Meet Our Research Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Drew Abney
- Email: Drew.abney@uga.edu
- Current position:
- Graduate Coordinator & Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia
- Faculty Affiliate in UGA's Artificial Intelligence Institute
- Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-2019) in Developmental Psychology at Indiana University
- Ph.D (2016) in Cognitive and Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced
- M.S. (2012) in Quantitative Psychology and Cognitive/Behavioral Science at Illinois State University
- Click here for CV
Graduate Students
Grace Steffen
- Email: Grace.steffen@uga.edu
- Graduate School: Psychology (BBS), Year Two
- Undergrad: University of Alabama (2022)
- Majors: Bachelor of Science in Biology | Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
- Minors: Spanish and Liberal Arts
- Research Interest: The relationship between behavior and physiology during development.
Christian Jerry
- Email: Christian.jerry@uga.edu
- Graduate School: Psychology (BBS), Year Three
- Undergrad: Indiana University Bloomington (2021)
- Majors: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
- Research Interest: How early sensorimotor experiences impact infant behaviors.
Christopher Bell
- Email: Bellchri@uga.edu
- Graduate School: Psychology (BBS), Year Four
- Undergrad: Grinnell College (2018)
- Majors: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (w/ Honors)
- Research Interest: How motor skills develop in infants and toddlers.
Research Assistants
Alexa Knightlinger
(Major: Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience) Alexa plans to attend graduate school in neuroscience.
Ava McDonald
(Major: Psychology): Ava plans to attend graduate school in clinical psychology.
Amanda Kolberg
(Major: Psychology & Cognitive Science) Amanda is passionate about cognitive neuroscience research.
Angeline Justus
(Major: Biomedical Physiology): Angeline plans to attend medical school.
Avery Criss
(Major: Psychology, Neuroscience and Criminal Justice) Avery is interested in the intersections between criminology and psychology.
Avery Hughes
(Major: Psychology): Avery plans to attend graduate school in psychology.
Bhumy Patel
(Major: Psychology and Biomedical Physiology): Bhumy plans to attend medical school to become a physician.
Delaney Mendoza
(B.A. Psychology and Spanish at Clemson University): Delaney plans to attend graduate school in developmental psychology, and is passionate about language and sensorimotor development of infants.
Emma Gartland
(Major: Psychology & HDFS) Emma plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in developmental psychology.
Jade Harris
(Major: Psychology.) Jade plans to attend graduate school and become a developmental psychologist.
Jemeya Thomas
(Major: Psychology & HDFS ) Jemeya plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in developmental and autism research.
Kaitlyn Meland
(Major: Psychology) Kaitlyn plans to attend graduate school to become a clinical psychologist.
Sabina Lee
(Major: Psychology): Sabina plans to attend graduate school to become a school counselor for high school students, helping them chart a course toward academic success and personal growth.
Neelie Perno
(Major: Psychology) Neelie plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in clinical psychology, specializing in child and adolescent mental health.
Sabrina Golden
(Major: Psychology & Business): Sabrina plans to get her masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, so that she can bring her fascination of Psychology and love for helping others into a business-oriented field.
Samantha Sands
(Major: Biology): Samantha plans to attend medical school and pursue a career in pediatric medicine.
Samira Butts
(Major: Psychology) Samira plans to attend graduate school and later pursue a career in mental health.
Sarah Jane Ellington
(Major: Psychology & HDFS) Sarah Jane plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career as a clinical psychologist.
Sophie Mazzella
(Major: Psychology, Human Services): Sophie plans to attend graduate school to become a school psychologist.