The RIPPLE Lab

Priyanka is a second-year master's student in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development (ISHD) program at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests focus on developing brief, cost-effective, and scalable interventions to support children’s socioemotional development. She has experience in both quantitative and qualitative research, as well as designing and implementing targeted emotion-regulation interventions. Prior to Penn, she earned her B.A. in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College, where she was involved in a study examining the effectiveness of enacting rituals in improving children's self-control. She also designed an emotion regulation intervention, centered on linguistic self-distancing, as a means to improve students' academic performance and decrease anxiety.

Hang (Heather) Do is a Ph.D. student in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development (ISHD) program at Penn GSE, researching the long-term effects of childhood adversities on human development and exploring protective processes that foster resilience in children and adolescents across global contexts. She aims to use research findings to create contextually relevant intervention programs, inform policies, and develop reliable resources that support children and their families. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked on disseminating a population-level measure of early childhood development for children from birth to age three; evaluating an intervention program promoting high-quality early childhood education in rural Asia; and studying the consequences of childhood maltreatment based on a 50-year follow-up cohort in the U.S. Heather holds a B.A. in Psychology from Oberlin College and an M.Ed. in Human Development & Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Brenda earned her B.A. from Zhejiang University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies of Human Development at UPenn. Her primary research interest is in understanding the impact of parenting practices on children’s development, particularly across diverse cultural contexts.

Fatima Gutierrez is a master's student in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development program at the Penn GSE. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, with a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, from the University of Florida. She also minored in Portuguese and Anthropology. Her research interests lie at the intersection of these disciplines, particularly in understanding how cultural contexts shape the development of agency, purpose, and perceptions of future possibilities. Currently, she is developing a pilot study in Brazil exploring how adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds understand and navigate opportunity, agency, and moral decision making through the cultural concept of jeitinho brasileiro.

Aachal is a first-year master's student in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development at Penn GSE. Prior to Penn, she worked in several labs focused on developmental and educational psychology in India. She gained applied experience as a therapist to adolescents and adults as well. Her research interests include exploring the impact of early childhood adversities on socio-emotional development in various cultural and economic contexts. She aims to develop policy initiatives, interventions, and pedagogy to address these contextual differences.

Peihao Luo is a Ph.D. student in Quantitative Methods at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. His research focuses on teachers’ well-being, emotions, and beliefs. His methodological interests include structural equation modeling and longitudinal analysis.

Irvine, and is currently pursuing an M.S.Ed. in Statistics, Measurement, Assessment, and Research Technology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include educational program evaluation, quantitative research methods, and data-driven approaches to improving educational outcomes. She has experience in data analysis and quantitative research through academic projects and professional internships, with skills in R, statistical analysis, and data management. At RIPPLE Lab, she supports research on educational interventions through attendance data cleaning, management, and analysis.

Annie is pursuing an M.Phil.Ed. in Professional Counseling at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Prior to Penn, she graduated from Emory University, where she studied Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies and conducted research on trauma, aging, and how individuals make meaning of loss. Her research interests center on qualitative coding and analysis, particularly exploring how individuals describe and make meaning of their experiences.

Michael Louis Phiri is a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. He holds an Ed.M. in Human Development and Education from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Zambia. His research interests lie at the intersection of child development, early childhood education, social-emotional learning, and educational interventions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Drawing on his experience in research, education, and mental health practice, Michael seeks to bridge developmental science, policy, and practice to promote equitable developmental and learning opportunities for children.

Gunjan is pursuing a master’s degree in the Statistics, Measurement, Assessment, and Research Technology (SMART) program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Prior to Penn, she worked as a Research Associate at J-PAL South Asia, where she led education-focused randomized controlled trials across India. Her research interests include early childhood education, education systems in low- and middle-income countries, and policy-relevant measurement.

Tiara is a master’s student in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development (ISHD) program at Penn GSE. She holds a BSc in Psychology from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research interests include how family relationships, parenting practices, and school environments shape children’s social-emotional development across cultural contexts.