Tristen Inagaki

Lab Director

Tristen is an associate professor in the department of psychology at San Diego State University and a mentor in the SDSU-UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Before moving to San Diego, she was an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Biological-Health and Social areas and received her PhD at UCLA.

Email: tinagaki@sdsu.edu

Danika Geisler

Post-doctoral fellow

Danika is a Post-doctoral researcher in the department of psychology at San Diego State University. She completed her PhD training at Columbia University with Dr. Meghan Meyer. Before that she completed a BS in Cognitive Science and a BS in Informatics at Indiana University, working with Dr. Aina Puce for her honors thesis. Danika’s research investigates the neural drivers of social connection including the default networks role in social-guiding and neuroendocrine pathways.

Sarah Dembling

Doctoral Student

Sarah is a student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. After graduating from Dickinson College with a major in Neuroscience, she pursued behavioral neuroscience research at the NIH. She then worked as a project coordinator at the University of Oregon’s Developmental Social Neuroscience lab. Sarah is interested in using multimodal methods (e.g. neuroimaging, behavioral assessment, physiological measures) to learn about mechanisms related to social support and health.

Seo Young Yoo

Doctoral Student

Seo Young is a student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. She obtained her bachelor’s in Neuroscience from Princeton University and then worked as a project coordinator at UCLA’s Adolescent Development Lab and Mind-Body Research Lab. Her research interests primarily focus on the complex neurocognitive and behavioral mechanisms underlying the interactions between close social connection and physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

laura wang

masters student

Laura Wang is a student in the M.A. Program in Psychology. She recently graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology. As an undergraduate at UCLA, she worked in the Dieting, Stress, and Health Lab, the Social Minds Lab, and the Stress, Health, and Autism Research Lab. Her research interests focus on the relationship between social connection and building resilience, particularly in those with adverse childhood experiences. She is also interested in studying the mechanisms through which positive social relationships can promote mental and physical well-being.

Current Research Assistants

Teagan Thomsen

Victoria Fuentes

Myah Tuupo is majoring in psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience and a minor in child development. She is interested in environmental impacts and developmental factors that contribute to the onset of mental disorders. She plans to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology in the future.

Recent Lab Alumni

Caroline Steele (Project Coordinator) – Graduate student in Biobehavioral Health at Penn State (Fall 2026)

Noa Aoyagi (Project Coordinator) – Project Coordinator, UC-Davis (Fall 2026)

Audrey Duane – Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow in the Cognitive and Pharmacological Neuroimaging Unit at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Summer 2026)

Zoe Damon (Project Coordinator) – Graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Southern California (Fall 2026)

Alexis Pinela (Project Coordinator) – Graduate student in Social-Personality area of Psychology at Wayne State University (Fall 2024)

Molly Gonenne (Project Coordinator) – Graduate student in the Department of Psychology, Clinical Science at the University of Southern California (Fall 2024)

Alicia Assang (MA student)

Isabela Cruz-Vespa (NIH-supported postbacc researcher) – Graduate Student in Public Health at University of California, Los Angeles (Fall 2024)

Nicole Abaya (MA student) – Research Associate with the Cognitive Dynamics Lab, Department of Psychiatry, UCSD

Andrea Chavira – full-time research assistant at the South Bay Latino Research Center (Spring 2025)

Grace Kathman – project coordinator at San Diego State University (Fall 2024)

Nancy Huynh – lab manager at the University of Arizona (Spring 2024)

Julie Kersey – graduate student in Rehabilitating Counseling at San Diego State University (Fall 2023)

Naomi Crone – graduate student in Psychology at Alliant University (Fall 2023)

Kassandra Vasquez – graduate student in Psychology at Alliant University (Fall 2022)

Solana Kenyon – graduate student in Psychology & Neuroscience at Maastricht University (Fall 2021)