Dr. Jing Tian
Jing Tian, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Fordham University. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University in 2018 and her B.S. in Chemistry & Psychology from Peking University in 2013. Dr. Tian’s research centers on the cognitive, motivational, and socio-cultural factors shaping children’s learning of mathematics.
Post-Docs
Siyi Liu
Siyi is a postdoctoral fellow at the CoDE lab. He holds a bachelor and Ph.D. from Beijing Normal University and Peking University, respectively. His research focuses on rational number and probabilistic representation, fraction learning, and the development of modal logic. Additionally, he is interested in comparative cognition and using computational methods to address research questions.
​
Graduate Students
Beenle Han
Beenle is a first-year PhD student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program. She completed her B.A. in Psychology at the University of British Columbia and her M.A. in Cognitive Science in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research broadly explores mathematical learning and performance across different age groups. Specifically, her interests focus on how children learn and understand rational numbers, and on the factors that influence students’ understanding of perceptual and conceptual knowledge. In her free time, she enjoys reading, swimming, and exploring different coffee spots.
Lab Manager
Eva Sakellakis
(718) 817-4068
Eva graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2025 with a B.S. in Psychology and Neurobiology, and a certificate in Education. She is interested in parent-child interactions and its impact on academic achievement and motivation. In the future, she hopes to pursue a degree in school psychology.
Research Assistants
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Expected Graduation: May 2028
Danny Curtin
Danny is a psychology and integrative neuroscience double major whose interests lie in understanding cognition and well-being. As an outcome of his studies, he hopes to make care for adolescents more accessible through clinical psychology or research.
Lena Gianaris
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Expected Graduation: May 2026
Lena is a psychology and English major with an interest in childhood development. In the future, she hopes to work in the education field as either an educator or psychologist, where she can help make education more supportive and accessible for young children and adolescents.
Katie Krasnoff
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Expected Graduation: May 2026
Katie is a psychology major and sociology minor. Her research interests include examining the ways social support from parents and teachers can help students learn and equitable academic testing measures for diverse populations. In the future, she hopes to work full-time on educational, school, and developmental psychology research.
Yujia Liu
Volunteer Research Assistant
Yujia received her M.A. in Applied Psychology from New York University in 2023. She is interested in studying the developmental trajectory of spatial skills and exploring the topic of gender stereotypes in education. In the future, Yujia plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology or developmental psychology.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Expected Graduation: December 2026
Skylear Wylie
Skylear is a double major in psychology and theology enrolled in the pre-law program. She is interested in research focused on psychology of learning and development. In the future, she hopes to combine the knowledge of psychology with the law to help fight against injustice.
Previous Lab Members
Lab Managers
Ashley Bontempo: Ashley has continued on to pursue her Ph.D. in Communication at The Ohio State University.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Shreya Patel: Shreya is now a Registered Behavior Technician at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Nhi (Evelyn) Pham: Nhi now works with Dr. Selin Gülgöz in the Social Thinkers Lab on her senior honors thesis.