Colorado State University

Dr. Emily Merz

(she/her)

Principal Investigator/ Lab Director

Emily Merz, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University. As a neuroscientist and licensed clinical psychologist, she directs the LEARN lab where she and her team study associations between socioeconomic inequality and the developing brain. She is particularly interested in the factors in children’s lives that promote resilience and effective strategies that reduce socioeconomic disparities in children’s health and development. Dr. Merz received her graduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh, completed her clinical internship at the University of California, San Diego, and completed postdoctoral training at Columbia University.  

Lydia Jacobs

(she/her)

Graduate Student

Lydia Jacobs is a third-year graduate student at Colorado State University. She is interested in studying how childhood experiences and circumstances related to socioeconomic status affect brain development into early adulthood. She is especially interested in the ways in which early life adversity may influence the developmental trajectories of brain networks. Lydia received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southern Utah University.

Email: lydia.jacobs@colostate.edu

Amelie Guinee

(she/her)

Graduate Student

Amelie Guinee is a first-year graduate student at Colorado State University. She is interested in the intersection of child cognitive development, socioeconomic status, and psychological disorders. Specifically, she is curious about the etiology and diverse symptom presentation of OCD in relation to cognitive processing and low socioeconomic status. Amelie received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Colorado State University. 

Alumni

Jordan Strack

Jordan Strack graduated with her PhD from Colorado State University. She is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Boys Town Institute for Human Neuroscience. She studies the neurobiology of mental health, especially in high risk populations. She is particularly interested in the neural development of children experiencing chronic stress.

Melissa Hansen

Melissa Hansen graduated with her PhD from Colorado State University. She is a Postdoctoral Scholar at Oregon Health and Science University. She studies the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the relationship between socioeconomic inequality and neurobiological and cognitive development in children.

Nick Steele

Nick graduated with a B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Colorado State University in 2023. During his undergraduate training, he studied the impact of early life stress on brain development. Nick is in graduate school and focuses on neuroimaging, network analyses, and machine learning to investigate the foundations of affective processing in the human brain to help uncover the neural basis of emotions and psychiatric mood disorders.

Joselyn Cerrillo

Joselyn graduated in 2023 from Colorado State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in mind, brain, and behavior. Joselyn is interested in factors that influence the neuropsychological and cognitive development of children, particularly those in underrepresented populations. Joselyn hopes to attend graduate school after completing her undergraduate studies.

Hailee Hurtado

Hailee graduated in 2022 from Colorado State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a certificate in ethics and society. Hailee is interested in studying how genetic and environmental factors influence neurodevelopment in children. Hailee attended graduate school in genetic counseling.