Lab Director

Adela C. Timmons, Ph.D.

Adela Timmons

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

Curriculum Vitae

Adela C. Timmons, Ph.D.

adela.timmons@austin.utexas.edu

2024

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.

Google Scholar
Colliga Apps Corporation

Doctoral Students

Jacky Duong, M.S.

Jacqueline Duong is a third-year 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 Carta is a second year doctoral student. She is interested in studying family stress and parent-child interactions. She is particularly interested in studying stress-spillover in families and developing interventions using a machine learning and data-science approach to support family well-being and mitigate the impacts of stress in daily life.

Sierra Walters, M.A.

Sierra Walters is a second-year doctoral student. 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.

Grace Jumonville, B.A.

Grace Jumonville is a current project co-coordinator for the TIES Lab. Grace graduated from the University of Texas in December of 2022 with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Plan II Honors. She is hoping to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology to become a clinical researcher. Grace’s research interests include dynamics of familial and romantic relationships, child development, and stress management.

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:

Seniors

Naomi Economou: Naomi is a senior pursuing a BS in psychology with a minor in educational psychology. Her research interests include childhood trauma and its long-term psychological and physiological effects. She ultimately aspires to be a clinical psychologist and work in a hospital setting.

Monticella Woodley: Monti is a senior Psychology major with a Spanish minor. After graduation, he plans to continue his study of Psychology at grad school, where she will prepare to become a therapist. Outside of the lab, Monti loves to do art, cook, and hang out with her friends.

Maya Brown: Maya is a senior majoring in Psychology B.S. and minoring in Educational Psychology with a certificate in Pre-Health for Non-Science Majors. She plans to continue her education in graduate school pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Natalia Martinez: My name is Natalia Martinez and I am currently a senior at UT. I am a Psychology, B.A. major with a minor in Educational Psychology, as well as a BDP Certificate in Children and Society. My future goals are to attend graduate school to become a counselor or psychologist and work with vulnerable children and their caregivers to make help increase the understanding between families members receiving therapy. A fun fact about me is that I love music and have been to over 50 concerts!

Natalie Castellanos: Hi, my name is Natalie! I am a senior pursuing a BA in psychology and philosophy. I am aiming to attend graduate school for clinical psychology and become a mental health counselor in the future. My main interests within the field are in mood disorders and child development.

Cynthia Lira: Hi! I'm Cynthia. I am a double major in B.S. psychology & sociology with minors in business & entrepreneurship & a certificate in forensic science. I am interested in going to graduate school to pursue clinical psychology in the hopes of being able to ask my own research questions regarding psychedelics & mental health. Outside of my studies, I am a fashion stylist in SPARK magazine & I love to cook.

Julia Plaia: Julia is a Psychology major and sociology minor from Beaumont, Texas. They plan to continue their education in graduate school with the intention to pursue further research opportunities or become a licensed therapist. Fun Fact: They competed in a bodybuilding competition and got 5th place out of 5.

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.

Caroline Painter: Caroline is a junior 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.

Jori Forbes: Jori is a junior Psychology BA major, minoring in Sociology, and is pursuing a certificate in forensic science. She plans on getting her Master’s in Therapy and Counseling primarily to be a therapist for young adults/adults, relationships, and families.

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.

Yasmine Ahmed: Yasmine is a junior pursuing a BA in Psychology with a minor in Educational Psychology. She plans to continue through further education for clinical psychology, where she aims to gain the necessary skills to aid adolescents needing access to psychological support.

Aleksander Anderson: My name is Aleksander Anderson. I'm a junior at the University of Texas and I'm currently pursuing a BA in psychology. My career goals are to get my PhD in clinical psychology and eventually open up my own practice.

Adriana Adame: Hi, my name is Adriana! I am from El Paso, Texas and am currently a junior undergraduate student at the University of Texas. I am studying to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Creative Writing Certificate. I plan on pursuing a career as a mental health counselor.

Sebastian Penedo: Sebastian is a third year student from The Woodlands, Texas. He is currently an undergraduate student pursuing a BS degree in Economics with a certificate in computational sciences. After graduating, he plans on attending graduate school and pursuing a masters degree in Data Science.

Uyen Nguyen: Uyen Nguyen is a junior 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.

Sarah Bennett: Hi! My name is Sarah Bennett and I am from Madison, WI. I am currently a junior majoring in Math and Plan II Honors. After undergrad, my plan is to pursue a graduate degree in statistics/data science and continue doing clinical research.

Adarsh Javvaji: Adarsh is a third-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.

John Kangos: John is a Junior pursuing a double major in Psychology and French. He is interested in the drivers behind human decision-making and social interactions, and also in the effects of family and social dynamics on young people during critical periods of their lives, and also has a keen interest in neurological bases of behavior. The future may be uncertain, but he hopes to go to graduate school to pursue a higher degree after college.

Naomi Norton

Sophomores

Marley Bartholomew: Marley is a sophomore majoring in Plan II Honors and Philosophy on a pre-health track. She is interested in women and children's health research, and hopes to go into the healthcare field as a physician.

Juliette Peralta: Juliette is a sophomore at UT Austin and is pursuing a BA in Psychology, as well as a minor in sociology and certificate in Children & the Family! Her academic goals are to attend graduate school and keep research as a priority in my academic and professional life!

Chloe Lewis: Hello! My name is Chloe, I am a second year student at the University of Texas majoring in Psychology with a minor in Educational Psychology. I am planning to get my Master’s in Psychology and pursue a career in therapy and counseling. I am very excited to be working on this study with the Technological Interventions for Ecological Systems Lab, with this being my first research experience.

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!

Victoria Kayode: Victoria is a sophomore in the Liberal Arts Honors program pursuing a BA in Psychology with a minor in Health Communications. She is interested in the developmental contexts that affect the daily lives of youth and adolescents. In the future, she hopes to gain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and to improve mental health care for youth in marginalized communities.

Anabelle Hazzard: Anabelle is a sophomore psychology B.A. and Plan II Honors major from Dallas, Texas. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school and pursue a P.h.D. in clinical psychology, where she hopes to continue her research and eventually work with adolescents in a clinical setting.

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.

Brynly Roark: My name is Brynly Roark and I am a sophomore pursuing a degree in Psychology with a certificate in Core Texts and Ideas, as well as a BDP certificate in Ethics in Leadership and Business. I aim to attend graduate school to pursue a career in Sports Psychology or Human Resources.

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.

Megan Lam: Megan Lam is a sophomore neuroscience and Plan II major, as well as a BDP in Patients, Practitioners, and Cultures of Care. She is interested in early childhood and relationships, and hopes to become a physician in the future.

Sofia Ortiz: My name is Sofia, and I’m currently a sophomore majoring in Psychology (BA) with a Korean minor. I’m interested in developmental psychology, organizational psychology, neuropsychology, and research. In my free time, I like to crochet and draw.