Lab Director
Adela C. Timmons, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology
Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology Program
University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts
Ph.D., Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology, University of Southern California
M.A., Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology, University of Southern California
B.A., Psychology; Minor, Quantitative Psychology; University of Kansas
Dr. Adela Timmons is the director of the Technological Interventions for Ecological Systems (TIES) Lab. Dr. Timmons’ research examines how childhood stress, trauma, and adversity become biologically embedded and impact stress reactivity and emotion regulation capacity in the context of interpersonal relationships. She is particularly interested in coregulation processes, or how people in interpersonal relationships share in their moment-to-moment physiological and emotional states. To conduct her research, she uses both laboratory-based and ambulatory assessment methods to capture relationship dynamics as they naturalistically unfold. She is also interested in the development of new technologies and measures for automatically and passively capturing and quantifying interpersonal functioning in real-life contexts. She is currently developing just-in-time adaptive mobile health interventions using machine learning and wearables, with the goal of improving mental health outcomes for children, couples, and families. Her research is interdisciplinary, spanning clinical science, quantitative psychology, and engineering domains.
Dr. Timmons received a combined Ph.D. in Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2018 and completed her predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco in 2018. She obtained a combined M.A. in Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2013 and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Behavioral Sciences Research Methodology from the University of Kansas in 2011. She joined the faculty at Florida International University as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology in 2018. In 2022, she joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin and teaches an undergraduate course on Childhood Trauma and Adversity. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings in psychology and engineering outlets and has received multiple national awards and fellowships, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the American Psychological Association Dissertation Award, the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Basic Psychological Science Grant, and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Junior Scientist Fellowship. She holds two pending patents for inventions relating to mobile health machine learning applications for couple and family therapy. Her work has been featured in various press outlets, including BBC, NBC, Yahoo News, CNET, and TechCrunch. Visit our research page to learn more about Dr. Timmons' work.
Dr. Timmons is also the founder and CEO of Colliga, a startup company funded through an NIMH STTR grant that uses technology, AI, and pervasive computing to build research tools for promoting health and wellbeing.
Doctoral Students
Jacky Duong, M.S.
Jacqueline Duong is a fifth-year clinical doctoral student. She obtained an M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests involve 1) conducting disparities-focused digital health implementation research through equitable algorithm development and 2) identifying protective factors that promote families’ socioemotional competence in the face of adversity and psychological distress
Kayla Carta, M.A.
Kayla is currently a fourth-year clinical doctoral student at UT Austin. She received her BA from Keene State College and an MA in Psychology from UT Austin. Before her doctoral studies, she was a research coordinator at Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University. Her prior work involved studying neuropsychiatric drug development with a precision medicine approach and the investigation of the neurobiological basis of childhood depression and mood disorders.
Her research centers on understanding family dynamics, specifically focusing on family stress and parent-child interactions. She is passionate about investigating stress spillover within families and is dedicated to developing innovative interventions. Leveraging her interest in technology, she aims to integrate cutting-edge machine learning and data science methodologies to enhance family well-being and alleviate the burdens of stress in everyday life.
Sierra Walters, M.A.
Sierra Walters is a fourth-year clinical doctoral student at UT Austin. She received her B.S. in Psychology and Kinesiology & Health Sciences at the College of William & Mary. Sierra is interested in studying the impact of family relationships on child well-being, such as the effects of family stress and caregiver-child conflict on child development outcomes. She is also interested in utilizing data science, artificial intelligence, and mobile technology to develop innovative methodologies for conducting psychological research.
Lab Managers
Alyssa Carrasco, B.A.
Alyssa Carrasco is a current Co-Project Coordinator for the TIES lab. Alyssa is a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin and has a B.A in Psychology Honors and Plan II with a minor in sociology. After graduation, Alyssa is taking a gap year to explore her research interests in preparation for pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She is passionate about utilizing research to address mental health disparities within historically marginalized communities and creating culturally responsive interventions.
Daniela Romero, M.A.
Daniela Romero is a current project coordinator. Originally from Colombia, Daniela holds a master’s degree in Psychological Research. She hopes to pursue a PhD in social psychology. Daniela’s research interests include trauma, resilience, and mindfulness, particularly in children and adolescents.
Collaborators
Dr. Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D.
