Our Team
Dr. Selin Gülgöz
Principal Investigator
Selin is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Fordham University. Her research interests lie in children’s and adults’ social cognition and conceptual development, with particular focus on children’s reasoning about social groups. She is interested in how individuals with diverse (and often marginalized) identities construct social categories, how people’s reasoning about social categories is reflected in their attitudes and behaviors, and how we can learn about the developmental origins of early social cognition. Outside of research and teaching, Selin enjoys spending time with her family and reading good fiction.
Faculty webpage
Principal Investigator
Selin is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Fordham University. Her research interests lie in children’s and adults’ social cognition and conceptual development, with particular focus on children’s reasoning about social groups. She is interested in how individuals with diverse (and often marginalized) identities construct social categories, how people’s reasoning about social categories is reflected in their attitudes and behaviors, and how we can learn about the developmental origins of early social cognition. Outside of research and teaching, Selin enjoys spending time with her family and reading good fiction.
Faculty webpage
Alison De Leon Escobar
Graduate student
Alison is a third-year PhD student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at Fordham University. She is broadly interested in how individuals reason about groups within social hierarchies. Her current work explores the ways in which both children and adults utilize features of spoken language to categorize different speakers and how this influences their beliefs about social status. A key aspect of her research investigates attitudes toward bilingualism, examining how language and accents shape our perceptions of a bilingual speaker's relative social prestige and value. Alison graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s in psychology & chemistry. She also conducted research as an undergraduate under the guidance of Dr. Marjorie Rhodes and continued her work in the lab as a Lab Manager after graduation. Aside from her passion for research, Alison finds joy in discovering new music, exploring new places, and enjoying walks with her dog.
Graduate student
Alison is a third-year PhD student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at Fordham University. She is broadly interested in how individuals reason about groups within social hierarchies. Her current work explores the ways in which both children and adults utilize features of spoken language to categorize different speakers and how this influences their beliefs about social status. A key aspect of her research investigates attitudes toward bilingualism, examining how language and accents shape our perceptions of a bilingual speaker's relative social prestige and value. Alison graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s in psychology & chemistry. She also conducted research as an undergraduate under the guidance of Dr. Marjorie Rhodes and continued her work in the lab as a Lab Manager after graduation. Aside from her passion for research, Alison finds joy in discovering new music, exploring new places, and enjoying walks with her dog.
Emma Brown
Graduate student
Emma is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Research Methodology MS program at Fordham University. She is particularly interested in adolescent gender and sexuality development, applications of minority stress theory, and how identity shapes inequality awareness. Emma graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's in psychology, where she also worked as a research assistant alongside Dr. Elizabeth Raposa in her Youth Stress & Mental Health Lab. Outside of the lab and the classroom, Emma plays for the Fordham Women's Rugby team and loves to host movie marathons with friends.
Graduate student
Emma is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Research Methodology MS program at Fordham University. She is particularly interested in adolescent gender and sexuality development, applications of minority stress theory, and how identity shapes inequality awareness. Emma graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's in psychology, where she also worked as a research assistant alongside Dr. Elizabeth Raposa in her Youth Stress & Mental Health Lab. Outside of the lab and the classroom, Emma plays for the Fordham Women's Rugby team and loves to host movie marathons with friends.
Nhi Pham
Undergraduate student
Nhi is a senior at Fordham University, double-majoring in Psychology and Communication & Culture, with a minor in Film & Television. Her research interests center on how people find motivation, belonging, and purpose in higher education, particularly among marginalized students. She is especially interested in how narratives can be used to promote social equity in academic and professional spaces. Previously, Nhi worked as a research assistant for two years in Dr. Jing Tian's Cognition, Development, and Education (CoDE) Lab at Fordham University. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, reading and watching melodramas, and taking photographs.
Undergraduate student
Nhi is a senior at Fordham University, double-majoring in Psychology and Communication & Culture, with a minor in Film & Television. Her research interests center on how people find motivation, belonging, and purpose in higher education, particularly among marginalized students. She is especially interested in how narratives can be used to promote social equity in academic and professional spaces. Previously, Nhi worked as a research assistant for two years in Dr. Jing Tian's Cognition, Development, and Education (CoDE) Lab at Fordham University. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, reading and watching melodramas, and taking photographs.
Aileen Alberto
Undergraduate student
Aileen is a Junior Pre-Med student majoring in Psychology at Fordham, with a keen interest in how social and cultural factors influence mental health and human behavior. Her research interests include social cognition and youth well-being. She is also an active mentor in a mentorship program that promotes inclusion and empowerment.
Undergraduate student
Aileen is a Junior Pre-Med student majoring in Psychology at Fordham, with a keen interest in how social and cultural factors influence mental health and human behavior. Her research interests include social cognition and youth well-being. She is also an active mentor in a mentorship program that promotes inclusion and empowerment.
Lab alumni
Daniel J. Alonso, Ph.D. (2025)
Anna Vaughn Stewart, M.A. (2024)
Former research assistants
Christine Irlbeck, Veronika Kobrinsky, Marianna Apazidis, Olivia Dean, Matthew Kozakowski, Amelia Marotta, Chloe McGovern, Riley Ng, Alex Pahl, Stephanie Price, Amber Ray, Mariana Rodrigues, Adam Saad, Maggie Schenk, Elena Tycer, Maya Inaltong.