Director

George M. Slavich, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Founding Director, Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research
Investigator, Staglin One Mind Center for Cognitive Neuroscience
Research Scientist, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
B.A. with honors, M.A., & M.A., Stanford University
M.S. & Ph.D., University of Oregon
Clinical Internship, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School
NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCSF & UCLA
Interests: psychoneuroimmunology, social safety, stress, depression, social genomics, health
Email | Website
Lab Coordinators

Theresa Bui
Lab Coordinator
B.S., UCLA, 2017
Interests: stress, genetics of depression, cultural psychology, mental health
Email

Stassja Sichko
Lab Coordinator
B.A., Pomona College, 2015
Interests: stress, physical & mental health, mindfulness, intergenerational transmission of risk
Email
Lab Members

Jacob Allely
Research Assistant
B.A., UCLA, 2017
Interests: depression, developmental psychology, post traumatic stress disorder
Email

Kayla Ardebilchi
Research Assistant
Milken Community High School
Interests: social stress, development, mental health
Email

Kaitlyn Breiner, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
B.A. with honors, Temple University, 2009
Ph.D., UCLA, 2016
Interests: developmental neuroscience, adolescence, peer influence, social stress
Email

Milton Cazassa, Ph.D.
Project Coordinator
Ph.D., PUCRS/UCLA (Visiting Graduate Researcher), 2019
Specialist in Clinical Psychology, Federal Council of Psychology (Brazil), 2018
M.S., B.A., PUCRS (Brazil)
Interests: stress, mental health, psychoneuroimmunology, social genomics
Email

Alberto Collazzoni, Ph.D.
Visiting Scholar
Ph.D., 2014, University of L’ Aquila (Italy)
CBT Psychotherapist, 2017, APC / SPC, Rome (Italy)
Interests: stress, humiliation, family risk, psychopathology
Email

Bailey Deal
Project Coordinator
B.S., UC Davis, 2016
Interests: stress, inflammation, disease, consciousness
Email

Christopher DeMatteo
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Research Trainee
B.A., Cornell University, 2016
Interests: stress and health, development, cross cultural assessment of stress
Email

Elizabeth Fisseha
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Research Trainee
B.A., Amherst College, 2011
M.S., University of Southern California, 2013
Interests: stress, development, depression, physical health
Email

Chantal Gabayan
Research Assistant
Milken Community High School
Interests: stress, mental health, physical health
Email

Dora Kirigin
Master’s Thesis Student
B.A., University of Zagreb, 2011
Interests: cross cultural assessment of stress, psychological health
Email

Mimi Lu
Research Assistant
B.S., UCLA, 2018
Interests: depression, mental health, stress
Email

Natalie Muren, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
B.A., Willamette University, 2006
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 2013
Interests: Stress, inflammation, gene regulation, biomarker detection, health
Email

Rachel Ogata
Research Assistant
B.S., UCLA, 2018
Interests: Adolescent mental health, neuroscience, social stress, developmental psychology
Email

Chandler Spahr
Project Coordinator
M.A., San Diego State University, 2020, B.S., UC Davis, 2017
Interests: stress, mental health, relationships, social interactions
Email

Kelly Sun
Research Assistant
B.S., UCLA, 2019
Interests: inflammation, psychological health, genetic bases of depression
Email
Collaborators
Randy P. Auerbach, Ph.D., ABPP, Harvard Medical School | Website
Larry W. Barsalou, Ph.D., University of Glasgow | Website
Julie E. Bower, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Melynda D. Casement, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh | Website
Steven W. Cole, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Naomi I. Eisenberger, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Elissa E. Epel, Ph.D., UCSF | Website
Ian H. Gotlib, Ph.D., Stanford University | Website
Greg Hajcak Proudfit, Ph.D., Stony Brook University | Website
Constance Hammen, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Kate L. Harkness, Ph.D., Queen’s University | Website
Michael R. Irwin, M.D., UCLA | Website
Farrah Jacquez, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati | Website
Michael R. Jarcho, Ph.D., Loras College | Website
Margaret E. Kemeny, Ph.D., UCSF | Website
Mark F. Lenzenweger, Ph.D., SUNY | Website
Susan K. Lutgendorf, Ph.D., University of Iowa | Website
Jennifer Malat, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati | Website
Greg E. Miller, Ph.D., Northwestern University | Website
Scott M. Monroe, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame | Website
Matthew K. Nock, Ph.D., Harvard University | Website
Aoife O’Donovan, Ph.D., UCSF | Website
Hector A. Olvera, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso | Website
Elizabeth A. Phelps, Ph.D. | Website
Diego A. Pizzagalli, Ph.D., Harvard University | Website
Mitch J. Prinstein, Ph.D., UNC Chapel Hill | Wesbite
Roxann Roberson-Nay, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University | Website
Nicolas Rohleder, Ph.D., Brandeis University | Website
Karen D. Rudolph, Ph.D., University of Illinois | Website
Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Ph.D., University of Kentucky | Website
Grant S. Shields, Ph.D., University of Arkansas | Website
Anil K. Sood, M.D., MD Anderson Cancer Center | Website
Shelley E. Taylor, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
April D. Thames, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Loren Toussaint, Ph.D., Luther College | Website
Heather L. Urry, Ph.D., Tufts University | Website
Roland von Känel, M.D., Klinik Barmelweid AG | Website
Tor D. Wager, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder | Website
Aidan G.C. Wright, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh | Website
Gail E. Wyatt, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D., Stanford University | Website
Lab Alumni
Santhosi Samudrala, 2016-2017
Hilary Wilson, 2015-2017
Abigail Looi, 2014-2016
Robert Manley, 2010-2013
Pauline de Lange, 2009-2010
Mashal Ali, 2010-2013
Daniel Araiza, 2009-2013
Stephen Imperiale-Hagerman, 2008-2012
Tiffany Thornton, 2004-2005
Brandi Lewis, 2004-2005
Corrie Doyle, 2004-2005
Kimberly Merrill, 2003-2004
Corrie Doyle, 2003-2004
Halina Kowalski, 2002-2004
Lauren Anas, 2002-2004
Asako Kanazawa, 2002-2003
Siong-Guan Chng, 2002-2003
Erica Aronson, 2001-2002