OUR TEAM
Aarti Nair, Ph.D.
Lab Director Assistant Professor Dr. Aarti Nair received her bachelor's degree in psychology and anthropology from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, India. She came to the United States to pursue her master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Upon graduating, she worked at the Center for Autism Research and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, sparking her long-standing interest in the neural substrates of autism spectrum disorder and neuropsychology. She continued this line of research as a graduate student in the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program and obtained her PhD in neuropsychology in 2015. Dr. Nair completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral training at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Dr. Nair’s current research interests are in the neural basis of social cognition deficits in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and early-onset psychosis. She is specifically interested in applying multimodal neuroimaging techniques (functional and structural MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy) to examine changes in neural architecture affected by targeted interventions in these populations. Her research has been supported by grants awarded by Autism Speaks, Autism Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Mental Health. |
Hector Gutierrez, B.S.
Lab Co-ordinator/Research Analyst Hector received his bachelor's degree in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at UCLA, he volunteered as a research assistant at the UCLA Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental (CAN) Clinic, and as a behavioral coach and career coach with The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) where he helped provide evidence-based social skills treatment to adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and socio-emotional problems. Through his volunteer work, Hector discovered his passion for autism spectrum disorder research and intervention. His current research interests are in social cognition deficits in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and providing intervention to these populations. |
Laura Caldera Aguayo, B.A
Doctoral Student/SENSE Study Coordinator Laura Caldera Aguayo is a second-year Ph.D. student. Laura received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California Riverside. Upon graduating, she gained research and clinical experience while working with Spanish and English- speaking families of young children with Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delays in the Neece Lab at Loma Linda University. Her research interests include interventions, neuroimaging, children with early onset psychosis, ASD, and developmental delays. |
Sydney Park, B.S.
SIESTA Study Coordinator Sydney is the SIESTA study project coordinator. She has earned her B.S. in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Child Development from Tufts University. During her time at Tufts, Sydney worked closely with children and families, through which she developed her passion in bringing mental health care to individuals of marginalized backgrounds. She is interested in studying trauma and the impact of the child-caregiver dynamic in treatment. In her free time, Sydney enjoys sunbathing, hanging out with her pet bird, caring for plants, and taking walks. |
Deanna Aghbashian, LCSW
Doctoral Student Deanna Aghbashian is a fourth-year Ph.D. student. Deanna received her bachelor's degree in sociology and business administration from Azusa Pacific University. She then pursued her master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Upon graduating, she worked at McKinley Children’s Center and Bethany Christian Services in foster care and adoption. She transitioned into working at the County of San Bernardino on the crisis team, which sparked her interest in early-onset psychosis. She is currently using her LCSW and working with patients in an outpatient private practice. Deanna’s current research interests are in the neural differences in adolescents experiencing psychosis. |
James Hodgins, M.A.
Doctoral Student James is a fourth-year Ph.D student in the Clinical Psychology Program. He completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). While at CSUN, he was a senior researcher and lab co-supervisor of the Adolescent and Adult Adjustment Lab (ALAB) under the supervision of Dr. Scott Plunkett where he completed research that assessed how contextual factors and individual qualities relate to adjustment, well-being, and academics in diverse populations. James was also a clinical intern at CSUN’s Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic and CSUN’s Psychological Assessment Clinic. Upon graduation he was chosen to receive the Scholar-Practitioner Award, which is given each year to a CSUN student who has demonstrated excellent scholastic achievement and has also shown outstanding competence in assessment, engagement, and application of theoretical strategies in serving clients’ needs in an ethical, culturally-sensitive manner. James' research interests include assessing the effectiveness of CBT- and DBT-based interventions, improving psychodiagnostic assessment, exploring new methods of disseminating evidence-based treatments (e.g., digital and telehealth interventions), addressing the needs of community health workers, and addressing LGBT+ issues. |
Niharika Verma, B.S.
Doctoral Student Niharika Verma is a fourth-year Clinical Psychology Psy.D student. She previously received her Bachelors in Science from UCLA in Psychobiology where she volunteered at the Kellman Human Perception Laboratory with research on differentiating global and local contour completion using a dot localization paradigm. Niharika has also spent time working with children on the autism spectrum and providing behavioral therapies for them. Her research interests lie in the field of neuropsychology ranging from pediatrics all the way to adult spectrum. |
Amanda Preston, B.A.
Doctoral Student Amanda Preston is currently a fifth-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA. While at UCLA, she worked with children with autism as well as foster youth. Prior to starting graduate school, she worked as a behavioral therapist and coordinated two research studies on parenting stress in families of children with developmental delays. She is interested in researching interventions aimed at improving family functioning. Clinically, she is passionate about working with children with various developmental delays and has additional experience in diagnostic assessments for individuals with autism. |
Mithila Mahale, B.S.
