EXECUTIVE BOARD 2025-2026
Ella Liu & Katherine Song
Associate Editors-in-Chief
Ella is a fourth year psychobiology major who discovered a passion for research and publication through URJP. As a research assistant at the UCLA Addictions Laboratory, she is conducting a departmental honors project on the intersection of chronic pain, inflammation and alcohol use. She is also exploring tFUS as a novel treatment for substance use disorders at the UCLA Staglin Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. In her free time, she loves rock-climbing and cafe-hopping!
Katherine Song (she/her) is a fourth-year Psychology major at UCLA with minors in Public Health and Creative Writing. She is a research assistant in two UCLA labs, CALMA and CARE, as well as a research assistant for the CALMS Lab at CHLA. She plans to apply for a PhD in clinical psychology to study intervention implementation and improvement for minority populations and would love to form connections with likeminded people. Fight on!
Danika Suh & Jessica Sanders
Associate Editors-in-Chief
Danika Suh (she/her) is a third-year Psychology major and Education Studies minor from Burbank, CA. Outside of URJP, she is a College Access Mentor under the UCLA Kern Regional K16 Education Collaborative, Research Assistant at the Anxiety and Depression Research Center (ADRC), and Recruitment Chair for CELL Scholars. Off campus, she works as a Special Education intern at a tutoring site tied to the Westside Regional Center. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school for an Ed.S in School Psychology, followed by an Ed.D to further her interest in implementing cross-cultural educational and mental health interventions in schools. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and café hopping!
Jessica Sanders (she/her) is a third year Cognitive Science major from Sacramento, California. She is interested in law, especially how interdisciplinary perspectives can be used in the legal field to better serve underrepresented communities. She is pursuing attendance at a law school after graduation to pursue a career in public interest law. Outside of URJP she spends her time coaching figure skating, dancing, and reading!
Ashlyn Sze
Internal Staff Director
Ashlyn (she/her) is a second-year Cognitive Science major from El Segundo, CA. She is actively involved in various organizations, including serving as the On-Campus Housing Council’s Director of Sustainability, the Assistant Membership Director for PSI CHI, and a mentor through the Pilipino Recruitment and Enrichment program. She is also a research assistant for the Language and Cognitive Development lab. Ashlyn is drawn to cognitive development for how its potential to improve education and well-being. In addition, she wants to further explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and mental health. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in the medical field or earn a PhD in cognitive psychology to further her interest in this field. Known for her bubbly and approachable personality, she loves meeting new people and making meaningful connections.
Vibha Srinivas
External Staff Director
Vibha Srinivas (she/her) is a third-year Neuroscience Major from Irvine, California. Outside of URJP, she is a research assistant at Dr. Thames’s Social Neuroscience in Heath Psychology Lab and previously worked at Dr. Pajonk’s Radiation Oncology Lab and UCSD Boz Institute Neurobiology and Epigenetics Lab. She also volunteers at senior homes through UCLA’s Brain Exercise Initiative and at Ronald Reagan Medical Center as a MyUCLAHealth Ambassador. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and become a neurologist. In her free time, Vibha loves to write poetry and visit new coffee shops!
Vanessa Tran & Nysa Lilani
Directors of Submissions and Workshops
Vanessa is a third-year Cognitive Science major who is interested in a career in industrial organizational psychology. She wants to gain a deeper understanding of how cognitive processes influence workplace behavior and decision-making. She is currently a research assistant in the Computation Visual Learning lab. In her free time she likes to scroll on Pinterest, curate oddly specific Spotify playlists, and read mystery books.
Nysa Lilani is a third year psychobiology major from Dallas, Texas. In addition to being Co-Director of URJP Submissions & Workshops, she is also involved in other organizations like Community Health Collective, Life Science Student Association, and Medical Experience in Service Health Care. She also really enjoy doing research, and has been conducting Neurocardiology Research in the Ajijola Lab for the past 3 years. Outside of school, she really enjoys dancing, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Joyce Lee
Directors of Marketing
Joyce is a 4th year undergraduate pre-med student majoring in psychobiology and minoring in evolutionary medicine. She is currently working as a lead research assistant at The Peng Lab at UCLA. Her lab focuses on the mechanisms of alpha-synuclein and tau related neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple system atrophy. She has a passion for psychology and neuroscience and is hoping to pursue a career in medicine/healthcare in the future.
Siobhan Nelson
Social Director
Siobhan (she/her) is a third year psychology major and global health minor from Sacramento, California. She has research interests in neuropsychology, pediatric neurodevelopment, and social skills interventions. Outside of URJP, she is involved as a research assistant in UCLA’s Parenting and Children’s Friendship Clinic, the Iacoboni Lab, and the Cognition, Affect, and Neurodevelopment in Youth Lab. She is also a research coordinator for Psi Chi. She enjoys running, reading, and drinking matcha in her free time!
Christie Fok
Finance Director
Christie Fok is a third-year Psychology & Communications double-major. In addition to URJP, she works as a research intern at Greenlight America and a research assistant with the UCLA Drasnin Archive. She’s active in the student community through BruinSynaptoGenesis and the Life Sciences Student Association. In her free time, she loves sweet treats and kayaking!
