HANNAH RAILA, PH.D.
EMOTION, COGNITION, & PSYCHOPATHOLOGY LAB
I have a lab for undergraduate researchers excited to explore topics in emotion, cognition, and psychopathology. I will next be accepting undergraduate applications to begin in the lab in Spring 2025; I recommend contacting me in mid March 2025 if you're interested. I encourage members of historically underrepresented groups to apply. Note that I ask for a commitment of at least 10 hours/week, for at least three quarters, in the lab. If you're interested in applying, please email me (hraila@ucsc.edu) your CV, transcript (from UCSC and/or another college if you transferred), a writing sample (e.g., a final paper from a class), and a brief cover letter explaining why you're interested. If it seems like a good fit, I will contact you for an interview.
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To learn more about the lab's work and read some of our studies, please go to the Publications tab.
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Why should you work in a research lab? If you've considered a career in psychology research (e.g., pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology), then being a research assistant in an undergraduate lab is a great way to get experience. Learn valuable skills (e.g., considering study design decisions, conducting literature reviews, analyzing data, presenting posters) that will both prepare you for independent investigation in a research career, as well as help you learn if you like doing research in the first place. Come be part of the "behind the scenes" of the kinds of studies that you've read about in your courses!
CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
Amaya Aquino
Amaya is a third-year intensive psychology and cognitive science double major. Her primary project uses CFS to investigate visual breakthrough for people with contamination-related fears. Her other research interests include the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions and the influence of language in the development of eating disorders. Outside of the lab, Amaya enjoys crocheting, trying new foods, and spending time outdoors.
Ebele Obi
Ebele holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Government from Dartmouth College and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She works in performance auditing in local government. Her research interests are in resilience, cognition, and behavior change modification, among other areas. In her free time, Ebele enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, trying different cuisines, and singing.
Morgan Yates
Morgan graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2023 and is interested in an array of research topics pertaining to emotion, cognition, and psychopathology. She is particularly passionate about exploring the therapeutic benefits of human-animal interaction. Outside of academics she loves volunteering at her local animal shelter, painting, and spending time outdoors with her dog Dr. Snooze Wagner. See the paper she published with the lab here.
Lily van Amson
Lily is a second year psychology and neuroscience major. She is interested in psychopathology, particular OCD. Outside of academics, she enjoys mountain biking, knitting, and spending time with her two cats.
Emily Kamalnathan
Emily is a fourth year triple major in psychology, anthropology, and business management economics. Her research explores if the framing of stressful events affects our emotional responses to them. She's also interested in the role of emotional granularity in resilience to emotional dysregulation for people with anxiety disorders. Outside of the lab, Emily enjoys traveling, hiking, and exploring new places.
FORMER LAB MEMBERS
Annabel Bouwer
Annabel was in the lab from 2021-2023, studying links between visual attention and mindfulness. She is now a research assistant in the Social Neuroscience Lab at Stanford University. You can find the paper that she published with the lab here.
Rhea Modi
Rhea was in the lab from 2021-2022, studying links between visual attention and mindfulness. She is now a post-bacc pre-med student at Loyola Marymount University. You can find the paper that she published with the lab here.
Ashley Leon
Ashley was in the lab from 2021-2022, studying attention to interoceptive stimuli (e.g., our heartbeat) and how this interferes with our performance on external tasks. She is working on writing up her results, and she is now a PhD student at UT Austin.
Ash Wang
Ash was in the lab from 2022-2024, leading a continuous flash suppression (CFS) study that measured visual breakthrough speed of disgust stimuli. She is now a PhD student at Palo Alto University.
Kristy Li
Kristy was in the lab from 2022-2024, examining the impact of the framing of (i.e., the language used around describing) stressful events. She is now a clinical research coordinator at the San Francisco VA.