Dr. Jonathan Comer is the Director of the Mental Health Interventions and Technology (MINT) Program and is also a professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Florida International University. Dr. Comer received his B.A. from the University of Rochester, and went on to receive his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Concentration in Developmental Psychopathology from Temple University. His research examines child psychopathology and youth mental health care, placing central emphasis on the nature and family-based treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders, irritability, disruptive behavior problems, and traumatic stress.
Theodora Chaspari, Ph.D.
Dr. Theodora Chaspari is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University. She graduated from the National Technical University of Athens in 2010 with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and received her M.S. and Ph.D. in EE from the University of Southern California in 2012 and 2017, respectively. Her research interests include Biomedical Signal Processing, Behavioral Signal processing, Affective Computing, Wearable Applications, Data Science, and Machine Learning.
Matthew Ahle
Matthew Ahle is a software developer and data scientist specializing in integrating data science algorithms with web and mobile applications. He has developed research applications for data collection on projects applying machine learning processes to ambulatory big data. He is the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Colliga Apps corporation and oversees the technical development of Colliga Apps AI-based software.
Kleanthis Avramidis
Kleanthis Avramidis, originally from Athens, Greece, is a PhD Student in Computer Science at the University of Southern California. He is advised by Proffesor Shrikanth Narayanan and his interests lie in the broad fields of Human-centered Signal Processing and Machine Intelligence. More specifically, he is currently working on computational models of behavioral, physiological and affective aspects of human experiences.
Abdullah Aman Tutul
Abdullah Aman is pursuing his PhD in Computer Science at Texas A&M University. He completed his undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Engineering Department from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2019. His research interests include artificial intelligence, explainable machine learning, deep learning, and data analytics. He is also interested in the trust factors of machine learning models.
Kexin Feng
Kexin Feng received his B.S. degree in computer science from Texas A&M University in 2020. He is currently a Ph.D. student working with Professor Theodora Chaspari in Human Bio-Behavioral Signals (HUBBS) Lab at Texas A&M. He is a student member of IEEE and IEEE Signal Processing Society. His research includes the transfer or few-shot learning methods in general emotion recognition, and the application of machine learning in real-world mental health (stress or depression) evaluation.
Gabrielle Freitag
Gabrielle Freitag is a doctoral student in the Clinical Science Ph.D. program at Florida International University. Gabrielle completed her B.A. degree in Psychology with a minor in Child Development at Vanderbilt University. Following graduation, she pursued a two-year post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience under the mentorship of Daniel Pine, MD. Her research works to elucidate transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying clinical heterogeneity and comorbidity in order to refine the assessment of youth psychopathology and ultimately inform the identification of effective targets for personalized intervention.
Research Assistants
University of Texas:
Isabel Gruhlke: Hi! My name is Isabel and I recently graduated from OU with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. I plan to pursue a graduate degree next year in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Outside of the lab, I love to hang out with my friends and family, travel, listen to music, and play my ukulele!
Rebecca Costello: Hi, I'm Rebecca. I recently graduated from UT with a BA in Psychology. I am preparing to pursue a master’s degree in counseling, with a focus on trauma treatment and prevention. My ultimate goal is to become a mental health counselor specializing in family and couples therapy. As the youngest of eight children, I developed an early and enduring fascination with family dynamics and relationships, which continues to shape my professional aspirations.
Seniors
Caroline Hargrave: I’m a senior from Dallas,TX majoring in Psychology(BA) with two minors in Spanish and Women and Gender Studies. When I’m not studying, I love to crochet, run, hike, read, and to find new places in Austin to get myself a sweet little treat! After I graduate, I hope to pursue a PsyD and a career as a Child Psychologist focusing on kids who have experienced trauma/adverse experiences.
Kaili Doble: Kaili is a senior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Educational Psychology. After she graduates, she plans on continuing her education pursuing a Master's in Counseling to become a therapist. She is passionate about multiculturalism and aspires to provide bilingual counseling services. Outside of the lab, Kaili serves as a Peer Support Specialist with the Longhorn SHARE Project.
Helen Alvarez: I am a first generation Latina studying behavioral neuroscience at St.Edward’s University. My career goal is to conduct research studies centered around neurotheology in the near future. I love to play the guitar, spend time outside, and watch documentaries!
Ashton Bartlett: Ashton is a senior psychology major with a minor in social work from the DFW area of Texas. After graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate education in Counseling Psychology in hopes of becoming a trauma-informed, pediatric therapist with a focus on play therapy. She is particularly interested in LGBTQ+ youth and how trauma impacts child development and their mental health. Additionally, she enjoys thrifting and creating art in her free time!
