Hi! My name is Christian and I am currently in my third year in the BBS program at UGA.
I'm from Gary, Indiana (the hometown of Michael Jackson). I got my bachelor's degree from Indiana University – Bloomington. During undergrad, I worked closely with Dr. Chen Yu as a research assistant and lab coordinator. In my last year, I also teamed up with Dr. Daniel Messinger at the University of Miami in Florida. Inspired by these experiences, I decided to pursue a PhD in psychology under the guidance of one of my former mentors, Dr. Drew Abney, who used to work at Indiana University.
My current research interest involves exploring the relationships between language, physiological responses, and cognitive-emotional development in children during dyadic interactions. So, I investigate how parental language supports autonomy and how that can influence children's self-regulation by analyzing physiological markers like respiratory sinus arrhythmia and neural activity via functional near-infrared spectroscopy.