Dr. Jackie Nelson

Dr. Nelson, the director of the Family Research Lab, is an associate professor of psychology at The University of Texas at Dallas. She earned her BA in psychology from Elon University and her PhD in human development and family studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Dr. Nelson studies emotional family processes from a systems perspective, recognizing that family members and relationships are interconnected. Specifically, she is interested in parent-child relationships, how mothers and fathers influence one another’s parenting practices, negative spillover of family stress, parents’ beliefs and socialization of children’s emotion, and children’s social-emotional development.

Tianna Bolger

Tianna graduated with a BS in psychology from UT Dallas and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in human development and early childhood disorders. Her future goals include earning a PhD in psychology and conducting research on how varying socioeconomic statuses impact different aspects of child development. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games, her favorite series is Legend of Zelda!

Camille Delfosse

Camille graduated from Cal Poly, SLO, with a BS in psychology and minors in child development and statistics. She is working towards her PhD in the Family Research Lab and is interested in researching early childhood social development and parenting.

Neha Gholap

Neha graduated from Amity university with a BA in applied psychology and a MS in clinical psychology. She joined the lab in the Fall of 2022 and is working towards her PhD. Her research interests include understanding the effect of different family dynamics on child development and social and emotional processes in children.

Neneh Jallow

Neneh graduated from Georgia State University with a BS in psychology and is currently enrolled at UT Dallas pursuing a MS in psychology and is interested in researching familial structures as they relate to future romantic relationships.

Emma Marom

Emma graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BA in psychology and a minor in social sciences. She is currently enrolled in UT Dallas’ master’s program in psychology. Her research interests include socio-emotional childhood development and neurodivergence in childhood relationships.

Kelsey Trogden

Kelsey graduated from Texas State University with a psychology BA and a sociology minor. She is working towards an MS in psychology starting in Fall 2024. She hopes to further her studies and obtain a PsyD researching socio-emotional development related to family structures.

Eva Armstrong

Eva is currently completing her BS double degree in psychology and child learning development with a minor in Spanish. She is working toward preparing her master’s program application in human development and early childhood disorders. Her research interests include early child psychopathology and cultural family dynamic differences.

Alvee Choudhury

Alvee Choudhury is currently an undergraduate psychology student at The University of Texas at Dallas with an interest in how family dynamics shape learning and behavior. In his free time, Alvee enjoys playing soccer with his friends and watching TV. His favorite team is FC Barcelona and his favorite shows are Ao Ashi and Black Clover.

Ashtyn Lansdell

Ashtyn is working towards a double BS in child learning and development and psychology. She joined the lab in the Fall of 2025. Her research interests include understanding the effect of different family dynamics on the development of children specifically their social emotional development.

Saba Mulugeta

Saba Mulugeta is a sophomore healthcare studies major at The University of Texas at Dallas on the pre-med track. She hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in family medicine. Her research interests include, but are not limited to, child development and the social and emotional factors that impact health and well-being.

Diya Rawat

Diya is currently pursuing a bachelor of science in biology with a minor in psychology at UT Dallas. As a pre-med student, she has recently discovered a passion for psychology and the study of the human mind. Diya aspires to become a pediatric surgeon where she can dedication her life to improving those of young patients. A fun fact about her is that she is an anime enthusiast!

Olivia Riju

Olivia Riju is a junior psychology major and neurobiology minor at UT Dallas on the pre-med track. She has a strong interest in child development and social psychology. Outside of research, she works as a medical scribe and volunteers as an EMT on campus. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, singing, shopping, and exploring new cafes.

Rabiya Rizvi

Rabiya is an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Dallas completing her pre-medical coursework. Her research interests include child development, childhood autism, neuroscience, and socio-emotional processes in children, and she plans to pursue medical school to become a pediatric physician.

Mengmeng Zhang

Mengmeng is a senior child learning and development major at The University of Texas at Dallas. She is interested in clinical psychology and counseling, particularly in children’s development and well-being, and is planning to pursue graduate study in this field.

Zoe Francisco, MS

Zoe graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a double BS in neuroscience and psychology and an MS in human development and early childhood disorders. She aims to obtain a doctoral degree in child psychology and investigate the links between language development and family relationships. Outside of the lab, she spends her time solving puzzles and creating with her hands.