Clark Houser: I’m a Psychology major and Business minor at the University of Texas at Austin, passionate about people and culture within organizations and building world-class employee experiences. Currently, I’m a Human Resources Intern at Austin PBS, seeking a career in HR Management. Outside of work, I love tennis, geek out over espresso and different coffees, and in another life (maybe this life), I’d be an SNL cast member.
Caroline Painter: Caroline is a senior pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Health Communications. She plans to attend graduate school with the goal of becoming a clinical psychologist and researcher. Her research interests include interpersonal relationship dynamics, cognitive development, and anxiety disorders.
Uyen Nguyen: Uyen Nguyen is a senior Psychology B.S. from Houston, Texas. Anticipating graduation in 2025, she wants to pursue further studies in graduate school, aiming to complete a Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. She is interested in mood disorders and trauma-related issues. Her ultimate goal is to work in both research and clinical practice, aspiring to become a clinical psychologist.
Adarsh Javvaji: Adarsh is a fourth-year Psychology and Plan II Honors student. He plans to attend graduate school to further his research goals or pursue training in clinical practice. His research interests include examining racial-ethnic socialization among immigrant families and disparities in access and use of mental health services among these communities.
Maria Luevanos: Maria is pursuing Psychology with a minor in Sociology and a certificate in Children and Society. After earning her undergraduate degree she wants to go to graduate school for Psychology and eventually get a PsyD.
Aimee Baldwin: I'm a senior Psychology major at UT pursuing a career in clinical psychology and research. I’m passionate about mental health, evidence-based care, and supporting individuals through meaningful therapeutic relationships. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, thrifting, and treating myself to a good meal with friends!
Juniors
Avery Cooney: Avery is pursuing a BA Psychology with a minor in Social Work. She hopes to be a part of the psychology honors program here at UT and graduate with special honors in psychology, then go to law school to study family law to eventually join the Peace Corps to help with youth development in an underdeveloped country.
Claire Evers: Claire is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Business. Claire plans to continue her education through acquiring a PhD in child psychology or industrial organizational psychology. Following graduation, she plans to develop her career as a child therapist or an industrial-organizational psychologist. Through her position as a Research Assistant for the TIES lab, Claire aims to strengthen her interest and experience in research, acquiring the necessary skills to fuel her academic and professional goals!
Julia Evers: Julia is a current junior at the University of Texas at Austin who is pursuing a major in Psychology (BA) with a minor in Business. Julia is especially interested in clinical psychology and industrial-organizational psychology and plans to attend graduate school in hopes of becoming a clinical or industrial-organizational psychologist. Both of these fields of psychology interest her, so she is keeping her options open while looking forward to the new knowledge and skills that the TIES lab will bring her!
Whitney Schaefer: Hi, my name is Whitney Schaefer and I am from Pearland, TX. I am a third-year student pursuing a degree in Psychology along with two minors in business and statistics and data sciences. I plan to attend graduate school to eventually become a clinical psychologist and focus my career on helping children.
Lauren Tallman: Hi, I’m Lauren! I am a third-year undergraduate at UT pursuing a BA in Psychology with a minor in business. My research interests include family dynamics, developmental psychology, and the impact of Covid-19 on youth, especially regarding the role of technology in mental health. I hope to pursue a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and eventually work as a counselor, focusing on adolescents and families.
Gabriella Zurita: Gabriella is a junior pursuing her BA in Psychology and a minor in Business. She plans on attending graduate school and becoming a therapist in the future. Her favorite research subjects include AI in the field of psychology and child development.
Essie Dias Perdomo: I am a junior Psychology Major and Healthcare Reform & Innovation Minor from Houston, TX. My research interests include the effects of platonic and familial relationships on adolescent development. After graduation, I plan to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Hannah Lee Garza: Hi! My name is Hannah Garza, and I am a junior majoring in Sociology and Rhetoric and Writing with a minor in social work. I am from Roma, TX and have grown up appreciating tight community and caring for those around me. After graduation, I am interested in going to law school to pursue a career in immigration, domestic violence, and family law.
Jennifer Trevino: I am born and raised in Austin, Texas, and am currently a double major in psychology and sociology. When I am not studying I spend my free time listening to music, hiking & climbing with my boyfriend, watching my favorite films with my friends, and trying new matcha!
