Current Research Assistants
Carlos Tamayo
Spring 2023 - Present
Carlos is a Junior Psychology major from Las Vegas, Nevada. He aspires to get a graduate degree in psychology after finishing his undergraduate degree and then pursuing counseling psychology. He is very interested in video games, anime, and volleyball and uses this to keep himself busy when he's not doing schoolwork. This will be his first semester working in the UNLV Music Lab and is very excited to be a part of the team!
Mia Jivkov
Summer 2023 - Present
Mia is a 17 year old high school senior originally from Chicago. Once in college, she plans to double major in psychology and sociology, and later on she aspires to enter the behavioral field post-grad. She loves all things music, and loves educating herself on different genres and their histories. She also runs a fashion collective and plays piano in her spare time.
Kayla Daugherty
Fall 2023 - Present
Kayla is originally from southern California, but has lived in the Vegas area since 2017. She is currently a junior majoring in psychology. After graduating, she plans to pursue a doctorate in occupational therapy and wants to work with the pediatric population. In her free time, Kayla enjoys crafting, drinking coffee, listening to music, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog. This will be her first semester in the lab and she is eager to learn about and discover the many ways in which music affects and influences people, from babies to adults.
Joseph Altamirano
Fall 2023 - Present
Joseph was born and raised in Mexico. He is currently in his senior year, pursuing a major in psychology. After he graduates, he aspires to become an occupational therapist and, if circumstances permit, establish his own pediatric clinic. His hobbies and interests include 3D printing, crafting terrariums, photography, doing street performances (singing and guitar playing), volunteering, attending alternative/indie music festivals or concerts, and when time allows it, he likes seeking out new experiences. This is his first semester, and he is filled with enthusiasm about joining the lab, meeting new people, and expanding his knowledge about psychological research!
Emily Solis
Spring 2024 - Present
Emily was born in Los Angeles and raised in Laughlin, Nevada. She is a first year Psychology major. After graduating, she plans on pursuing a Masters and PhD in clinical Child Psychology. Emily plans to become a clinical Child Psychologist with a focus on toddlers, preteens, and teenagers. Her interests and hobbies are relaxing, listening to music, going for runs, and watching her favorite sitcoms. This is her first semester with the Music Lab and she looks forward to gaining experience with children and their development with music.
Tabitha Ferraris
Spring 2024 - Present
Spring 2024 will be Taba’s first semester with the Music Lab. She is excited to learn about the auditory perceptions and how these perceptions can alter our feelings, understanding, actions, etcetera. While currently being an undergraduate junior, majoring in psychology and minoring in philosophy; she plans on furthering her education by attending grad school for a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She will use her education and knowledge gained at UNLV to assist vulnerable populations within the Las Vegas Valley. During time of leisure Taba likes to be creative, she builds and decorates areas with arts and crafts
Alexandra Miguez-Ruiz
Spring 2024 - Present
Alex is from Chicago, IL and moved to Las Vegas in 2018. Alex is a senior pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Services. After graduating she plans on taking some time off before pursuing a graduate degree. She is interested in studying trauma and the effects trauma can have on the body and brain. Alex has worked with children in different settings throughout her career. Including having been a daycare teacher in both her hometown and in Las Vegas. In her free time Alex loves to sing and reads books. Her goal for 2024 is to read all the books she owns before buying any more.
Connor Edwards
Spring 2024 - Present
Connor, a Las Vegas, NV native, was born and raised in the vibrant city. Currently in his Junior year, he is pursuing a degree in Psychology. Post-graduation, he plans on attending UNLV’s medical school with the goal of becoming a psychiatrist, particularly focusing on working with children and adolescents. Outside of academics, Connor has a passion for snowboarding, working out, collecting vinyl records, and exploring different parts of the world. This upcoming summer, he has ambitious plans to backpack around Europe for a month, embarking on a journey that starts in Paris, France, and concludes in Vienna, Hungary. Throughout the quarantine period, Connor stayed occupied by indulging in video games and acquiring the skill of playing the drums. This is his first semester working with the lab but he's beyond excited to learn about the research process.
Cinthya Olivas Ruiz
Spring 2024 - Present
Cinthya is Las Vegas born and raised! She is a senior pursuing a degree in political science with a
minor in Psychology and plans to attend law school after finishing her undergraduate. Her main
pastimes are reading, weight lifting, and babysitting her nieces and nephew. This will be her first
semester joining the lab and is looking forward to gaining research experience, working with
kids, and supplementing her psychology coursework.
Sean Chang
Summer 2024 - Present
Sean is currently at senior at UNLV studying Psychology. He is originally from Fresno, California but has been living in Las Vegas since the 4th grade. His current career goals are to become a psychiatrist and am planning on pursuing medical school after graduation. His hobbies currently include playing basketball and baseball with his friends. He is also a youth leader at a local Korean church
Yashesvi Sharma
Spring 2024 - Present
Yashesvi Sharma was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and is a junior at Ed W Clark High School under their AMSAT/STEM program. Later down the line, she aspires to work in the public health space. She got interested in this field during quarantine, where she would research as much as she possibly could about SARS-CoV-2 to try and begin to understand the situation. Through this, she developed a passion for public health, epidemiology, and virology. During her free time, she enjoy reading, cooking, and weightlifting. She is excited to be involved with the research process and hopes to further hone in on her presentation and communication skills all while learning more about the brain through participation in this environment.
