and the role that physiological states play in affecting one's actions. After graduating, she hopes to go to medical school and become a dermatologist. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with friends.

Mason Stefanelli

Mason is a 3rd year cognitive science major and chemistry minor at UVA. He is interested in the processing of specific stressors and the neural pathways associated with that processing. After graduating, Mason hopes to attend medical school and is particularly interested in the fields of orthopedics and cardiology. In his free time, Mason enjoys reading, fishing, and listening to music.

Walker Wright

Walker is a fourth year Psychology major and Statistics minor. He is interested in the factors that affect humans' well-being and capacity for self-regulation. In the VAIL, Walker is completing a Distinguished Majors Project (DMP) in Psychology investigating the connection between hunger and measures of self-regulation. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology by becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). In his free time, he bodybuilds, hikes, and goes to church.

Fluffles

Fluffles is a research consultant for the VAIL, with expertise in eating behaviors. As a gourmand, he is open to tasting any food or even things that might be food. But he is especially partial to cheese and plants. When not assisting with research, he enjoys long naps, co-cooking, being babied by his family, and learning how to speak squirrel. His favorite game is hide-and-seek.

Foxy

Foxy is a research consultant for the VAIL, with expertise in social anxiety and social attachment. As a gentle soul, he is anxious around strangers and dogs but deeply bonded with his family. When not assisting with research, he spends his time avidly watching birds, having vocal conversations with his family, and staying fit through recreational gymnastics. His favorite game is playing fetch with special toys.