/ Lab Members
Beatrice Beebe, PhD | Lab Director
As a leading expert in the analysis of mother-infant interaction, Dr. Beatrice Beebe is a clinical professor of psychology at Columbia University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department. She is faculty at several psychoanalytic institutes and has a private practice for adults and mother-infant pairs. She is the author or co-author of six books. Her work focuses on the mutual mother-infant bond and optimizing 4-month infant social development. Her studies examine; the roles of infant distress and maternal distress (such as depression and anxiety) on mother-infant communication; the effects of early mother-infant communication patterns on emerging infant attachment styles and infant cognition; the long-term continuity of communication and attachment styles from infancy to young adulthood.
Emily Grella | Lab Manager - People & Projects
Emily is currently pursuing her MA in Clinical Psychology at Teacher College, Columbia University. She completed her BA with a dual degree in psychology and philosophy from the University of Rochester in 2019. During Emily’s time at U of R, she worked as a research assistant and lab coordinator for a social psychology research lab. She worked as a research assistant in a family psychology research lab. Apart from working on the People and Projects team in Dr. Beebe’s lab, Emily also volunteers at The Motherhood Center, working with infants as a nursery assistant for mother’s suffering from postpartum mood-related disorders. She also works as a research assistant in the Development, Environment, and Wellness (DEW) lab at Teacher College, Columbia University. In the future, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, focusing on how postpartum mood disorders in new mothers can affect the mother-child dyad and attachment in children.
Ante Dany | Research Assistant - Coder
Ante received his BA in Psychology from Marist College and is earning his MA in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. His prior research experience includes two independent research projects: “Pre-Homework Mindfulness Interventions at a Poughkeepsie Middle School” and “The Inner Voice in the Transgender Population”. Before joining the lab, Ante worked as a clinical Hypnotherapist and worked with various forms of psychopathology. He is interested in the impact of meditation on cognitive reserve, preventive psychology, and the role of legislation in mental health. In his free time, Ante enjoys swimming and studying mystical practices aimed at altering consciousness. Ante will pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a JD with an emphasis on neuropsychology.
Aurora Parks | Research Assistant - Coder
Aurora received her B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from UC Santa Barbara before moving to New York and joining Dr. Beebe's lab. In Santa Barbara, Aurora was a research assistant for the Social Cognitive Development Lab where she completed her undergraduate thesis on connections between language development and cultural group signifiers. She has worked in schools in both Santa Barbara and New York with kids of all ages. These experiences allowed her to realize that she wants to continue working with kids throughout her life. Aurora hopes to pursue a career that combines her interests in family systems, communication sciences, and child development. Outside of the lab, she does community habilitation work and spends time with her friends.
Jingqian Wei (Jade) | Research Assistant - Coder
Jade is presently enrolled at Columbia University's Teacher College to pursue an MA in clinical psychology. In 2022, she graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in psychology and a dual degree in human resources management. She supported Dr. Keiko Brynildson as a Teaching Assistant. In addition to her work on Dr. Beebe's coding team, Jade is a volunteer student evaluator at the CHIRA, where she works with asylum seekers. She also serves as a research assistant at Columbia University's Teacher College in the Muslim Perinatal lab. She intends to seek a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the future, concentrating on the impact of infants' disordered attachments on postpartum depression.
Delaney Simchuk | Research Assistant - Coder
Delaney received her BA in May 2021 from William & Mary in English Literature with a concentration in Biomedical Science. After graduating, Delaney worked as a Research Assistant for Howard University’s College of Medicine where she worked on a project that addressed health disparities and ways to improve intervention in Wards 7 & 8 of Washington, DC for individuals experiencing OUD. Delaney is currently getting her master’s at Teachers College, Columbia University in Psychology in Education. She is loving working for Dr. Beeb’s lab as a coder focusing on infant head orientation. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and plans to use her experience in Dr. Beebe’s lab to work in prenatal care.
