Current Research Assistants:

Farah Al Asadi

Farah Al Asadi is a third-year student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular & Cell Biology and Public Health. She is a research assistant in the NIA and Koala studies, where her primary responsibilities include administering assessments to evaluate participant eligibility and monitor progress throughout and after treatment, performing data checks, and contributing to recruitment. Farah intends to pursue a career in medicine where she can bring a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. In her free time, Farah enjoys going to the beach, trying new cafes, and going to the gym.

      Holly Bae 

Holly Bae is a fourth-year, studying Psychology and Sociology at UC Berkeley. She is a research assistant in the MCI study and her primary responsibilities are providing video-based sleep health interventions to clients and recruiting seniors 60+ years old for the study. Her research interests consist of human cognition, sleep disorders, and mental health. In Holly’s free time, she loves to try new restaurants and snowboard during the winter.

    Zack Berger 

Zack is a third year student at UC Berkeley studying psychology and journalism. He works on the NIA Sleep Buddies study for adults over 50 who have compounding sleep and mood conditions. In his free time he likes to write, listen to music, and play basketball with his friends.

     Breanna Cabusao

Breanna Cabusao is a third-year student at UC Berkeley studying Cognitive Science and Data Science. As a research assistant, her primary responsibility is to code data within the lab. In the past, she has been a part of the Sustainment Qualitative Coding Team with the goal of trying to understand how to sustain evidence-based treatments in real-world clinical practice settings. Her research interests include mental health, anxiety, human cognition, and social good. In Breanna’s free time, she loves to explore new places, play sports, and go on runs. 

 Esme Chen

Esme is a third year Psychology and Comparative Literature major at UC Berkeley. She is a research assistant in the GBSMRC, Her research interests are, broadly, psychopathology and dreams. In Esme’s free time, she enjoys reading novels, writing, and exploring the neighborhood.

   Rachel De La Merced

Rachel De La Merced is a fourth-year Molecular & Cell Biology student at UC Berkeley. She serves as a research assistant and clinical assessor on studies with the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging, and is a co-author on a meta-analysis focused on mild cognitive impairment. Her work includes administering sleep assessments, managing sleep data, and recruiting participants. After graduation, she plans to pursue medical school. In her free time, Rachel enjoys baking, knitting, and exploring new coffee shops.

     Aarón Domínguez

Aarón Domínguez is a fourth-year psychology student at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a research assistant who’s responsible for participant recruitment, participant data compilation, and therapist administration. His research interest is in developing low-cost clinical treatments and hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym, hiking, going out with friends or family to eat. 

     Maryam Ghazzali

Maryam is a fourth-year psychology student at UC Berkeley, currently serving as an MCI Sleep Coach for the Sleep and Habits Study. Her research interests include shaping psychology policy, low-cost clinical treatment development, self-concept, and exploring how access to mental health resources influences self-diagnosis. With plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology, she envisions founding her own lab and practice. In her free time, Maryam enjoys spending time with her loved ones and building Legos.

Ashley Hong

Ashley is a second year undergraduate student intending to major in Cognitive Science and Psychology. As a research assistant at the GBSMRC, she engages in tasks involving clinical data. She is particularly interested in clinical psychology and hopes to attend medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry. In her free time, she enjoys cafe hopping in search of the best matcha latte in Berkeley and can often be found doodling or reading a good book. 

     Priyanka Kalidindi

Priyanka Kalidindi is a fourth-year, studying Molecular Environmental Biology at UC Berkeley. She is a research assistant primarily involved with clinical work in the MCI and NIA studies. Her research interests include sleep disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, memory and cognitive science, and treatment development in the listed areas. In her free time, Priyanka enjoys cafe-hopping, reading, playing tennis and badminton, and learning new languages!

     Caroline Keogh

Caroline Keogh is a fourth-year student at UC Berkeley majoring in Psychology. She is an assessor for the HABITs study, where she assists in administering assessments and contributes to data collection. Caroline is particularly interested in sleep psychology, cognitive processes, and the intersection of mental and physical health. She hopes to pursue a career in the field of sleep psychology, with a focus on research and clinical applications. Outside of the lab, Caroline plays on the Cal Women’s club lacrosse team, enjoys weight-lifting, experimenting with vegetarian recipes, and trying new cafes.

 Audrey Liang

Audrey Liang is a fifth-year undergraduate at UC Berkeley, double majoring in Psychology and Public Health. She is a research assistant in the KOALA study, where she conducts assessments with participants and manages session communications. She has served as a video coder for the sleep therapist coaching videos in the past. Her research interests include the intersectionality of gender and mental health, as well as neurodegenerative disorders and health equity. In her free time, Audrey enjoys traveling, cooking, watching musicals, and photography.

     Celina Lim

Celina is a second-year, studying Psychology and Music at UC Berkeley. She aspires to be a clinical psychologist or pediatrician. Her research interests include clinical/developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and mental illnesses. In her free time, she loves going to the beach, hiking, cooking, and playing the cello.

 Kye Lin

Kye Lin is a third-year studying Chemical Biology. As a research assistant, they are responsible for various data and recruitment tasks on the Sleep and Habits and NIA study. Kye’s main research interests include mood disorders, drug discovery, and learning.

     Sarai Lopez

Sarai Lopez is a fourth-year Psychology student at UC Berkeley and a Research Assistant for the National Institute of Aging sleep treatment development study. Her research interests include clinical psychology, mental health treatments, and the biopsychosocial model. Sarai intends to attend graduate school, where she hopes to further explore transdiagnostic processes in clinical psychology. In her free time, she enjoys baking, working on arts and crafts, and meditating.

   Michael Mclntyre