Grace McCartney: I’m a 3rd-year Psychology major, with French and Studio Art minors, and I enjoy travelling, yoga, and drawing.
Rajveer Dhesi: I am a junior from Dallas studying Psychology with a business minor. I enjoy playing and watching basketball in my free time and collect vinyl as a hobby.
Roshni Prasad: My name is Roshni and I am a third year psychology major with a minor in statistics and data science! I am interested in working with children and psychological research. Some of my hobbies are cooking, shopping, and spending time with my friends!
Krishna Pakala: I’m a Junior Psychology major from Katy, TX. I love playing sports and running, I produce music, and I watch lots of movies/TV!
Celine Choi: Celine is currently a junior studying for a BA in psychology alongside certificates in Japanese and Creative Writing at the University of Texas at Austin. She plans to pursue graduate studies in developmental psychology, particularly with an interest in early familial bonds and attachment in the hopes of one day working as a child psychotherapist.
Ansley Bryan: My name is Ansley Bryan, and I am a third-year double majoring in Psychology and Human Dimensions of Organizations. My particular interests are in clinical psychology and the long-term effects of early emotional trauma, and I hope to pursue a professional degree in clinical psychology after graduation!
Selma Moulai-Khatir: My name is Selma Moulai and I am a junior Human Development and Family Sciences Major.
Sophomores
Urvi Roy: Urvi Roy is a sophomore and B.S. Psychology major! She is excited to be a part of the TIES lab and learn more about clinical psychology research on relationships and interventions! In the future, she hopes to pursue child and adolescent clinical medicine and behavioral health, especially with a focus on early child development and healthy parent-child relationship education! She also enjoys dance, cultural theater, and spending time with my family!
Liliana Munguia: I'm Liliana Munguia! I'm majoring in psychology and pursuing a BDP certificate in Children & The Family. I’m hoping to dive deeper into psychology with a graduate degree in the future to continue to research and explore psychology more! In my free time I love to craft & cycle!
Kaylee Kim: Kaylee is a second-year student from South Korea. She is studying for a BA in Psychology with a certificate in Applied Statistical Modeling as an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduation, she plans to dive more into data science, incorporating her statistical and psychological knowledge.
Khanh Nguyen: Khanh Nguyen, a sophomore and international student from Vietnam, is currently pursuing a Psychology BA with a minor in Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, she is exploring the option of undertaking a Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP) focused on Children and Society. With aspirations to pursue graduate school after graduation, Khanh aims to specialize as a Child Therapist or Counselor, leveraging her interdisciplinary background in psychology and education. She is particularly passionate about Child Development and Family Dynamics, which she plans to further explore and integrate into her future academic and professional endeavors.
Cassidy Bernstein: Cassidy is a sophomore student in the Liberal Arts Honors Program, pursuing a BS in Psychology with a minor in Health Communication. She is particularly interested in the intersection of family and child developmental psychology and pediatric healthcare. In the future, she plans to combine these passions to pursue a career in pediatric medicine. Outside of her studies, Cassidy plays the violin and loves listening to classical music and classic rock!
Shay Desai: Hi! My name is Shay and I am a sophomore at UT pursing a BA in Psychology with a Business minor. As of now, I am interested in going to grad school to earn a PhD or PsyD in Clinical Psychology, and one day I hope to open my own private practice. In my free time, I love watching sports, reading/writing, and trying new food with friends & family. Excited to be working with the TIES Lab this year as my first research experience!
Emily Atkins: Emily is a sophomore from Houston, TX, majoring in Psychology (BS) with a Pre-Health Professions certificate and a minor in Health Communication. After graduation, she is interested in attending medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry. Outside of her studies, she is signed with an acting agency and enjoys acting in films.
Freshmen
Ayaan Karim-Ali: I’m pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with minors in Business and Statistics & Data Science, driven by my fascination with cognitive and behavioral psychology. Through my position at the TIES lab, I hope to sharpen my research skills, explore new insights into human behavior, and prepare for medical school, where I plan to specialize in psychiatry and eventually launch my own research facility. I’m eager to learn more about experimental design, data analysis, and collaborative research that can shape the future of mental health interventions. When I’m not immersed in coursework or lab work, you can find me swimming, playing basketball, journaling, bouldering, or piecing together Lego creations—activities that keep me active, spark my creativity, and inspire new perspectives on problem-solving.