Jessie Wang Ke-Xin| Research Assistant - Coder
Jessie is currently pursuing her M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Teacher College, Columbia University. She received her B.S. degree from the University of Toronto in 2022, double majoring in Psychology & Physiology, and minoring in Statistics. Jessie’s research interests are mainly in two directions: a) understanding psychopathology from a developmental perspective, focusing on mechanisms: how early life experiences impact individuals' development and how those impacts unfold in later life; and b) from there, finding the effective ingredients in psychotherapies and improving intervention effectiveness by suiting each individual’s differential needs. Through the research journey, interpersonal relationships became the variable she was most passionate about in understanding psychopathology and treatments. So, she joined Dr. Beebe’s lab in 2023 as an infant gaze coder to investigate the root of relationships: how do we communicate at the beginning of life? In the future, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, engaging in both research and clinical practice, focusing on the population of children, adolescents and young adults. Jessie was born in Jiangsu, China and had been living in Toronto, Canada since high school before moving to NYC. Outside of school and work, she enjoys cooking, planting and staying with her cats to slow down the spinning mind.
Pau Ortells Faci | Lab Coordinator – R01 Grant Coordinator
Pau joined Dr. Beebe’s lab in the fall of 2022 and is currently the project coordinator for the R01 grant “Prenatal Toxins and Social Risk in Mothers and Infants.” He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in technical design in May of 2022 and made a significant career shift by deciding to leave the fashion industry to pursue a path in psychology. Since then, he has gained experience working with families and young children as a preschool teacher and as a research assistant at Dr. Kim Noble’s lab. He is eager to continue to work directly with mothers and their infants at Dr. Beebe’s lab, and better understand how babies come to feel known by their mothers through everyday interactions.
Ziyi (Fiona) Guo | Research Assistant – Statistics
Ziyi (Fiona) is a Master’s student in the Psychology in Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs and Psychology from George Washington University. She completed her senior project on the impact of psychological stress on affect and physical well-being. She’s interested in how familial dynamics shape the development of psychopathology with a multicultural emphasis. She joins Dr.Beebe’s lab as a member of the statistics team. She hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology.
Wenbo Zhang | Research Assistant - Media
Wenbo received his BA in Psychology and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences from Northwestern University in June 2022. His prior research experience includes working at Life-Span Development Lab, Social Cognition and Intergroup Process Lab, and Youth Mindfulness Awareness Program, all located at Northwestern. He is interested in studying internalizing disorders and corresponding evidence-based treatments for the youth population. Wenbo was born in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, and came to the States for high school in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been missing the sunshine ever since he went to Chicago for college. Since he's in New York, he is ready to explore various Broadway shows. In the future, he hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, studying the effectiveness of psychotherapies for the youth population.
Cassidy Lervasi | Research Assistant - Statistics
Cassidy is a Master’s student in the Psychology in Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Iona College, minoring in neuroscience and drug and alcohol abuse. She completed her honors thesis on the cognitive factors that influence our attributional judgments. She joins Dr. Beebe’s lab as a member of the statistics team. She ultimately hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.
Ismenia Ginebra | Research Assistant - Coder
Ismenia received her BA in May 2022 in Child Study and Human Development and Clinical Psychology from Tufts University. Previously, Ismenia worked as a Clinical Assistant with the Early Childhood Team at the Boston Child Study Center, where she gained exposure to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and worked with children with Selective Mutism. It was this work that confirmed her interest in Early Childhood Mental Health. Apart from working as a coder in Dr. Beebe's lab, she also works as a Behavioral Specialist and Administrative Assistant at the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety (NECOA), where she coaches clients in Exposure Therapy and assists with NECOA's operations. In the future, Ismenia hopes to obtain doctoral-level training in Clinical Psychology and work with young children and their caregivers.
Deborah Riskin | Research Assistant - Coder
Deborah is currently getting her certificate in Victimology Studies from John Jay College. Previously, Deborah received her BA in Psychology at Hunter College in May 2022. In addition, her focus was Clinical Psychology, and she minored in Sociology. She is excited to be part of Dr. Beebe's Lab's coding and filming teams. With coding, Deborah focuses on mother touch through video microanalysis. Deborah is the child of a Clinical Psychologist and plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology to become a practicing therapist. In addition, she is interested in studying ADHD in women and trauma.