Doctoral Student Mithila Mahale is a third-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UC Riverside. Prior to starting graduate school, she gained research and clinical experience through various opportunities at the UCR SEARCH Family Autism Research Center, Riverside Psychiatric Medical Group, Inland Empire Autism Assessment Center of Excellence, and the Pediatric Neuro-Assessment Program. Her research interests include the neural basis of social cognition and executive functioning in adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders as well as interventions for this population. She is passionate about pursuing a career as a pediatric neuropsychologist. |
Rhideeta Jalal, M.A.
Doctoral Student Rhideeta Jalal is a third-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. Rhideeta received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Psychology. Upon graduating, she started at the Semel Institute of Neuroscience at UCLA with a research focus on identifying early biomarkers of neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically in autism spectrum disorders. She has experience using neuroimaging techniques to examine the structure and functional architecture of the developing brain in children and adolescents. She has collaborated on several research projects in neuropsychiatric population groups including autism spectrum disorder, 22q11 deletion syndrome, and youth at clinical high risk for developing psychosis. Her research interests include investigating genetic-brain-behavior interactions as they pertain to cognitive processes in typically developing and clinical populations. |
Niki Bahri, B.S.
Doctoral Student Niki is a third-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. She received her B.S. in psychology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Upon graduating, she gained research and clinical experience with individuals with autism in different labs at the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART). During her time at UCLA, she served as a coordinator for The PEERS® program and most recently was a Staff Research Associate under the direction of Dr. Catherine Lord. Her current research interests include understanding parents role in social-emotional development, family dynamics, and autism assessment. |
Sanya Mital, B.S.
Doctoral Student Sanya is a third-year Clinical Psychology Psy.D student. Sanya received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). During her time at UCI, she gained research experience in different labs including the Behavior, Emotions, and Affective Neuroscience Lab and the Health, Relationships, and Intervention Lab. Sanya also has clinical experience working with children who have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and scheduled neuropsychological testing appointments for such clients. Her research interests lie in the field of Clinical Neuropsychology, specifically in working with populations that have ADHD. |
Katie Callaci, B.A.
Doctoral Student Katie is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Clinical Psychology. She received her B.A. in psychology from Claremont McKenna College. During her undergraduate career, she gained research and clinical experience at the Claremont Autism Center, focusing on behavioral interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As a sibling of someone with co-occurring ASD, intellectual disability (ID), and OCD, Katie is dedicated to conducting research that addresses the complexities of having multiple disorders in ASD interventions. Her current research interests include restrictive, repetitive behaviors, sensory processing differences, sleep disturbances, anxiety, ID, culture, and family processes in relation to autism. |
Veronica De La Rosa, B.A.
Doctoral Student Veronica De La Rosa is a second-year Clinical Neuropsychology Psy.D student. She graduated from California State University Stanislaus with her Bachelor's in psychology and a minor in child development. Having had over three years of experience directly working with children in different settings, she enjoys being able to help motivate and guide them to reach new goals. Her current clinical experience involves assessing and working with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and learning delays via an integrative holistic approach (i.e., physical exercises and sensory integration). Her research interests include neuroimaging, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, and holistic interventions. Clinically, she is enthusiastic to pursue a career in lifespan neuropsychology where she hopes to one day serve lower socio-economic and underserved communities. |
Jacob Lui, B.S.
Doctoral Student Jacob is a first-year PsyD student in clinical psychology. He graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Social Studies Education and a minor in Korean studies. Upon graduating, he worked as a middle school U.S. History teacher before enrolling into the University of Pennsylvania for his masters in counseling psychology. There, he completed a one-year internship as an intake and outpatient therapist at Child Guidance Resource Centers. He is currently an interventionist at Children Hospital of Philadelphia where his providing telehealth services for bereaved parents who have lost their child due to terminal cancer. Aside from his clinical interests in child neuropsychology and evidenced-based treatments for neurodivergent youth, Jacob hopes to contribute towards grassroots efforts to raise awareness about mental health within the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. |
OUR ALUMNI
Neilson Chan, Ph.D.
Dr. Neilson Chan earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Loma Linda University, and completed his predoctoral clinical internship at UCSD/Rady Children’s Hospital Department of Psychiatry. His research interests broadly include better understanding and treating co-occurring psychiatric conditions among individuals on the autism spectrum. In his clinical training, Dr. Chan has gained experience working in inpatient and outpatient settings providing evidence-based mental health treatments and psychological assessment for youth and families.
Dr. Neilson Chan earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Loma Linda University, and completed his predoctoral clinical internship at UCSD/Rady Children’s Hospital Department of Psychiatry. His research interests broadly include better understanding and treating co-occurring psychiatric conditions among individuals on the autism spectrum. In his clinical training, Dr. Chan has gained experience working in inpatient and outpatient settings providing evidence-based mental health treatments and psychological assessment for youth and families.