Faculty Members
Hilary Barth, Ph.D. is a psychological scientist working within the broad area of human cognition and development. Main areas of interest are mathematical cognition; thinking and learning about number, space, time, and probability; social cognition; and decision making. She is director of the Yellow Lab. [Faculty Page; Publications]
Anna Shusterman, Ph.D. studies the relationships between language and conceptual development, primarily representations of space and number. Her lab uses behavioral methods to explore cognitive development and language acquisition in young children. She is also interested in the effects of atypical linguistic experience on conceptual representation. She is director of the Blue Lab. [Faculty Page; Publications]
Research Scientist
Talia Berkowitz, Ph.D. (she/her) is a Senior Research Scientist in the Blue Lab. She completed a BA in Psychology at Barnard College, after which she worked as the Blue Lab Coordinator from 2010-2012. She then completed her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Chicago, working in the Cognitive Development Lab with Susan Levine. Her research focuses on how children’s early math input relates to future math learning and achievement. She is particularly interested in how parents’ and teachers’ attitudes and beliefs relate to variations in their math engagement with their children, and her current work focuses on developing and evaluating interventions to promote adult-child interactions around math.
Lab Coordinators
Bethany Rutkowski (she/her) is the full-time joint lab coordinator for the Yellow Lab and the Reasoning and Decision Making Lab (with Dr. Andrea Patalano). She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2024 with a B.A. in Psychology. As an undergrad, she researched children’s understandings of intersecting identities of race, gender, and class. She also completed a senior thesis in health psychology on smoking and vaping stigma. She plans to attend graduate school in social or developmental psychology. Outside of the lab, she loves to read, hike, and spend time with her cat, Billy.
Saige Rovero (she/her) is a full-time Blue Lab Coordinator. She graduated from Wesleyan University in 2024 with a B.A. in Psychology and Hispanic Literatures and Cultures. She is interested in both numerical and spatial cognition, socio-emotional factors that affect math learning, conceptual change, and language development in children. She plans to pursue graduate school in developmental or experimental psychology. In her free time, she loves staying active, traveling, playing board games and reading.
Research Assistants
Blue Lab
Marie-Claire Smith ‘24 (she/her) is a Neuroscience & Behavior and Psychology double major, with a minor in Chemistry. She is from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she has worked with the foster care system and children for many years. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, cooking, biking, and playing games. She is interested in early childhood development, play-based learning, and cognitive diversity. After graduation, Marie-Claire hopes to work in special education classrooms before going back to school to study educational or cognitive psychology.
Ruby Seamon ‘25 (she/her) is a Psychology major with a minor in Education Studies. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Ruby is passionate about finding ways to increase educational equality and inclusivity, and about studying the impacts of social and emotional support on children’s learning. Outside of the lab, you might find Ruby working at Red and Black Café or directing various musical groups around campus. She enjoys drawing, watching horror movies, and hanging out with animals.
Hannah Joe ‘25 (she/her) is a Psychology and Education studies double major from Los Angeles, California. Hannah is interested in early language development, best practices for teaching children with learning differences, early childhood educator motivations for teaching, and how to bring research-informed, socially and emotionally conscious teaching practices into more classrooms. Outside of the lab, she enjoys anything outdoors, managing the women’s club basketball team, running, watching way too many Netflix limited series thrillers, and volunteering with kids and animals.
Nirvaan Mehta ‘27 (he/him) is a prospective Psychology and Economics double major with a Data Science certificate from Hyderabad, India. Nirvaan is interested in spatial cognition, decision making, and the psychology of gender and sexuality. Outside of the lab, Nirvaan is part of the K-Pop Dance Crew and the International Student Advisory Board.
Zara Skolnik ‘26 (she/her) is a Psychology and English double major with a minor in Education Studies from Concord, Massachusetts. Zara is interested in the social and cultural influences that impact early numeracy education and language acquisition. Outside of the lab, Zara is a Jewish representative on the Wesleyan Interfaith Literacy and Diversity (WILD) Counsel, and an Opinion editor for The Argus. She also enjoys reading on Foss Hill when the weather is warm.
Leigh Allen ‘26 (she/they) is a Psychology major and IDEAS minor from North Florida. They are in the Wesleyan Cardinal Players Pep Band and mentor high-achieving underrepresented students through the Sunrise Scholars Foundation. They’re primarily interested in pursuing child and adolescent clinical psychology. After Wesleyan, they want to pursue a PsyD degree so they can open their own practice and offer assessments for behavioral and learning disorders to children who don’t get properly diagnosed due to barriers between them and mental health resources. They like to play D&D and other games with friends and create art in their free time.
Yellow Lab
Cameron Bourassa ’26 is a Neuroscience & Behavior and Psychology double major with a minor in chemistry and she is from Raynham, Massachusetts. She is interested in learning about how development affects social behaviors. Outside of the classroom, she works at KidCity, the Children’s Museum in Middletown, and she is a Peer Health Advisor at Wesleyan’s Office of Health Education. She is also a member of the Wesleyan Rugby Team.
Julia Dima ’25 is a double major in Psychology and Hispanic Literatures and Cultures. She is from New York City where she first became interested in developmental psychology by working as a camp counselor. She also volunteers with children in Middletown through the Traverse Square program. Additionally, she participates in stand-up comedy and improv on campus.
Annabel “Annie” Fabian ’26 is a Neuroscience & Behavior and Psychology double major with a dance minor and is from Westchester, New York. She is interested in infant and early childhood cognitive development and has been working in preschools and daycares for over five years. At Wesleyan, Annie dances in three student dance groups, volunteers at the local preschool, NPS, and is the TA for multiple dance classes.
Molly Fung ’25 is a Neuroscience & Behavior and Psychology double major with a minor in Economics. She is from Costa Rica and is mostly interested in cognitive science and development. Outside of school she volunteers as a reading tutor for elementary school students through WesReads and is a Teaching Assistant for the Economics and Chemistry department.
Emily Hauser ’25 is a Mathematics major and Education Studies Minor, is on the pre-med track, and is most interested in infant and child development. She is from Evanston, IL, where she discovered her interest in young children volunteering in a preschool, being a camp counselor, and working at the children’s hospital in Chicago. At Wesleyan, Emily is in a dance ensemble, does a capella, and is a TA for a Linear Algebra class.
Elia Matrician ’26 is a Psychology and Art History double major with an interest in infant and child development. She is from Boston, where she has experience in tutoring, childcare, and music mentorship. She also works as a coordinator for the Foster Connection, which endeavors to support foster children through mentorship and tutoring. Outside of classes, Elia loves to read, spend as much time outside as possible, loves to crochet, and loves animals.
Ellie Pan ’25 is a Neuroscience & Behavior and Education Studies double major with interests in child developmental and science education. She is from New Jersey where she developed a love for working with children in her community as a swim coach, Girl Scout, and music tutor. At Wesleyan, Ellie is a member of the Student Health Advisory Committee and is a TA for Informal Science Education for Elementary School Students.
Suchita Sridhara ’26 is a prospective Psychology and Economics double major interested in cognitive psychology and child development. Growing up in New York, she found a passion for how children learn in her years as a tutor for young kids. Outside of the lab, Suchita is a leader of the Wesleyan Ethics Bowl Club and a member of Shakti. She also loves to sing and read!
Imagen Walters ‘26 is a Psychology and Education Studies double major from Middlesex, New Jersey. She became interested in early cognitive development through working with pre-kindergarten children, teaching swim lessons, and tutoring via the Foster connection on campus. Outside of the lab, Imagen works as a resident advisor and is on the Women’s track team as well as participates in the Wesleyan Food Rescue.