Johanna Jarcho, Ph.D, Assistant Professor
Cognition and Neuroscience Area | Social Area
Department of Psychology, Temple University
Dr. Jarcho’s research program bridges the areas of social, developmental, and cognitive neuroscience to study how social processes evolve during adolescence and change across the lifespan. She uses developmental psychopathology as a theoretical framework to examine how such processes manifest in typically developing adolescents and adults, and those with, or at risk for, psychopathology. She tests the effects of learning, attention, and affective states on pro- and anti-social behavior, and how this behavior relates to brain function during positive and negative social experiences. She is also interested in disentangling the neural mechanisms implicated in reward and threat processing during positive and negative social and non-social experiences.
Camille Johnston, B.S. | PhD Student
Camille is a sixth-year doctoral candidate and Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Predoctoral Fellow. She graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a BS in Neuroscience. Camille's current projects investigate how we remember social feedback, and how experiencing childhood adversity impacts our memory for social interactions. Additionally, Camille co-founded the Trauma Discussion Group, which is currently conducting a study using text analysis to generate a data-driven operational definition of "gaslighting." In her free time, Camille enjoys reading, playing video games, and crowdsourcing restaurant recommendations.
Ronan Cunningham | PhD Student
Ronan is a third-year PhD Student in the Social Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory who is generally interested in how interpersonal influence and social networks are related to development and well-being. He is currently exploring the neural networks and the underlying relationship between neuromelanin and aggression. He graduated from Loyola University Maryland in 2014 and spent time as a research coordinator in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at Johns Hopkins, and in the Psychiatry Department at Temple University. Ronan is regularly assisted by his two dogs and 3 cats who are working on a proposal for him to feed and play with them them twice as much. In his spare time he enjoys writing, painting sloppily, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.
OgheneTejiri Smith | PhD Student
Tejiri is a second-year doctoral student in the Psychology & Neuroscience program. They are broadly interested in the relationship between the development of social cognition, brain metabolism, and systemic stress. They graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A in Psychology in 2020; and went on to obtain an M.S in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2021. Tejiri enjoys writing creatively, experimenting with fashion, and playing video games in their free time.
Chloe Savage | PhD Student
Chloe is a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She is interested in the neural networks associated with social dysfunction especially in clinical populations. She graduated from Swarthmore college with a BA in neuroscience in 2022. Outside of research, Chloe enjoys pottery, crocheting, and board games.
Katie Dow | Research Coordinator
Katie graduated from Temple University in 2023 with her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in English. After working for the SDN Lab as an undergraduate research assistant since 2021, she has since made the transition to working for the lab full-time as lab coordinator! Outside of the SDN Lab, Katie is also the lab coordinator for Temple's Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab. When she's not working, Katie can be found enjoying live music, playing with her cats, avidly reading, or spending time with friends and family.
Bella Moger, MSc | Research Coordinator
Bella graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Lafayette College and MSc in Social Psychology from the University of Exeter, UK. Bella is currently working on a collaborative project with the Adaptive Memory lab. When she is not working, Bella enjoys exploring new cafes, creating new Spotify playlists, and spending time with her dog.
Mersania Jn Pierre | Research Coordinator
Mersania graduated with her B.A. in Psychology with honors from the University of Rochester. She is very interested in Neuropsychology and hopes to obtain her PhD or PsyD in Clinical Psychology. When she is not working, she is out trying new foods from different cultures, spending time with her friends and family, and going for walks.
Lauren Ewell | Research Coordinator
Lauren is a recent Temple University graduate with a B.A in psychology. Broadly, she is interested in emotional regulation, the dynamics of brain function, and social-cognitive processes during adolescence, as well as exploring and implementing early childhood interventions aimed at fostering optimal social and cognitive development
Bethel Aviles | Research Coordinator
Bethel is a post-baccalaureate research assistant with an interest in promoting positive outcomes for at-risk and system-involved youth exhibiting aggression. More specifically, she is interested in researching risk and protective factors contributing to the development of externalizing disorders and evidence-based interventions. She plans to earn her PhD in Clinical Psychology to achieve her long-term goal of becoming a licensed clinical psychologist. In her spare time, she enjoys being a mother to a toddler, practicing MMA (e.g., Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing), collecting perfumes, and indulging in cultural cuisines.
