Abigail Thomas, Undergraduate Volunteer
Abigail is a senior at Northwestern University majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Data Science. She is interested in better understanding psychopathology and contributing to the creation of effective interventions.
Currently she is working on her honors thesis in the lab understanding linguistic dysfluency production among women with and without the FMR1 premutation.
Amber Wang, Undergraduate Volunteer
Amber Wang is a sophomore at Northwestern University majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Religious Studies and Data Science. Her research interests focus on cross-linguistic differences in prosody and narrative structure in children with autism spectrum disorder.
She is particularly interested in pediatric populations and values direct engagement with children and adolescents, especially those who are neurodivergent. In the lab, she hopes to explore voice- and speech-based approaches to understanding ASD and contribute to research involving language and communication.
Ayaan Kamal, Undergraduate Volunteer
Ayaan is a fourth-year student at Northwestern University double majoring in Biology and Psychology.
He is a premed student interested in psychiatry and clinical psychology and in learning more about speech development in children with autism and/or fragile X syndrome.
Chizora Okolo, Undergraduate Volunteer
Chizora Okolo is a second year undergraduate student at Northwestern University, pursuing a double major in Biology and Psychology. She plans to attend medical school and is interested in working with children, with a potential focus on pediatric psychiatry or neurology.
Her academic interests center on developmental disorders and how genetic factors influence communication. Through her work in the lab, she explores the biological and psychological mechanisms underlying differences in communication.
Delaney Caudill, Undergraduate Volunteer
Delaney Caudill is a junior majoring in psychology and global health studies at Northwestern University. She is particularly interested in psychopathology and the accessibility of mental health care in rural and underserved communities.
Delaney is eager to learn more about ASD and fragile X syndrome, and how these interact with environmental influences to shape development.
Israa Eisa, Undergraduate Volunteer
Israa is a student at Northwestern University majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Data Science. Her primary research interests focus on neurodevelopmental disorders in women and children, with an emphasis on understanding how these disorders affect both biological and social aspects of life.
In the NDL Lab, she looks forward to exploring the role of environmental influences on individuals with these conditions.
Julianna Duran, Undergraduate Volunteer
Julianna is a first-year student at Northwestern University studying neuroscience and psychology on the pre-med track. She is interested in studying the biological bases behind neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD, as well as social or parental influences on personality and mood disorders.
At the NDL, she is excited to expand on those interests by exploring the lab’s research on linguistic differences in autism and how these traits appear across families.
Mia Martinez, Undergraduate Volunteer
Mia Martinez is a first-year student at Northwestern University majoring in Journalism and minoring in Korean. Recently, she decided to pursue the pre-med track and has begun taking the required coursework, which also led her to start an independent study at the Neurodevelopmental Diversity Lab.
Mia is especially interested in East Asian languages, particularly Korean, and plans to study abroad this summer at Seoul National University. As a regular volunteer with the ACEing Autism program, she is excited to deepen her understanding of the cognitive processes and speech patterns of individuals on the autism spectrum.
Wendy Jiang, Undergraduate Volunteer
Wendy Jiang is a sophomore at Northwestern University majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She is a research assistant in Northwestern’s Neurodevelopmental Diversity Lab, where she supports projects on phenotypic variation in autism.
With a background working with autistic children through community programs, her interests center on variability in autism expression, particularly across cultures and genders, and how this shapes diagnosis and care. Wendy looks forward to continuing to build her experience in autism research at the NDL.
Wiktoria Mleczko, Undergraduate Volunteer
Wiktoria is a first-year student at Northwestern University studying Data Science and Global Health Studies. She is interested in exploring how environmental and genetic factors influence health outcomes across populations, and how these factors impact condition identification and development over time.
Within the NDL, she looks forward to studying how language and communication develop differently across individuals, as well as the factors that shape neurodevelopmental conditions across generations.
