Principal Investigator
MELANIE SPENCE, PHD
The Infant Learning Project is conducted by Melanie J. Spence, PhD. She received MA and PhD degrees from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is currently a professor and associate dean of undergraduate education in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas. Her research includes findings that newborn infants recognize speech properties and the mother’s voice heard during the last weeks of pregnancy. Her more recent published work has shown that 6-month-old infants detect differences in intonation patterns used by adults to communicate different meanings to babies, such as expressing approval or comfort. Current work in the lab explores infants’ perception of emotional messages communicated by both infant-directed speech and facial expressions.
Current Undergraduate Students
NETHRA GIRI
Nethra is a senior majoring in cognitive science on the pre-med track. She joined the lab in the fall 2021. Outside of Lab, she is involved in AMWA, Active Minds, and Allies for Children. In her free time, she likes to bake, cook, and spend time with family and friends. After graduating, she is hoping to go to medical school and further pursue her aspirations of working with kids in the medical field.
PRANIYA JAKKAMSETTI
Praniya is a junior psychology major on the pre-med track. She has been involved in the Infant Learning Project since Fall 2022 and has worked on “Infants Perception of Humor”. She hopes to attend medical school in order to pursue a career in pediatrics. Her love for working with infants and children grew as she worked at the Children’s Medical Center, and she hopes to make an impact in the field of pediatrics. Additionally, she is part of a neuroscience lab here at UT Dallas. When not in school, she loves to dance and some of her favorite dance forms include ballet, Bharatanatyam, and contemporary.
ISHA KERE
Isha is a senior psychology major on the pre-med track. She enjoys working with children and is involved with the Play With Me program at CCF UT Dallas and volunteers at Children’s Health Hospital. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school and work in the field of pediatrics. Outside of the lab, Isha enjoys art, playing with her dog, and trying out new restaurants around DFW.
MARIB MALIK
Marib is a junior psychology major interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field. She joined the lab in fall 2023 due to her interest in infant and child development and would like to work with pediatric populations after graduation. Outside of lab, she is involved in several UTD organizations such as Bujo Buddies UTD, MannMukti UTD, and AMWA, and also volunteers at a psychiatry clinic and a local free clinic. In her free time, Marib enjoys listening to music, journaling, drawing, and baking.
LASYA MANNE
Lasya is a senior neuroscience major on the pre-med track with a psych minor. She is also involved in several clubs/organizations, including the American Medical Women’s Association and the Freshman Mentor Program. She is also a First Year Leader. After graduating from UT Dallas, she hopes to go to medical school and pursue a career in pediatrics. Outside of school, she enjoys running, editing videos, baking, watching Netflix, and hanging out with friends and family.
ISHA ROJANALA
Isha is currently a sophomore neuroscience major. She joined the lab in August of 2023. Apart from the lab, she is involved in Comets Read, UEMR, and American Medical Women’s Association. In her free time, she enjoys reading, and playing piano and guitar. She hopes to pursue a medical career after graduating from UTD.
PREETHI SETHURAMAN
Preethi is a sophomore neuroscience major on the research track. After graduation, she hopes to get her PhD and pursue a career in neuropsychology to work with all individuals. Outside of school she volunteers at Feed My Starving Children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, listening to music, and playing with her dogs.
Alumni
NAUREEN AMJAD
Naureen was doing her second master’s in the psychological sciences program. She has completed her bachelor’s in psychology, economics and sociology. She then went on to do her postgraduation in counseling psychology and did her applied behavior analysis certification as well. She is hoping to pursue a doctoral degree and eventually set up her own clinic to facilitate the treatment of children. She has also won awards from the United Nations for her artwork. She likes to listen to music, dance and try new restaurants in her free time.
KRISTEN KUHLMAN ATCHISON, PHD
Kristin received her PhD in psychological sciences from The University of Texas at Dallas. She graduated with a BS in psychology from Texas A&M University. Kristin is currently a lecturer here at UT Dallas, teaching courses in psychology and development. Kristin previously taught across the country at, California State University, East Bay, University of North Georgia, Nevada State College, and most recently at Georgia State University (GSU). At GSU, Kristin was a part of several teams that conducted research on successful teaching methods using technology. Kristin’s research as part of the ILP aimed to help us understand if infants can categorize emotions in infant-directed speech. Kristin’s dissertation research focused on the role of synchrony of the face and voice in infants’ categorization abilities.
