Meet The Team
Principal Investigator
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.
Ashley Bontempo
Lab Manager
Ashley received her B.A. in Psychology from Temple University in 2023. As an undergraduate research assistant at the Temple University Cognition and Learning Lab, directed by Dr. Elizabeth Gunderson, she helped investigate how parent-child interactions affect children’s spatial skills.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Expected Graduation: May 2026
Lena Gianaris
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 with interests in women's gender studies and political science. In the future, she hopes to work with marginalized populations to make mental health care more accessible. She is interested in meeting this goal through studying social and developmental psychology.
Volunteer Research Assistant
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Yujia Liu
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.
Shreya Patel
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Expected Graduation: May 2025
Shreya is a psychology major with minors in computer science and bioethics. Following her graduation, she wants to pursue graduate school to obtain a PsyD in clinical psychology with a health emphasis. Shreya is interested in working within clinical psychology to treat behavioral disorders and mental illness.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Expected Graduation: May 2026
Nhi Pham
Nhi is a psychology and communications and culture double major, with a minor in film & TV. She hopes to one day help develop a well-rounded, personalized education system for adolescents to fully explore their purpose and identity, and possibly turn a couple of screenplays into films.