Peter Mende-Siedlecki
Lab Director
Peter received his BA from Columbia University, his PhD from Princeton University, and his postdoctoral training at NYU. When he isn't rooting for Minnesota sports teams or going on and on about how great the Upper West Side of Manhattan is, Peter takes a dynamic, multi-level approach to interactions between social perception, social cognition, and social identity.
yanzi Huang
Graduate Student
Yanzi received a BS in Applied Psychology from Hong Kong Baptist University with first-class honor in 2018, and an MA in Experimental Psychology from NYU in 2020. They then worked at Purdue University as the lab manager of the Social Cognition of Social Change Lab (PI: Dr. Erin Hennes) from 2020 to 2021 and as a project coordinator for a NIH-funded Project (PIs: Drs. Erin Hennes & Sean Lane) from 2021 to 2022. Their research centers on understanding antecedents and consequences of social perception. Specifically, they examine 1) how top-down influences (e.g., stereotypes, ideologies) shape group-based social perceptions by biasing the perceptual and social cognitive processing of social categories, and 2) how such social perceptions contribute to prejudice, discrimination, and inequality across different contexts (e.g., workplace, healthcare). A key aspect of their work is its focus on under-examined social categories within psychology, such as intersectional identities and subgroups within broader categories (e.g., subgroups within Asian).
Gavin mullin
Graduate Student
Gavin received his BS in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Kansas in 2022. He is interested in how groups, identities, and person perception influence social behavior and decision-making, especially towards and within the LGBTQ+ community. Outside of the lab, you can find Gavin spending time with his two cats, playing video games, or engaging in anything art related (drawing, painting, drag, photography).
Undergraduate Lab Manager
We are fortunate to have a dedicated and skilled Student Lab Manager who oversees daily lab operations, supports a variety of research activities, and ensures all lab operations runs smoothly. Currently, this role is held by:
Sadie Sieglen
Sadie is an undergraduate Psychology major with minors in Human Development and Family Sciences and Cognitive Science. She joined the lab her freshman year and has developed a strong interest in research. She plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology after graduating. In addition to her position as Lab Manager, Sadie is a Peer Support Specialist at Sean’s House where she provides Mental Health Support for the community. In her free time, Sadie enjoys reading, spending time in nature, and hanging out with her cats George and Jeeves.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
We have a truly fantastic team of talented undergraduate research assistants who work on various projects in the lab, with weekly duties ranging from creating new stimuli, to running behavioral participants, to assisting with data collection at the CBBI scanner next door. Right now, we're thrilled to have the following folks working with us:
LAB ALUMNI
graduate student alumni
Samantha Haas (4+1 Masters)
Sam obtained her BS in Neuroscience and BA in Psychology from the University of Delaware, and continued to earn her MS in Neuroscience working with the lab. Currently, she is a Clinical Science PhD student at the University of Delaware working in the Personality & Dysregulation Lab under the direction of Dr. Naomi Sadeh.
Alexis Drain (‘23)
Alexis obtained her PhD in social psychology at the University of Delaware. She received her BA from Cal State Fullerton, where she researched how eyebrows contribute to face recognition. Her research interests focus on understanding intergroup conflict. She is always listening to a podcast and looking for new plants to nurture.
Azaadeh Goharzad (‘23)
Azaadeh obtained her PhD in social psychology at the University of Delaware. She is interested social perception, specifically how group identities inform impression formation as well as the behavioral and structural consequences of these impressions. She now works as a scientific software engineering generalist at the Child Mind Institute.
Secondary graduate student alumni
Robert Backer (‘22)
Robert obtained his PhD in psychology at University of Delaware, studying social neuroscience. His research interests are inspired by identity, as it interacts with dynamic psychological processes, having implications for wellbeing. He received his Master's in psychology from UPenn, and prior to his research career, ran a professional coaching practice spanning New York and Philadelphia. Currently, he is now a medical student at Penn State College of Medicine with a focus in Psychiatry.
Lab Manager and post-bac Alumni
Natalie Medico
Natalie managed the Mende-Siedlecki lab from 2021-2023 while an undergraduate at UD. During her time, she managed an fMRI study focusing on racial bias in pain perception, as well as an independent project on impression-updating. She currently works as a Research Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh studying the development of affective disorders.
Patrick Reyes
Patrick is currently a social psychology PhD student and NSF GRFP recipient at Duke University where he works with Dr. Cristina Salvador. His research focuses on cultural neuroscience, and how sociocultural factors shape the brain and cognition.
Azar Tuerxuntuoheti
Azar is currently a social psychology PhD student at Rutgers University. He works with Dr. Gandalf Nicolas, and is interested in social cognition, group membership, bias and stereotyping, and face perception.
Jingrun Lin
Jingrun Lin is currently a clinical psychology PhD student at the University of Virginia working with Dr. James Coan . Her research interest focuses on emotion perception and regulation, and more particularly, perceiver- and target- level factors that shape pain experiences and perception.
Jennie (wen) Qu-Lee
Jennie managed the Mende-Siedlecki lab from 2016 to 2018. She is currently a PhD student at NYU, where she works with Dr. Emily Balcetis. Jennie's research interests range from the psychological and neurocognitive mechanisms of impression forming to intergroup decision-making. website
Research Assistant Alumni
Eryn Cohen
Livi Calais
Javier Cruz-Mendoza
Theresa Miller
Ava Storz
Aliya Williams
Olivia Stibolt ('18) is a cognitive neuroscience PhD student at Florida International University studying in the Neural Dynamics of Control Lab (PI: Dr. George Buzzell).
Sloan Ferron ('19) is a clinical research coordinator at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
Dani Schwartz ('19) is currently a User Experience Researcher.
Christine Bockrath (‘23) is working as a medical assistant.
Erika Burley
Amanda Campanaro
Cara Crosby
Lauren Davis
Aislinn DeSieghardt
Edoardo Frezza
Chris Gibbons
Grace Gleason
Ella Grey Hammock
Taylor Hayslip
Nicole Kozak
Alex Klysa
Jessica Logozio
Kailyn Maull
Dustin Prusisz
Paula Salvador
Olivia Spitz
Cherry Tomatsu
Leana Owens
Bria Turner
Daysi Torres-Vanegas
Camryn Isaksen
Abeer Jafil
Sophia Crisomia
Katelyn Ohl
Ogechi Okorie
Julian Urbina
Amanda Bowman
Erica Grening