Dr. Karen Smith, PhD

Email: karen.e.smith@rutgers.edu

CV

Dr. Karen Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Rutgers, Newark and Director of the Stress Psychophysiology and Affective Neuroscience (SPAN) Lab.

Dr. Smith earned both her B.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Chicago. Following her graduate studies, she spent four years conducting research as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This training provided her with the ability to integrate theoretical and methodological perspectives across fields, including psychophysiology, affective neuroscience, developmental psychology, and genetics. Together this allows her to utilize a multi-level multi-disciplinary approach to examine the biological and psychological mechanisms underlying differences in individuals’ responses to stress, especially stress occurring in early childhood. Dr. Smith’s broader goal with this research is to provide insight into the mechanisms through which stress shapes development across the lifespan that can be used to inform more targeted and effective interventions.

Mary Mousa

Email: msm299@newark.rutgers.edu

Mary is a Ph.D student in the Psychology department at Rutgers Newark. She earned her B.A. from Rutgers Newark majoring in Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience. Afterwards she accepted a position of a post baccalaureate MBRS “PREP” Fellow in the Delgado lab at Rutgers Newark.

Her research interests include understanding the mechanisms of stress and its relation to various cognitive performance and behavioral outcomes across different stages of development. With her background from the Computational Cognitive Development lab and the Delgado Lab, Mary possesses a wide variety of skills and knowledge relating to different areas of psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

Katie Archer

Email: ka651@psychology.rutgers.edu

Katie holds a MA in Psychology from NYU and a BA in Psychology from Lehman College. Her research interests include the development of episodic memory, how failures of attention impact memory and learning, and how environmental factors such as stress impact learning and memory. She previously worked in the NYC Public schools for 10 years as a paraprofessional, her background in education brings a valuable perspective of the real-world application of the impact of stress in a learning environment.

Yebin Won

Email: yw1322@scarletmail.rutgers.edu

Yebin is a Master’s student in the Psychology department at Rutgers Newark. She earned her B.A. from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, double majoring Economics and Italian Language. Her research interests include how socioeconomic factors impact emotional development and decision-making process. With her economic background, Yebin brings a unique perspective to explore complex interaction between economic variables and psychological outcomes.

Arianna Serra

Email: ajs652@scarletmail.rutgers.edu

Graduated Spring 2023

Major: Psychology

Minor: Cognitive Neuroscience

Arianna graduated from Rutgers Spring ’23, and has been a research assistant in the lab for a few months. Ever since she took Dr. Smith’s course, “Stress and the Social Brain,” in her final semester, she quickly became interested in stress mechanisms and the variability in the human experience of stressors, as well as coping and resilience. Arianna is currently participating in the Post-Baccalaureate Research Experience Pilot (PREP) program to gain more research experience before applying to PhD programs.

Isabella Hill

Expected graduation: Spring 2028

Major: Psychology

Isabella became involved with the SPAN lab due to her experience with children and interest in
how stress relates to factors that affect the development of children. Her post graduation goal is
to do neuropsychological testing of children and adolescents. She is interested in cognitive
development and the many factors which contribute to stress responses

Anais Geronimo Jimenez

Student at Hamilton College. Expected Graduation: Spring 2025: Major: Psychology Minors: Sociology and Art. Anais chose the SPAN lab because she is interested in how social factors influence people’s developmental trajectories.

Hi, my name is Anais Geronimo Jimenez! I am an undergraduate at Hamilton College, majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology and art. I am joining the SPAN Lab through an NSF-funded internship for the REU program. After graduation, I am interested in going to a PhD or master’s program that focuses on both social and developmental psychology.

Drishti Khanna

Gaby Rivera Martinez

Expected Graduation: Spring 2026

Major: Psychology

Minor: Social Justice (HLLC)

Gaby chose the SPAN Lab due to her experience working with children from diverse communities, which ignited her curiosity about factors influencing stress and the development of stress as children age. Gaby also has an interest in mood disorders in children. Her post-graduation goal is to pursue Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Sabrina Nguyen

My name is Sabrina Nguyen and I am a senior at Rutgers pursuing a neuroscience degree under a pre med track. I have always been fascinated by the advancement of technology and medicine and the ongoing research in these fields. Specifically, I am interested in understanding why humans behave a certain way and how those behaviors affect us. Some of my accomplishments include making Deans List and being a recipient of the Big Shoulders Fund Scholarship. Outside of school, I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family, sometimes going out to try new foods and explore different areas of the city. However, when I’m at home, I enjoy watching shows or playing tetris.

Kiarah Quijandria

My name is Kiara Quijandria and I am a senior at Rutgers-Newark! My major is in Psychology while my minor is in Cognitive Neuroscience. After graduating this May I intend on attending graduate school to pursue my Master’s and eventually PhD. Some of my other hobbies include reading books, watching movies, and spending time with my family!

Alexis Rosario

Rutgers University–Newark freshman, currently part of the Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC). I am majoring in Psychology with a minor in Social Justice and pursuing a Pre-Med track. My goal is to become a psychiatrist and attend medical school. My research interests focus on understanding anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depressive moods. Outside academics, I enjoy going to the gym, reading novels, playing video games, and writing poetry. At Rutgers, I am actively involved in the LSAMP organization as part of their Social Relations Committee and the Rutgers Health Promotion Division, where I work as a Peer Educator engaging with the campus community. During high school, I was a member of the Union City High School HOSA club, where I had the opportunity to compete in the International Conference in Houston, Texas, representing New Jersey. I earned an international placement for the state in the competition.

Katherine Tume

Expected Graduation: Spring 2025

Major: Psychology

Minors: Marketing, Health and Society

Katherine chose the SPAN lab because she was interested to learn more about the neurological aspects of conducting psych related studies and it was a plus that it focuses on kids and their development with stress. She is interested in anxiety and mood disorders, specifically in children and adolescents. She is curious to see the factors that contribute to developing these disorders, how much of an impact parents have, and ways to treat it such as CBT. Katherine hopes to pursue a clinical PHD and eventually have her own practice. In her free time, Katherine loves to read, journal, photograph and explore different places in NYC!