OUR 2024-2025 TEAM
Editing Leads
Eugene Choi
Eugene Choi (she/her) is a second-year student at UCLA majoring in Cognitive Science, with an interest in minoring in Digital Humanities and/or Statistics and Data Science. Calling both Korea and the Philippines home, Eugene is particularly drawn to the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience, driven by a curiosity about the connection between human cognition and technology. Alongside her work with URJP, Eugene blends her creative passions through a cappella performances across campus, innovative design, and longitudinal laboratory research on the adolescent brain.
Justine Dao
Justine Dao (she/her/hers) is a 4th-year/2nd-year transfer student at UCLA hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, majoring in psychology and minoring in education studies. Her research interests spans across areas of clinical and developmental psychology, with a particular focus on language acquisition, cognitive development, mental disorders, and the impact of social/cultural factors on mental well-being for adults or adolescents in their formative years. Additionally, her academic pursuits extend to research in education, reflecting a commitment to advancing understanding and addressing critical issues in the field. Justine currently works as an RA under UCLA’s Language and Cognitive Development Lab, UCLA’s PSI-CHI, and mHealth Training Institute. In her free time, Justine enjoys watching movies, thrifting, cooking, and engaging in photography.
Yiting Wang
Yiting Wang is a fourth-year student majoring in Cognitive Science and Statistics from Shanghai, China. She is interested in studying statistical modeling, decision making process, and behavioral neuroscience. She is currently an RA for Han Du’s Quant Lab and the Blair Lab! In her free time, Yiting enjoys reading, going to movies or theaters, and listening to podcasts.
Editors
Pearl Agramon
Pearl Agramon (she/her/hers) is a third-year psychology major who recently transferred from East Los Angeles College. After undergrad, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and a J.D. in law with a specialization in criminal law. In the future, Pearl hopes to become a forensic psychologist. A fun fact about Pearl is she loves collecting trinkets and trying new restaurants to rank on Beli.
Tara Anderson
Tara Anderson (she/her) is a fourth-year Psychology and Disability Studies. Outside of URJP, she is involved as an undergraduate senior research assistant at the UCLA PEERS Clinic and a research coordinator at the UCLA ADHD and Development Lab. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school for her Clinical Ph.D. and conduct research related to child psychopathology. In her free time, she enjoys playing beach volleyball and reading books.
Elijah Bautista
Elijah (he/him) is currently a third-year Psychology major from San Diego. Outside of URJP, he is a research assistant at the Culture and Race/Ethnicity (CARE) in Youth Mental Health Laboratory. He is an aspiring clinical psychologist passionate about addressing ADHD-related disparities and uplifting underrepresented communities in his current and future research and advocacy. Outside of academics, he loves to hike and drink lattes!
Janelle Cao
Janelle is a first-year transfer student from the Bay Area majoring in psychology who’s still figuring out what she wants to do. Outside of URJP, she previously interned as a research assistant for the Stanford Graduate School of Education and enjoys collecting photocards.
Jessie L. Chang
Jessie Chang is a second-year transfer majoring in Psychology and minoring in Philosophy. Besides editing for the URJP, Jessie is also a research assistant in the Social Minds Lab at UCLA and currently working on the Psychology departmental honors project with Dr. Efren Perez on how ethnic identification can affect people’s sympathetic perception of protestors.
Annika Ekenstam
Annika Ekenstam (she/her) is a first year student at UCLA pursuing a degree in Cognitive Science with a potential second major in Spanish. From Thousand Oaks, CA, she’s stayed close to her roots, but has aspirations to travel and study abroad. Annika intends to contribute to research at UCLA and continue her education in a PhD program following graduation. Further, she is interested in a career in either research or cognitive behavioral therapy. Apart from academics, she enjoys running, lifting, hiking, crafting, and spending time with her family, friends, and Labrador Retriever, Primrose.
Sarah Harris
Sarah Harris (she/her) is a junior year transfer student at UCLA originally from Orange County, California. As a psychology major, she is deeply engaged in research regarding developmental and clinical psychology, with a particular interest on mental disorder development in adolescents. After graduation, she hopes to either pursue a masters or PhD in clinical psychology.
Naima Kahl
Naima Kahl is a first-year Cognitive Science major and Ethnomusicology minor from Thousand Oaks, California. Outside of URJP, she is a member of the UCLA Scattertones A Cappella group and Afrikan Student Union, cultivating her passion for music performance and activism. She hopes to attend graduate school after college and pursue a career in global research, studying the cultural implications of ancestral trauma in underrepresented communities worldwide. She also enjoys traveling to new places, eating good food, and singing with friends.
Dahlia Kirov
Dahlia is a 4th year undergraduate student majoring in psychobiology and minoring in applied developmental psychology. She currently works as a peer health educator and health literacy specialist under the Health Education and Resource Team at the Ashe center, as well as a clinical and research assistant at a child OCD program under UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric hospital. Outside of URJP, Dahlia is the finance director for the Association of Students in Child Development, a writer for Morning Sign Out, and a newsletter contributor for Psi Chi. She hopes to pursue a career in clinic child psychology and work closely with families to promote their mental wellness.