HALEY DAVIS
Haley is a senior majoring in psychology with a cognitive science minor. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with hopes of becoming a clinical psychologist. Outside of the lab, she is also involved with the NeuroPsychometric Research Lab here at UT Dallas. Haley enjoys spending her time outside of school volunteering for a crisis line, hanging out with friends, and practicing yoga and hiking.
MARIAH FOWLER, MS
Mariah earned her associate degree from Arkansas State University and relocated to Texas in 2011. She earned her bachelor of science in psychology from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2013. She graduated with a master’s degree in psychological sciences in 2019 after several years in the master’s and doctoral programs. While at UT Dallas, Mariah’s research focus was infant facial scanning patterns within varied infant-directed speech messages.
Mariah is now a Clinical Research Coordinator and Regulatory Specialist at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, working in federally funded psychiatric clinical trials. Mariah’s role includes a specialty in regulatory monitoring and quality assurance. She aspires to grow into a long-term career at UTSW, working on psychiatric studies within the Clinical Trials Network and the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care.
MADELINE HALE
Madeline graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in speech-language pathology and audiology and neuroscience in the spring of 2021. She completed her honors thesis in the lab titled, “Acoustic Properties of Infant-Directed Speech in Video Chat Versus In-Person Interactions.” In the fall, Madeline will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a combined MS/PhD in speech-language pathology. Her research will focus on the cognitive-communication changes found in normal aging and in neurodegenerative disease, specifically focusing on Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Outside of school Madeline enjoys traveling and trying new foods.
ISA HERNANDEZ
Isa is a senior double majoring in psychology and child learning and development at UT Dallas. She has been involved with the Infant Learning Project since January 2021 and has served as a lab manager since August 2022. She is currently working on her undergraduate honors thesis titled, “Monolingual Infants’ Perception of English and Spanish”. After her graduation this spring, she will attend a master’s program to continue her study of developmental science. She hopes to one day work closely with at-risk children and their families. Outside of the lab, Isa enjoys volunteering weekly with Readers 2 Leaders, spending time with friends and family, and playing with her cat.
DAVID HUGHES
David Hughes graduated from UT Dallas with a BS in speech-language pathology and audiology. He is currently attending graduate school in order to obtain an audiology doctorate at Rush University in Chicago. Beyond working in the lab, David enjoys musicals, traveling, and volunteering with family and child-oriented organizations.
PRISCILLA JACOB
Priscilla graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in psychology, and child learning and development, and an MS in psychological sciences. During her time at the lab, Priscilla completed an honors thesis titled, “Infants’ Eye-Tracking of Static and Dynamic Facial Expressions,” worked with multiple research projects, and was instrumental in the progress and success of the lab. Priscilla is now pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology at Texas A&M University where she will continue research in infant development and begin clinical work with children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders.
KAITLIN LAWLER
Kaitlin is a second-year student in the masters of psychological sciences program and is focusing on developmental psychology. She graduated with her bachelor’s of science in psychology from Southern Utah University in 2019. She’s been involved with the Infant Learning Project lab since 2020 and is serving as one of two lab managers. After graduation, she is hoping to pursue a career in early childhood intervention or youth rehabilitation. When not in class or working in the lab, Kaitlin enjoys reading, painting, and jogging.
ANELA MARATOVA
Anela is a senior double majoring in psychology and child learning and development. Fascinated by her major-related courses at UT Dallas, she was drawn to learning about how perception relates to development in children. In the community, Anela actively volunteers with a local hospice and at Medical City Plano hospital. Post-graduation, she hopes to attend medical school and work with children. Outside of academics, she enjoys photography, trying out new coffee shops, hiking in nature, and spending time with her siblings.
HANNAH POURCHOT NEALE, PHD
Hannah earned a bachelor of science degree in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Oklahoma and a master’s of science in speech-language pathology at The University of Texas at Dallas. She recently completed her dissertation in the communication disorders PhD program. Hannah is interested in the speech and language development of pediatric cochlear implant recipients. She has also worked clinically as a Speech-Language Pathologist with children of varying disorders.
MEG MICKELSEN
Meg is a senior at The University of Texas at Dallas. She is a psychology major and joined the lab in the summer of 2018. Meg is passionate about psychopathology and hopes to one-day help families in crisis. She appreciates working with children and parents and is interested in learning about the non-verbal ways infants communicate. Outside the lab, Meg enjoys volunteering at a suicide crisis hotline, baking, and oil painting. She hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology after graduation.