Anna Kilmer | Recruitment Coordinator
Anna is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience. She is especially interested in exploring the dynamics of how social interactions evolve across different developmental stages using neuroimaging techniques. In her free time, she enjoys reading Joan Didion and exploring the food scene in Philadelphia.
Alicia Mears | Research Assistant
Ali is an undergraduate neuroscience major and dance minor. Her research interests include the intersections of music/dance and neuroscience as well as the neurobiology of emotion. In her free time she enjoys reading, drawing, and dancing.
Sara Abbas | Research Assistant
Sara is a senior Biology major with a minor in Neuroscience Research. She is interested in behavioral cognitive neuroscience and hopes to attend graduate school after completing undergrad. In her free time, Sara enjoys reading, pilates, and thrifting!
Kenna Stewart | Research Assistant
Kenna is an undergraduate psychology major who hopes to pursue a career in clinical psychology. She is interested in all thing's psychopathology, victim services and public health. Besides psychology, Kenna is the soon to be president of Temples Diamond Dogs, she takes ceramics classes and loves thrifting or anything secondhand!
Rachell Guzman-Botero | Research Assistant
Rachell is an undergraduate psychology major and pre-med student. She has a particular interest in trauma and its subsequent toll on development. She likes to read and write in her free time as well as visit and learn about different languages and cultures.
Sierra Morehead | Research Assistant
Sierra is a Senior with a Psychology major and a Cognitive Neuroscience minor. She is very interested in understanding the intersection between psychology and neuroscience. Sierra is involved in organizations such as the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPSI) and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She currently works at Temple University's Wellness Resource Center as the Mental Well-Being Program Assistant. Outside of school, she enjoys listening to music along with spending time with her friends and family. In the future, she plans to go onto become a Pediatric Neuropsychologist.
Abby O’Keeffe | Research Assistant
Abby is a sophomore pre-medical neuroscience student hoping to pursue a career in pediatric neuropsychology. She is especially interested in neurocognitive development from infancy to adolescence. Outside of brain sciences, Abby can be found reading, Irish dancing, or running on various trails around Philadelphia!
David Kouassi | Research Assistant
David is a third-year Psychology major at Temple University with a particular interest in Developmental Psychology, specifically childhood and adolescent trauma. Outside the lab, David is actively involved in the Temple Gospel Ministry Club. In his free time, he enjoys anything creative from making music to photography. He also loves playing basketball and going to the gym.
Rakshit Gadamsetty Rupesh | Research Assistant
Rakshit is a sophomore majoring in Biology and minoring in Healthcare Managing and Public Health. He is interested in neuroimaging and understanding social interactions. In his free time, he loves to go to the gym, try new foods, travel, and play basketball with his friends.
Devon Petrei | Research Assistant
Devon is a junior psychology and neuroscience undergraduate student. Post-grad, she plans to pursue a Ph.D in neuroscience research and is particularly interested in the neurochemistry of memory. She loves painting, swimming, silly tattoos, and cutting bangs that are just a *little* too short.
Donjee Mosley-Saunders | Research Assistant
Donjee is a senior Psychology and Applied Behavior Analysis student. Her current research interests involve investigating how sensory modulation affects social behavior and cognition, with a focus on processing and peer interactions. Donjee plans to obtain a PhD in clinical psychology. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, trying new recipes, and crafting.