Maggie Li
Maggie (she/her) is a first-year Psychology major. Outside of URJP, she volunteers at the Companion Care Program at UCLA Health. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school and conduct research related to learning strategies for Autism. A fun fact about Maggie is that she can remember all her friends’ birthdays.
Loretta Lye
Loretta is second-year from Singapore double-majoring in Psychology and Economics. Deeply intrigued by human social behaviour, Loretta strives to explore the applications of behavioral insights to public policy so as to guide populations and individuals in making the most optimal decisions. Outside of URJP, Loretta is a research assistant at the Social Minds Lab (UCLA) and Group for Persuasion and Evaluative Processes (NUS). The rest of her time is spent drawing silly caricatures and watching terrible movies.
Monica Ni
Monica is a first year undergraduate psychology major at UCLA with a passion for understanding the complexities of the human mind. Outside of academics, she enjoys baking and mentoring peers, combining her passions for creativity and community.
Shea Ridl
Shea Ridl (she/her) is a first-year cognitive science major from Washington, DC. Apart from editing as a part of URJP, she is involved with Copy for the Daily Bruin and Club Tennis. She enjoys reading, photography, and learning about psychology!
Raymond Shao
Raymond (he/him) is a third-year psychology and (linguistics + CS) double major from San Jose, CA. His interests are in development, particularly language acquisition and cognitive development. Apart from URJP, Raymond is also a research assistant in the Language and Cognitive Development lab. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a PhD in Developmental Psychology or Psycholinguistics.
Chloe Zhu
Chloe Zhu is a fourth-year psychology and sociology double major. Outside of URJP, she is a research assistant at UCLA Social Minds Lab. After graduation, she plans to take a gap year and then goes to graduate school for social sciences. In her free time, she likes to listen to music and go to the theater.
Submissions And Workshops
Yumna Battisha
Yumna (she/her) is a fourth-year Psychology major at UCLA from the Bay Area. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree focusing on substance abuse-related areas. Outside of URJP, she is the Co-Director of Design for FAST and works with Team Awareness Combatting Overdose (T.A.C.O) to help raise awareness surrounding substance abuse. In her free time, Yumna enjoys discovering new coffee shops and traveling, and photography.
Chase Savela
Chase Savela is a second-year Psychology major from Manhattan Beach, California. Outside of URJP, Chase is a volunteer research assistant in the UCLA Brain and Body Lab and the UCLA Sumner Stress Lab. He also works part time as a client assistant at a local mental health center. In the future, Chase hopes to pursue a doctoral program in Clinical Psychology researching the prevention and treatment of internalizing disorders in young people. In his free time, he loves rock climbing, slacklining, and trying to learn the drums!
Iran Valladares
Iran is a fourth-year Psychology major with a focus on computing and a minor in Disability Studies. She is currently a Research Assistant at the Language and Cognitive Development Lab. In addition, Iran is gaining hands-on experience through her internship at Walgrove Elementary, where she works closely with children with disabilities, helping to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Iran is an active member of several student organizations, including URJP, Tups, and Hablamos Juntos, where she collaborates with peers to promote cultural awareness and psychological research. Passionate about advancing her expertise in clinical psychology, Iran plans to pursue a PhD, but first, she aims to take a two-year gap to gain further research experience and work as a Behavior Technician (BT), deepening her understanding of the field.
Marketing and Finance
Leil Cheng
Leil Cheng (she/her) is a second year undergraduate student majoring in psychobiology. She is from San Mateo, California in the Bay Area. Leil is broadly interested in developmental psychology, but hopes to narrow down her research interests in the future and is open to exploration. In her free time, she can be found drawing, reading, and playing board games.
Chealsea Dong
Headshot and bio coming soon!
Christina Lee
Christina Lee (she/her) is a second year Cognitive Science major from Burbank, California. As she continues her studies at UCLA, she plans to pursue a Specialization in Computing. Outside of URJP, Christina currently serves as an Internal Board member for Creative Labs on the Design team, in addition to her position at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center where she does website management and design. After graduation, Christina hopes to break into the field of UI/UX design.
Brandon Melamed
Brandon (he/him) is a third year Psychology major and Brain and Behavioral Health minor from Los Angeles. Outside of URJP, he has been involved in the UCLA Learning Assistants Program as well as various clubs at UCLA’s Hillel. After graduating he plans to attend graduate school to become a clinical psychologist. In his free time, he can be found playing piano or guitar, listening to music, or playing (and losing) IM volleyball games with his friends.
Robin Murphy
Robin Murphy (she/her) is a second year Cognitive Science major with a specialization in computing. She is an out-of-state student from Connecticut. Outside of URJP, Robin is a data journalist for the Daily Bruin and DataRes. Besides marketing, she is interested in the intersection of humanities and tech.
Willow Reyes
Willow Reyes (she/her) is a second-year Psychobiology major. Outside of URJP, she serves as a Peer Advisor for Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment, where she provides holistic and academic support to community college students. In her free time, she enjoys creating digital collages, singing, dancing, and exploring new restaurants. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career as a physician assistant.