Meet the LBD Lab
Dr. Julie Markant
Lab Director
Dr. Julie Markant is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Tulane University. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Child Psychology from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to Tulane, Dr. Markant completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University.
Dr. Markant’s research focuses on mechanisms that link the development of selective attention and efficient learning during infancy and early childhood. Her work takes a bidirectional approach by investigating 1) the role of developing attention control in promoting more effective learning and 2) the role of prior learning and experience in shaping our ability to efficiently orient to meaningful information. This research is grounded in a developmental perspective and the understanding that multiple biological and contextual factors contribute to change in these processes over time. Dr. Markant therefore aims to understand how both neurobehavioral mechanisms and individual experience contribute to variability in attention and learning outcomes. To address these questions Dr. Markant’s research emphasizes behavioral and eye tracking methods but has also incorporated genetic, MRI, and fNIRS measures.
Taylor Marcus
Graduate Student
Taylor is a fifth year Neuroscience Ph.D. candidate from Charlotte, North Carolina. She graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and Psychology. As an undergraduate, she assisted research projects for the School Psychology department, focusing on learning and behavior of at-risk children. She also worked on a genetics project in an evolutionary biology lab. After college, Taylor worked for Tulane as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Translational Science Institute. Currently in the lab, Taylor investigates the role of reward in attention biases towards social features across the lifespan. Her dissertation work combines behavioral, eye tracking and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging techniques to investigate the role of reward processing in attention biases to the self, familiar and stranger faces.
Svetha Mohan
Graduate Student
Svetha is a fourth year School Psychology Ph.D. student from West Palm Beach, Florida. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from University of Central Florida in 2017, taught English in Cartagena, Spain, and then earned her M.A. in Human Development from University of Maryland, College Park. Before coming to Tulane, she was involved in various research projects that examined different aspects of children’s cognitive development, such as working memory in children with ADHD, the neurodevelopment of language and memory using EEG methods, and the effects of cognition and scaffolding in early science education. Svetha’s current work focuses on how preschool-aged children pay attention to and learn from contextual information using eye-tracking and behavioral methods.
Brooke Montgomery
Graduate Student
Brooke is a second year Psychological Science Ph.D. student with a focus in Brain, Cognition, and Developmental Science from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She attended Louisiana State University, where she received a B.S. in Psychology in 2021. At LSU, she was involved in various laboratories in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences department, studying the neurocognitive mechanisms of attention and memory through eye tracking and EEG methods. Afterwards, as the Lab Manager of the Learning & Brain Development Lab, her research focused on how attention biases are shaped across infancy. Brooke’s current research utilizes eye tracking and behavioral methods to understand the development of attention and reward interactions overtime.
Kayla Brown
Lab Manager
Kayla is our Lab Manager from Knightdale, North Carolina. She attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a B.S. in Psychology in 2023. Throughout her time at UNC, she was heavily involved in the research in the Psychology and Neuroscience departments which primarily focuses on Child Imaging Research on Cognition and Life Experiences (CIRCLE Lab). Kayla is interested in cognitive and socioemotional mechanisms that may influence overall developmental outcomes in children and adolescence with consideration to early adverse experiences.
Maddie Parsley
Recruitment Coordinator
Maddie is our Recruitment Coordinator from Baltimore, Maryland. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned her B.S. in Psychology in 2023. At UNC, she was involved in research at the School of Medicine focusing on improving mobility and community involvement for people with disabilities. Maddie is interested in the mechanisms of learning and attentional control with a focus on early childhood. Her goal is to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and pursue a career in research.
Alyssa Alperstein
Research Assistant
Alyssa is a Senior at Tulane University from Baltimore, Maryland. She is majoring in Psychology with minors in Public Health, and Teaching, Learning, & Training. Alyssa joined the lab because of her passion for working with children and developmental psychology. After graduating from Tulane, she hopes to go onto get a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology.
Emma Meyer
Research Assistant
Emma is a Senior at Tulane University. She is from Nashville, Tennessee and is majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience. She joined the LBD Lab because of her interest in learning and intelligence and her desire to work with children. On campus, Emma is involved in the Newcomb Scholars program and the Tulane Neuroscience Association. After graduating, she hopes to get a Master’s in Psychology and eventually pursue a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology.
Kasey Ehrenreich
Research ASSISTANT
Kasey is a Senior at Tulane University and from Athens, GA. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in German and Philosophy. She is on the board of the Tulane Campus Programming Club and the Compassion in Action Club. After graduation, she hopes to receive her Ph.D in neuropsychology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking and yoga.
Makenzie Soto
Research Assistant
Makenzie is a Senior from Westchester, New York. She is double majoring in Neuroscience and Gender & Sexuality Studies with a minor in Psychology. At Tulane, she is a member of TU Gente and Sexual Aggression Peer Hotline and Education (SAPHE). After graduating from Tulane, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and eventually work with children and adolescents as a clinical neuropsychologist.
Clare McIntyre
Research Assistant
Clare is a Senior at Tulane from Baltimore, Maryland. She is majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish. She is involved in Tulane’s running club and loves to run to local NOLA food spots with friends! After graduation, Clare hopes to go to medical school, and in her free time she enjoys running, reading, and hanging out with friends!
Sydney Meilstrup
Research Assistant
Sydney is a junior at Tulane University. She was born in Santa Rita, Guam, but currently lives in Pensacola, Florida. She is majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology and joined the lab to help pursue her goal of both psychology research and a career in Pediatric Psychiatry. Sydney is a member of Afterschool Newcomb Tutoring, is involved in her sorority, and volunteers for Girls in Stem at Tulane. In her free time, she loves to read, dance, and has a passion for sudoku.
