People
Current Lab Members
kmlempert at adelphi dot edu
Dr. Karolina Lempert, Principal Investigator
Dr. Lempert has been an Assistant Professor at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University since January 2022. She received her B.A. in Neurobiology from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. in Psychology from New York University. Her postdoctoral training was at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to directing research at the lab, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, and she blogs for Psychology Today.
wwaite at adelphi dot edu
Ryan Waite, Lab Manager & Full-time Research Assistant
Ryan is a research assistant at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. He graduated from Brown University with a B.S. in psychology and B.A. in physics in 2025, plus an M.S. in psychology in 2026 focusing on how entrance into a new community affects our values. His main interests are in social decision-making, motivation, and self-regulation. In his free time, Ryan enjoys reading fiction, journaling, board games, and competitively solving Rubik's cubes.
jonathangrant at mail dot adelphi dot edu
Jonathan Grant, PhD Student
Jonathan is a fifth-year doctoral candidate at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. He graduated from Hofstra University with a B.B.A. in Marketing in 2018, followed by a post-baccalaureate study in psychology. He then went on to graduate with a M.A. from City College of New York in general psychology, focusing on substance use disorders. Additionally, throughout previous years he has worked in a variety of clinical roles in both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation centers. Jonathan’s primary interests lie at the intersection of addictive substance and behavioral disorders, agency, and the principle of free will. Aside from academia, Jonathan is a life-long musician and enjoys hiking with his dog and mixed martial arts.
luissebastiangarci at mail dot adelphi dot com
Luis Sebastian Garcia Campos, PhD Student
Hello everyone! I'm Luis Garcia, an international student from Peru and a third-year doctoral student at Adelphi University who loves reading scientific articles in his free time. I like to research topics related to how media can affect our perception of the world, methods for relaxation, and topics related to personality and Psychopathology. My hobbies include playing musical instruments and playing competitive video games, as well as writing novels in my free time!
avitalmiller at mail dot adelphi dot edu
Tali Miller, PhD Student
Tali is a third-year doctoral candidate at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in psychology and an A.A. in Jewish studies in 2023. Tali’s primary research interests are the impact of anxiety and OCD on decision-making and motivation. In her free time, Tali enjoys reading, arts-and-crafts with friends, and long walks outdoors.
chloeott at mail dot adelphi dot edu
Chloe Ott, PhD student
Chloe is a first-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. Before that, she was the lab’s lab manager for 2.5 years. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in psychology. Chloe is interested in neuroscience and psychology and hopes to pursue her PhD in clinical psychology. Chloe is from Long Beach, NY and enjoys surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding in her free time.
eamonfortune at mail dot adelphi dot edu
Eamon Fortune, undergraduate student
Eamon is a senior undergraduate student that is a member of the Honors College as well as the Emerging Scholars program at Adelphi University. He is a cognitive neuroscience major with minors in economics and Spanish. While Eamon is still deciding his postgraduate plans, he intends on attending graduate school to then pursue a career in healthcare. At Adelphi, Eamon spends time outside of the classroom serving as president of Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, and enjoys sports, music, and traveling in his free time.
areeshariaz at mail dot adelphi dot edu
Areesha Riaz, undergraduate student
My name is Areesha Riaz, and I’m a senior molecular neuroscience major at the honors college, on the pre-medical track. I am an aspiring physician, who hopes to practice patient-centered medicine with the aid of research advancements. My hobbies include reading, hanging out with friends in the city, and I’m currently learning the guitar!
Former Lab Members
Pazia Miller, PhD
Pazia graduated from the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University with her clinical psychology PhD in May 2026. She continues to collaborate with the lab on a few projects related to decision making in substance use disorders.
Abby Mallia, former undergraduate Honors student
Abby was an undergraduate student at Adelphi University studying psychology, and a member of the Adelphi Honors College.
Kushvinder Kaur, former undergraduate Honors student
Kushvinder was an undergraduate student at Adelphi University studying cognitive neuroscience, and a member of the Adelphi Honors College.
Oliver Poole, former undergraduate research assistant
Oliver was an undergraduate student at Adelphi University studying cognitive neuroscience.
Heather Gittelson, former undergraduate Honors student
Heather was an undergraduate student at Adelphi University studying cognitive neuroscience, and a member of the Adelphi Honors College.
Federica Procida, former Visiting Research Scholar
Federica was a visiting research scholar at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. She recently completed her PhD at the University ‘G. d’Annunzio’ of Chieti-Pescara in Italy. Federica continues to collaborate with the lab on research related to memory and temporal discounting.
Danielle Akilov, former undergraduate Honors student
Danielle was an undergraduate student at Adelphi University studying cognitive neuroscience, and a member of the Adelphi Honors College.
Brianna dela Cruz, former undergraduate research assistant