Lab Director
Dr. Jessica Saunders
Dr. Saunders is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Clark University in the Department of Psychology. Her training is in Developmental Science, and her research aims to optimize developmental outcomes for racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender minority individuals. When not teaching or conducting research, she enjoys exploring outdoors with her dog, Boopsie.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Emma Crumby
Emma is a senior psychology major at Georgia College & State University. She serves as a Volunteer Research Assistant to Dr. Saunders, as well as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Memory Lab at Georgia College. She has a passion for studying eating disorders and body image. She hopes to earn a PhD and have a career in eating disorder research. In her free time she enjoys jogging, reading a good book, and listening to music.
Diana L. Gonzalez
Diana L. Gonzalez is an undergraduate student at Clark University. She is majoring in Psychology and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Living a nomad life in Florida, she knew that she wanted to major in psychology because of her mental health endurance and adversities. During her time in Tampa, Florida, she created an after-school art club for students who wanted a safe space to express their emotions and soon realized that she wanted to combine both of her passions: psychology and art, in her future profession. As a student in the Honors College at Miami Dade College, she was the President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. As part of the program, she completed her Applied Leadership Project during her two years researching Climate Change in South Florida directly with Miami Waterkeeper and Miami Dade College Institute of Science. Along with her focus on her future, she dedicates time to hobbies. She enjoys painting, eating, sports, learning languages, reading, and bike riding.
Alix Hietala
Alix Hietala is a junior at Clark University, where she is majoring in psychology with a minor in sociology. Although her main focus is on developmental psychology, she has always had an interest in the topic of body image, especially regarding the impacts of public media and societal constructs. After graduating, Alix aims to pursue a career in early childhood education or developmental psychology.
Lily Palmer
Lily Palmer is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a Concentration in Health, Science, and Society and a Minor in Biology. In addition to being in the lab, she is also a Wellness Ambassador, a member of the CPG Student Advisory Board, a Service Co-Coordinator for Menstrual Equity Worcester, and a member of NARAL. Her focus is clinical psychology, specifically treating eating disorders, as well as social contributions to the development of eating disorders and body image issues. In her free time, she loves to hike, spend time with friends, cook, and bake.
Andrea Techera
My name is Andrea Techera. I am a transfer student here at Clark University. My major is in Psychology and my minor will be in Sociology. I plan to obtain my PhD from Clark and become a college professor. I am a hiker, a runner, and an explorer. I like to run races, kayak, and explore our National and State Parks. I am always up for adventures and road trips. I take many road trips every year, stopping at as many beautiful and unique places as I can. I have traveled across the United States on many different occasions with my husband and my cat. My cat’s name is Clayton Reeves, and he always goes on adventures with me, he is more like a dog. I am also an antique dealer. I hunt for treasures and junk with good bones and potential. I restore and create all kinds of furniture; I also create many artistic projects and merchandise. Then I set it all up in an aesthetically pleasing way at Brimfield Antiques Market and try to sell it. I am very excited to start this new and hopefully rewarding journey at Clark!
Sarah Whalen
(Photo and bio coming soon!)