Past Team Members
Thais Costa Macedo de Arruda (2022-2024), Ziyue (Melody) Zhao (2024),
Emilie McAllister (2024), Kathryn Potts (2024),
Megan Quarmley, Ph.D. (2018-2024) Margherita Calderaro (2021-2024),
Alexis Bendl (2022-2024), Iliana Todorovski (2022-2023), Esha Nittoor (2022-2024),
Hema Clarence (2023 - 2024), Bethel Aviles (2023 - 2024), Sibilla Masieri (2021 - 2023),
Alisha Arora, B.S., (2019 - 2023), Keshali Patel (2021-2022), Jessie Drake (2021 - 2022),
Oliva Rojek (2020 - 2022), Rebecca Gitlevich (2022), Maya McCummings 2022),
Tessa Clarkson, Ph.D. (2016 - 2023), Athena Vafiadis, M.S. (2018 - 2022),
Catherine Archambault, B.S., (2020 - 2022), Megan Schaal, B.S. (2019 - 2022), Sophia Lucente
(2021 - 2022), Courtney Varallo (2021 - 2022), Riley Roque, B.S. (2021 - 2022), Caroline Kessler,
B.S. (2019 - 2022), Jimmy Wyngaarden (2020 - 2021), Madeleine Depagnier (2019-2021),
Jen Yang (2020 - 2019), Prinjasi Das (2020 - 2021), Caleb Haynes, B.S. (2019 - 2021),
Destiny Jean-Michel (2020 - 2021), Elizabeth Fulop (2019 - 2020), Jeremiah Muntazir
(2020 - 2021), Kataryna DeSanto (2020 - 2021), Priya Nigam (2020 - 2021), Anjali Sheth
(2020 - 2021), Danielle Caby (2020), Melanie Jacobson (2020), Carla Castillo (2019 -
2020), Alison Duffin (2020), Maya Rabinowitz (2020), Philip Figueroa (2020), Susanna
Casini (2019 - 2020), Tien Younger (2019 - 2020), Bernice Frempong (2019 - 2020),
Aaliyah Finnerud (2019 - 2020), Nathan Villanueva (2018 - 2020), Tiffany Duong (2019 -
2020), Rachel Carey (2018 - 2020), Alexandra Carpenter (2018-2020), Rachel Ore (2018-
2020), Ilana Liss (2019), Kelly Lee (2018-2019), Jennifer Dooher (2018 - 2019), Samantha
Fernandez (2018-2019), Nishi Patel (2019), Sarah Uddin (2019), Veronica Alday (2019),
Jared Chalfin (2019), Akshay Rajaram (2018-2019), Emily Seaman, B.S. (2018-2019),
Kenya Newsome (2018), Hayley Krieg (2018), Arron Hall (2018), Vidya Koesmahargyo
(2018), Ashley Tranquille (2018), Jillienne Mendoza, B.S. (2018), Justina Henein (2018),
Neesan Haider (2018), Aydan McCoy, B.S. (2017-2018), Alexa Demanuel (2017-2018),
Hsin (Sydney) Jaw, B.S. (2017-2018), Madison Thornton, B.S. (2017-2018), Samantha
Sommer, B.A. (2017-2018), Nicholas Leonetti, B.A. (2017-2018), Maliah West, B.S. (2017-
2018), Hung-Wei (Bernie) Chen (2016 - 2018), Sara Rosenquist (2018), Nikita Kohli
(2017-2018), Sarika Kokate, B.S. (2017-2018), Jordan Sternbach, B.S. (2017-2018),
Christine McIsaac, B.S. (2016-2018), Alison Pellecchia, B.A. (2016-2018), Brady Rainville,
M.A. (2017-2018), Lauren Hill, M.A. (2017-2018), Batool Mubashar (2017), Kate
Bartolotta, B.A. (2017-2018), Alexander Tairbekov (2017), Alex Rockwell (2017), Alexandra
Perez (2016-2017), Johnathan Mathai (2016), Dorothy McGee, B.A. (2016), Amanda
Rosati, B.A. (2015-2016), Kristy Lee, B.S. (2015-2016), Christian Hadjigeorgiou, B.S.
(2015-2017), Erin Gardner, M.A. (2016-2017), Hannah Grossman, M.A. (2016-2017),
Sara Bannon, PhD Student (2016-2017), Julia Feldman, PhD Student (2016-2017)