Catherine Amburgey (She/Her)

Research Assistant, Purpose and Identity Process Lab
  • People
  • United States of America
Sydney Nepo

Student, Tufts University

I am a double major in Cognitive & Brain Sciences and Computer Science at Tufts University. I have always had a passion for music and a fascination with the brain! I fused these two interests by studying the impact of music on the brain, and I hope to use my research to inspire empirically-backed music therapy programs.
Shiri Yeung

Undergraduate Student , Laidlaw

Serena Yue

Medical student , HKU

Serena Honekin

Student, University of Toronto

Sean Rose

Student , Tufts University

Hi everyone! I am currently a sophomore attending Tufts University. Most of my academic interests surround psychology and biology, hence the bio-psych major. I hope to one day become a licensed psychiatrist and open my private practice.
Sarah Heptinstall

BSc Psychology Student, University of York

I am a first year psychology undergraduate and I love the mind in all it's complexity. I am a mother of 3 children, ranging in age from 6 to 15. I was self-employed, successfully and solely running a barber shop for 6 years prior to starting university. I volunteer with HEY MIND as a peer support worker usually, for either teens or adults, but I am taking a break at present, in order to volunteer with SEED (an eating disorder charity) as an email buddy for a lady with anorexia. My upcoming research revolves around linking memory with internal experience: we think distractions like mind-wandering and intrusive thoughts will negatively affect how much we can remember! I am very much looking forward to getting started :)
Sarah Gough

Student, University of St Andrews

I'm a Joint Honours German and Psychology student at the University of St Andrews. My research will include a comparative analysis of how WW2 is taught and assessed in schools in the UK and Germany.
Ian Dorian Macleod

Student, Columbia University

Paulina Isabel Bartolome

Student, University of Durham

I am a recent BSc Psychology graduate from the University of Durham, with an interest in cognitive and biological psychology. My research with Laidlaw aims to contribute to the process of diversifying psychological research with the development of a translated visual perception screening test, using data from South-East Asian participants. 
Dr Paul Burgum

Career Development Fellow , Durham University

I have spent the last 10 years working on the concept of mental fitness, as counter to the old stigmatized concept of mental health. I am hugely interested in how people can develop resilience and endurance. This has led me to studying applied psychology. My Laidlaw scholarship research project has been looking into the effects of emotion on the performance of Ultramarathon runners at distances of both 60 miles and 110 miles. This is the first sports psychology study that has attempted to measure this actually within-race rather than just pre and post race. Since suffering a nervous breakdown in 2009, and finally admitting to himself his own mental health and alcohol problems. A period of his life that is now looked upon as the positive beginning of a new chapter. Paul has gone on to build an awarding social enterprise BCT Aspire CIC, completed numerous high-profile endurance challenges and applied his learning to helping others and now supporting his academic journey as a mature student. BCT Aspire CIC has over the last decade delivered thousands of successful youth sessions and activity programmes for local children & young people on Teesside. Currently BCT Aspire delivers five youth sessions every week in Billingham including; Youth clubs, fitness sessions, music lessons, Duke of Edinburgh Awards and community events all with a voluntary team. A former talented Rugby player who represented England North at his peak, Paul’s attempt to get to grips with his problems led him to begin walking. This resulted in a 3000 miles adventure spanning the length of Europe, from the Southern Tip of Italy to the edge of the Orkney Islands, also passing through France, England & Scotland. All completed without support and relying on the human kindness of strangers. This has been followed up by running single stage ultramarathons up to 160 miles and last year completed the Wainwrights Coast to Coast completely barefoot to raise funds for his work and supporting his belief in positive thinking. Paul’s first two EBooks from the “Jumping the Cliff” series have topped the Amazon EBook charts for both Depression, Anxiety & Mental Health sections, with his next book from his six-week journey across Italy now out in paperback. Paul started his speaking career talking to pupils at a school with children who had behavioural problems, a place where Paul gained the courage to talk about his own way of trying to reset his own learnt behaviours. Since then he has given talks to a cross section of people including business people, professional sportsmen, youth groups, colleges & universities. Paul has also won numerous Business & Community Awards for his diverse range of work including; Entrepreneurs Forum Emerging Talent 2012; Evening Gazette’s Community Champion for Children & Young People 2012; Gazette Community Awards Finalist twice (Ambassador & Fundraising), Teesside Philanthropic Charity – Teesside Hero Paul is a qualified outdoor leader with BCT Aspire CIC who enjoys sharing these skills with people aiming to build confidence and also relaxing on the hills with his dog Molly and now his young son Pavel. Paul currently mixes his role as Managing Director of BCT Aspire, with speaking work, and studying applied psychology at Durham University. This also includes holding a prestigious Laidlaw scholarship for emerging global research talent, currently researching the mental approaches of endurance athletes. Furthermore, a trustee of Catalyst Stockton on Tees the VCSE infrastructure body for the area.
Olivia Ward

student , Erasmus University Rotterdam

I am a master's student at Erasmus University Rotterdam studying Clinical Psychology. I have a strong interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder research.
Nicholas Wong

Student Researcher, The University of Hong Kong

I am a neuroscience and philosophy double major at the University of Hong Kong. My research interests cover the fields of philosophy of mind, epistemology, cognitive and social neuroscience. I am also passionate about education and leadership development.
Maycon Santos

Research Assistant, Spatial Cognition Lab at Tufts University

Sara Jasmine Rashid

Research Scholar, Miss

Samuel R. Sommers

Professor and Chair, Tufts University

saeeda saeed

student, University of Toronto

Hi! My names saeeda and my research is focused on conducting experiments to further understand change blindness and attention. I'm excited to contribute to psychology and work alongside future/current leaders.
Isabella Spaulding

Laidlaw Scholar, Tufts University

Hi everyone! I'm a senior at Tufts University majoring in Clinical Psychology and American Studies. My research through Laidlaw looks at the neuroimaging data of veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and their response to ambiguous emotional stimuli.
Krisya Louie

Student, The University of Hong Kong

I'm a second-year undergraduate from Hong Kong majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science. My Laidlaw research project is on the mechanisms underlying how developmental trauma induces vulnerability to psychosis in adulthood. (she/her)
Fatima Formuli

Student Researcher, University of Toronto

Hi! I'm an undergraduate scholar from the University of Toronto and am interested in inclusion and mental health. With my research project, I hope to explore how we improve mental health support and treatments to make them more accessible and inclusive of Canadian Muslims. Beyond my research interests, I enjoy connecting with people and learning from people's diverse backgrounds and unique experiences. I'm a keen listener and love learning new things!
Andra Preda

Laidlaw Scholar - 2021 Cohort, Tufts University

Hi! My name is Andra, and I am a graduate of the Laidlaw Scholars program in the 2021 cohort. I am currently working in clinical psychology research, which I also pursued during my time as a Scholar. For my first summer, I completed my research on a project studying racial discrimination as a traumatic stressor, and my second summer, I traveled to Dublin, Ireland to work with Youth Work Ireland on Dublin Pride arts programming. Happy to connect with current and past scholars :)