ALEXANDRA NEENAN
Alexandra recently earned her BS in psychology from The University of Texas at Dallas. She will continue on to the clinical psychology PhD program at Eastern Michigan University to continue her work in psychological research. Her research and clinical focus will be on helping families whose children are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
CLAIRE NOONAN
Claire graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Columbia University in 2009. Her work as an ABA therapist for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) inspired her to earn her master of science degree in psychological sciences with a concentration in developmental psychology at The University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests include developmental psychopathology — especially the early identification of developmental disabilities such as ASD — as well as infant cognition. Claire graduated from the master’s program in May of 2014 and has moved to Louisiana to pursue her doctoral degree in the field at Tulane University in order to both work clinically with children as well as carry out psychological research.
SAMIA RAZVI
Samia graduated from UT Dallas with a BS in neuroscience. She is currently on her way to medical school to obtain an MD and pursue her dream of becoming a pediatrician. She is interested how social and environmental factors play a role in health outcomes. In the future, Samia hopes to utilize that knowledge to take care of families in underserved areas.
HOLLIS RATLIFF
Hollis graduated with a BS in neuroscience from The University of Texas at Dallas. She is currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Tennessee. Beyond research, Hollis enjoyed running on the UT Dallas women’s cross-country team and playing the violin for the University Orchestra.
SARAH REHMAN, MS
Sarah graduated from UT Dallas in 2021 with an MS in speech-language pathology. She hopes to complete her clinical fellowship and work as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the adult medical rehabilitation setting with a focus on culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Her time with the lab has been meaningful to her growth as a clinician. Outside of her professional interests, Sarah enjoys baking, art, and learning new languages.
ANAUM RIZVI
Anaum is a senior at UT Dallas double majoring in psychology and child learning and development. She has been involved with the lab since August 2021. Outside of the lab, she is involved with organizations on campus such as the Neuroscience Student Association, Medical City Dallas Volunteers, and National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, watching movies & dramas, and playing video games. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school for speech-language pathology.
ABBIE ROBERTS
Abbie graduated with a BS in speech-language pathology and audiology from The University of Texas at Dallas. She is currently pursuing her MS in communicate disorders at UT Dallas. Beyond working in the lab Abbie was also involved in other organizations on campus such as the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, and was a UT Dallas Orientation Leader.
SARAH ROUHANI
Sarah graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology and audiology, and a minor in child learning and development. Sarah is continuing her education at The University of Texas at Dallas in the communication disorders graduate program. Her areas of interest include preschool language development and bilingual therapy practices. After graduating in 2017, Sarah plans to obtain her licensure and work as a Speech-Language Pathologist.
KATE SHEPARD, PHD
Kate earned her PhD in psychological sciences from The University of Texas at Dallas. She graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in human development and family studies and a minor in French. She received her MS degree in communication disorders from The University of Texas at Dallas. She is a Speech-Language Pathologist with experience working with infants and toddlers in early intervention. Kate’s research focuses on infants’ early communicative behaviors, with a specific interest in how infants perceive infant-directed faces or the exaggerated facial expressions we make when interacting with and talking to babies. Current projects are investigating how infants look at our faces when we are talking to them by using an eye-tracking system to track babies’ eye movements. Future work will investigate the role of the face in infants’ language development.
GINNI STREHLE
Ginni is a master’s student in the applied cognition and neuroscience (ACN) program at UT Dallas. She graduated with a BS in psychology in spring 2022 and actively worked in the lab from January 2020 to December 2022, serving as one of two lab managers from August 2021 to December 2022. She completed her undergraduate honors thesis titled, “Deeper levels of processing improve recognition accuracy for inverted faces,” during her time in the lab. After graduating from the ACN program, she plans to pursue a PhD in cognitive science with a focus on vision. Ginni is currently a research assistant at the Face Perception Research Lab at UT Dallas and has served as a teaching assistant for both the psychology and neuroscience departments.
EMILY TOUCHSTONE, PHD
Emily received her MS and PhD from The University of Texas at Dallas. Currently, Emily is practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist and collaborating with research in the Infant Learning Project. She also was recently awarded the Aage Moller Teaching Award for her contributions to The University of Texas at Dallas’ School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Her research is based on infants’ perception of emotional expressions. She investigates 6- and 10-month-old infants’ abilities to categorize expressions on dynamic faces. Her research catalogs differences in infants’ categorization abilities based on the age of the infant and design of the experiment.