Meet the Lab!
Dr. Kierra Sattler, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Kierra Sattler (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin) is an Associate Professor in the Human Development and Family Studies department at UNCG and the lead investigator of the lab.
Current Graduate Students
Favour Omondi, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Favour Omondi (M.S., Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro) is a Ph.D. student in the HDFS department and graduate research assistant in the lab. Favour’s research interests are centered around maltreatment, specifically child neglect within the context of poverty, and exploring how these experiences influence children’s outcomes. Favour enjoys reading African literature, spending time with her dogs and cooking for friends and family.
Emma DiLissio, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Emma DiLissio (M.S., Applied Developmental Psychology, Queen's University Belfast) is a Ph.D. student in the HDFS department and a graduate research assistant in the lab. Emma's research focuses on identifying risk and protective factors in children raised in emotionally dysregulated family climates, as well as the developmental trajectory of emotion regulation across the lifespan and its association with the intergenerational transmission of parenting practices. In her free time, Emma enjoys solo traveling, yoga, and playing with her dog, Iroh!
Morgan Gilmer, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Morgan Gilmer (M.S., Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro) is a Ph.D. student in the HDFS department and graduate research assistant in the lab. Morgan studies how families build and maintain social support, how social support protects families in the context of adversity, and how policy and access to public space shapes community opportunity. Morgan loves to read (science fiction in particular), play video games, and spend time with their partner & pets.
Yifang Li, M.A.
Graduate Research Assistant
Yifang Li (M.A., Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University) is a Ph.D. student in the HDFS department and a graduate research assistant in the lab. Yifang’s reseserch focus on understanding the dynamics of parent-child interaction and emotion regulation in diverse cultural contexts. Her research explores how these processes influence children’s academic performance and mental health, with a broader interest in fostering resilience across development. In her free time, Yifang enjoys listening to music, singing, painting, and traveling.
George Emory, B.A.
Graduate Research Assistant
George Emory (B.A., Psychology & Statistics, Temple University) is a Ph.D. student in the HDFS department and a graduate research assistant in the lab. George’s research focuses on childhood trauma, especially in the contexts of child maltreatment. He is interested in identifying factors that might elevate a child’s risk for experiencing maltreatment and to improve the detection of its symptoms with the goal of informing intervention and prevention strategies for families and their children who are at elevated risk. George likes writing and reading fiction in his spare time, as well as weight-lifting, crafts, and playing video games with friends.
Staff
Megan Brouillard, M.S.
Senior Project Coordinator
Megan has been a part of the iGrow team from the very beginning. She now oversees the iGrow, iGrowUP and iGrowCARES Studies. She has worked at UNCG since 2010, starting as a research assistant on the Triad Child Study. She then moved into a project coordinator position for the S.T.A.R. Project for 4 years, until the grant ended. She also served as the Assistant Coordinator for the Child and Family Research Network at UNCG for over a year. She graduated with her M.S. in Child Development and Family Relations from East Carolina University in December 2009, and her B.S., also from E.C.U. in Family and Community Services in May 2008. In her free time, she enjoys playing softball, photography, attending her kids’ sporting events, spending time with family and friends, shopping for a good book and traveling. Her family loves to visit new places and find something unusual to do in each location. She has 2 kids, 3 step-kids, 3 dogs and a cat!
Juliana Ganim, B.A.
Scheduler, Research Assisant
Juliana (B.A., Psychology & Middle Eastern Studies, North Carolina State University) is a scheduler and research assistant in the lab. She is interested in learning about curiosity in young children and how that can be appropriately fostered in different settings and across ages. She is also interested in exploring conflict resolution between dyads and understanding the psychological effects of different communication strategies on close relationships. A fun fact about Jules is that she can speak 3 languages!