Bella Mainiero
Research Assistant
Bella Mainiero is a junior at Tulane University from Shreveport, Louisiana. She is currently double majoring in Neuroscience and Computer Science with a minor in Studio Art. She is currently involved with the Tulane University Neuroscience Association, Tulane’s soccer club, and the Brain, Arts, and Music Scholar’s Society. After she graduates, Bella plans to attend a PhD/MD program to continue her interests in both research and surgery. Her interests in both research and neuroscience are what drew her to Dr. Markant’s lab.
Jillian MacHenry
Research Assistant
Jillian is junior at Tulane from Cherry Hill, NJ. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Public Health and SLAM. At Tulane, she’s the Director of Recruitment for the Dance Marathon. During her free time, she enjoys going on walks in Audubon Park and trying local restaurants with friends. Her passion for cognitive neuroscience led her to discover and join Dr. Markant’s LBD Lab. After graduation, she hopes to become a school psychologist or to receive her Ph.D. in neuropsychology.
Shanae Venter
Research Assistant
Shanae is a junior at Tulane from Newton, Massachusetts. She is majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Gender Studies and Public Health and hopes to use her education to help lessen the burden of health disparities in medicine. After graduation, she hopes to go to medical school and pursue a career in women’s health. She joined the lab because of her interest in neuroscience and working with children. In her free time, Shanae is involved in multiple on-campus groups, including Tulane Peer Health Educators, Peer Wellness Representatives, and her sorority.
Zoe Sanders
Research Assistant
Zoe is a senior from Stanford, California. She is majoring in Psychology with minors in Public Health and Teaching, Learning, & Training. She joined the LBD Lab because of her passion for working with kids and her interest in child development. In her free time, Zoe enjoys reading, going on walks, and spending time with friends. After graduating, Zoe hopes to explore the field of developmental psychology by earning a graduate degree or having hands-on field experiences.
Aditi Sridhar
ICIS FOUNDING GENERATION FELLOW
Aditi graduated from Ashoka University, India in May of 2023, where she eared a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology. She was awarded the Founding Generation Summer Fellowship for Undergraduates by ICIS, International Congress of Infant Studies. With this grant, Aditi is able to work with Dr. Markant and her team at the LBD Lab on the project that focuses on how infants detect and attend to their caregiver in environments that are rich with many stimuli. She is particularly interested in the development of intersensory perception in those children at-risk for ASD. In relation to this, she hopes to move into the field of child psychology after her graduation and work on developing early childhood interventions for at-risk children in India.
Carson Heward
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Carson is a postgraduate research assistant from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Tulane in 2023, earning her B.S. in Public Health with a minor in Psychology. Throughout her undergraduate years at Tulane, she worked with children in many ways: as an ABA Therapist for children with Autism; a Patient Care Representative using her psychology background to help patients achieve their individualized goals; a tutor and a counselor for children in New Orleans; and a research assistant. Her passion for working with children coupled with her interest in researching and understanding psychological impact of adverse childhood experience (ACEs) and their effects on learning and development led her to join Dr. Markant’s lab. Carson plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and eventually practice as a clinician working primarily with children who have experienced ACEs.
Catherine MacConnell
Research Assistant
Catherine is a junior at Tulane University from Houston, Texas. She is pursuing a Public Health major, as well as a Strategy, Leadership & Analytics minor. On campus, Catherine is involved in the Health Equity Fellowship and Tulane Peer Health Educators. In her free time, she loves rock climbing, reading and finding new coffeeshops. Post-graduation, Catherine intends to pursue a career as a medical doctor. She is currently interested in pediatric work, which drew her to the LBD lab.
Ariel Siegel
Research Assistant
Ariel is a senior at Tulane from Palo Alto, California. She is studying Psychology and minoring in SLAM (Strategy, Leadership, Analytics Minor). She loves the outdoors, like skiing, hiking, and walking in Audubon Park. She loves trying new restaurants, and her current favorite in New Orleans is Flour Moon. At Tulane, Ariel is a tour guide and a tutor for the After-school Newcomb Tutoring program, where she tutors a child within the New Orleans community once a week. She also enjoys being part of a social sorority.
Simirpreet Gill
Research Assistant
Simir is a master’s student in neuroscience at Tulane. She graduated with a BA in psychology from Duke University, where she conducted research in fMRI, infant cognition, and molecular genetics labs. She utilized those research skills as a 2018 Corp member for Teach for America, designing novel curriculum during the pandemic. Teaching and empowering students experiencing poverty, gun violence, and trauma changed her life. In the future, she hopes to merge her passion for research and psychology with social justice and education as a professor.
Maira Ansari
Research Assistant
Maira is a junior at Tulane from Houston, Texas. She is double majoring in Psychology and Sociology and minoring in Philosophy. On campus, Maira is the president of the Tulane Mixed Martial Arts club, a member of Alpha Phi Omega, and a Peer Wellness Representative. She joined the LBD lab because of her love for working with kids and interest in children’s development. After graduation, she hopes to pursue graduate studies in developmental psychology.
Our Alumni
Former Graduate Students
Jill King, Ph.D
Completing her work in the LBDLab, Jill earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Tulane University in 2021 with her dissertation entitled “Selective attention control facilitates learning from task-relevant competing information during childhood and adulthood.” She previously earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a B.S. in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 2016. Following her graduation, Jill has transitioned from academia into an industry position. As a research scientist in the Moore Neuro-Fundraising® Lab at TCM Creative in Tulsa, Oklahoma, her research now focuses on donating behaviors. She enjoys applying the many skills she learned in the Learning and Brain Development Lab to these new challenges.