Jason Marquez
Spring 2024 - Present
Meet Jason, who is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has resided in Henderson, Nevada, for 15 years. Jason is a senior at UNLV, pursuing a psychology major. In the fall, he plans to apply to UNLV's master of social work program to obtain an LCSW. Jason's passion lies in becoming a social worker and clinician, specifically for children in the foster care system and parents dealing with addiction. Beyond academics, Jason leads an active lifestyle, engaging in running, hiking, pickleball, basketball, and weight training. On the quieter side, he enjoys unwinding at home with his fiancée, cooking, and watching movies together. Jason used quarantine to indulge in shows like Game of Thrones and Shameless. As he embarks on his first semester with the lab in spring 2024, he looks forward to the challenges and opportunities it will bring. While he may not yet have a favorite aspect of being in the lab, he is eager to learn and grow through this new venture.
Enzo Imperial
Spring 2024 - Present
Enzo was born in born in Burlingame, California but my family moved to Las Vegas when I was 2 and have since been raised as a Las Vegan. He is currently a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Asian Studies and I will be graduating in Spring 2024! He hopes to further his academic career in Psychology by either pursuing a Master’s Program or PhD program. He is currently at a crossroads in his life, and I will be taking a year off to decide where I want to go, and where he want to live. He believes a change of scenery and a “fresh” start into the next phase of my life would do him well. In his freetime he loves to read, play video games, listen to music (indie/alt), watch the sunset, exercise, and journal!
Michael Razon
Spring 2024 - Present
Michael is from the Northern Mariana Islands but has lived in Las Vegas for most of his life. He is in his fourth year of his psychology and computer science degree. While he is in his first semester with the lab, he is eager to combine these two areas to run data analyses and perform IT duties. During quarantine, he picked up baking and still loves to make loaves, buns, and rolls. In his free time, he also enjoys playing video games, listening to music, and watching shows. After graduating, he is keen to continue working in the lab and getting a job in industry.
Past Research Assistants
- Jennifer Hsu
- Brooke Booth
- Kaela Omengan
- Isabella Aceituno
- Kristina Cruz
- Cole Smithers
- Sarah Al-Shimary
- Jordyn Karns
- Shelbie Silvers
- Jasmine Xu
- Jordan Hayes
- Aditya Subramaniam​
- Mae Ling Catayong
- Sarah Uganiza
- Sofia Juarez
- Jolie Li
- Mark Bautista
- Kacey Chang
- Kiara O'Keefe
- Aileen Corral
- John Hatch
- Samantha White
- Bryanna Grijalva
- Carolina Herrera
- Natalya Sayegh
- Nicole Datastanyan
- David Galich
- Ashley Bunn
- Caetano Brito
- Christian Hunter
- Natalie Contreras
- Jacky On
- Cerena-Jazmei (Cjay) Aguiran
- Ally Danlag
- Darlington “DJ” Ugbodu
- Haley Banks
- Beatriz Torres
- Lamija (Mia) Redzic
- Anna Sukiasian
- Melissa Lacro
- Da Laina Cameron
- Jessica Jensen
- Jonathan Molina
- Ryan Perez
- Melanie Garcia
- Miguel Castano
- Matthew Yearling
- Joseph Lopez
- Jordan Nelson
- Dominic Maglalang
- Karley Herbert
- Waylon Raether
- Kirtly Day
- Kalli Marie Naples
- Kelly Seaborg
- Ashley Celis
- Megan Mayer
- Jessica Ramos
- Cassidy Destefano
- Vanessa Lamorte
- Emylia Terry
- Manognya Murukutla
- William King-Lewis
- Kristina Oganesian
- Kristina Martirosyan
- Riley Ramos
- Haley Yanez
- Brittany Booth
- Michael Esquejo
- Kelly Hung
- Nancy Reyna
- Amanda Heraux
- Rudolf Jovero
- Tanya Serrano
- Dana Barakat
- Yasmin Flores
- Serrena "Doc" Truong
- Janelle Salcedo
- Minerva Moran
- Carmella Gadsen
- Dung My Do
- Maria Thao Hoang
- Mia Alvarado
- Nicole Tatalovich
- Alana Solomon
- Daniel Kipnis
- Joel Herd
- Aerie Carswell
- Katherine Johnson
- Ashley Randolph
- Lindsey Hierro
- Justina Hawkins
- Rebecca Huntsman
- Stephanie Gomez
- Deseret Nunez
- Krizel Sagun
- Priscila Venzor
- Liza Patrice Paez
- Anthony Romero
- Jennifer Delgado
- Katie Fortuna
- Whitlee Manor
- Madison Hurley
- Kendall Lyons
- Karleen Schlichtmann
- Yazmin Valdez
- Corinna Pedregon
- Taylor Pease
- Tiancheng Chen
- Morgan Baker
- Eleanore Martin
- Johansen Pico
- Erica Hoffman
- Melisa Baumgartner