Current Members:

Patricia Xi

Patricia Xi is the lab manager of the Neuroscience of Decision Making Lab. She is from Beaverton, OR. Patricia is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Applied Cognitive Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include memory and aging, cognitive aging, and exercise and aging. In her spare time, Patricia enjoys cooking, baking, and sleeping!  

Lukas Klapatch

Lukas Klapatch is a first year Applied Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. student attending Claremont Graduate University. He is from Leominster, MA and is very interested in research involving Psychology and Law. His research interests include memory and aging, decision-making, signal detection theory, eyewitness memory, and marketing research. In his spare time he enjoys relaxing at coffee shops, hiking, and traveling.

Joshua Paul

Joshua Paul is a PhD student in the Social Psychology program of Claremont Graduate University. He holds an MA in Social Psychology and Evaluation from CGU and a BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, Annapolis. His research interests include the interactions between social biases and motivational processes and the applications of these principals to decision-making and health disparities.

Alice Mullin

Alice Mullin is a senior Psychology major and Media Studies minor at Scripps College. She is originally from Los Olivos, CA. She is very interested in all things research-related and hopes to get her doctorate in Clinical Psychology and eventually begin working as a therapist. In her free time, Alice enjoys binge-watching Netflix, hanging out with dogs, and reading. 

Sana Sra

Sana Sra is a Psychology Major and Economics Minor at Scripps College. Originally from India, Sana aims to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology. Her interests lie in understanding the relationship between Trauma and Memory and specifically focusing on the Neuropsychology of Clinical Disorders. In her free time, you can find her acting, cuddling with her pets or taking part in a multitude of physical activities. She intends to return to India to take on the daunting task of de-stigmatizing mental illnesses and providing help to the under-privileged and the Acid Attack survivors with whom she has worked since 2014. 

Past Members:

Pi-Ju (Marian) Liu

Pi-Ju (Marian) Liu recently received her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. She was previous the lab manager and now serves as the statistical consultant for the Neuropsychology of Decision Making Lab. Receiving the ethnic minority dissertation fellowship at University of San Francisco in fall 2013, she currently teaches an elder mistreatment class at USF. Her passion to work with older adults started with volunteering in an elderly day care center in Taiwan. The experience shared with older adults led her to the field of psychology and gerontology. Her master thesis examined age differences in Medicare decision-making and choice preference, and her dissertation investigated risk and protective factors of elder financial exploitation. In addition to elder abuse, aging and decision making, her research interests include cognitive and emotional development across the lifespan, wisdom, empathy, and attachment.

Becca Shope

Becca Shope hails from Zionsville, Indiana, and is thoroughly fascinated by the brain. Becca enjoys the great outdoors paired with a nice, rejuvenating drink from the Motley Coffeehouse. In her free time you can find Becca rock climbing, drinking coffee, and basking in the sun. During Spring, 2015 Becca will be studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Caroline Davis

Caroline Davis worked in Dr. Wood’s lab as a Research Assistant for one year. Caroline recently interned at the psychological ward at Children’s Hospital in Washington D.C. in addition to working closely with Dr. Wood in her private practice. Caroline is very interested in the clinical field, and hopes to pursue a doctorate degree, specifically a PsyD.

Caroline Joyce

Caroline Joyce is originally from Wellesley, MA. She is extremely interested in the statistical analysis side of research. Additionally, she is interested in studying how health factors, such as lack of exercise, can contribute to cognitive decline. In her free time Caroline enjoys running, reading, and traveling as much as she can.

Emily Roizin

Emily Roizin  is from Lexington, Massachusetts, but prefers living in sunny California. She wrote her senior thesis on the effects of obscenity in television on child development. Besides working in Dr.Wood’s lab, Emily enjoys running, baking, and reading.

Laurel Kitada

Laurel Kitada is originally from South Pasadena, CA. She is interested in studying how protective factors, such as social support and social participation, may prevent financial elder abuse, in addition to other topics in social and developmental psychology. In her free time, Laurel enjoys cooking, baking, paper-crafting, and playing the piano.

Nina Pearce

Nina Pearce is interested in how psychology & medicine interact and how conscious and unconscious choices may lead to health or disease. Her other areas of interest include neuropharmacology & neuropsychology. She has been working in Dr. Wood’s lab since 2012. She enjoys working with older adults and being part of a rapidly developing field of research. In her free time she enjoys hiking, photography & going to the beach. She is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Sarah Williams

Sarah Williams is from Pleasanton, California. Sarah’s interests are primarily within the fields of geriatrics and financial literacy. She has a passion for helping people, and through psychology hopes to better understand the way the human brain operates, and eventually go in to diagnostic work. She also enjoys traveling, international food, meeting new people, reading, and of course working in Dr. Wood’s lab!

Warren Szewezyk

Warren Szewczyk is interested in pursuing a career in clinical neuropsychology in order to research and treat mild-to-moderate mental disorders using cognitive-behavioral therapy instead of pharmacological intervention. In his spare time, he writes spoken word poetry and a science column for Pomona’s student newspaper.

Kristi Sun

Kristi Sun is originally from Cupertino, California, and hopes to return to the Bay Area for grad school. When she isn’t doing research, she enjoys writing for The Claremont Port Side as its Campus Editor and going to concerts.