People
Math Made 4 Me Intervention Team
Rebecca McGregor
Graduate Research Assistant
Rebecca is a PhD student in the Developmental Psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her undergraduate work at Wofford College and received a master's at the University of Virginia. Rebecca then spent two years at UVA managing research projects in elementary and early childhood education before coming to Pitt. Her research focuses on adults' use of language with children during early childhood and its relation to children's learning and social-emotional development.
Cuentame Cuentos Intervention Team
Luis E. Pérez Cortés
Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Arlington
Luis is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington and was previously a post-doctoral associate at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his PhD from Arizona State University. His research explores how the playing, making, and modding of digital and tabletop games helps develop young peoples' abilities to address environmental issues, benefit underrepresented and underserved students, and aids players see the world, society, and themselves as a malleable, re-designable entities.
Ana Clara Ventura
Researcher, National Council of Scientific and Technological Research - Argentina
Ana Clara Ventura is a Researcher at CONICET - Argentina (National Council of Scientific and Technological Research, Argentina) and was previously a Visiting Scholar at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh. She studies authentic learning and teaching practices that support children's literacy and math development. She currently studies metacognitive development in early childhood in writing and number domains.
Francisco Serrato
Research Assistant
Francisco is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a BS in psychology and a BA in Spanish. He hopes to use these skills to continue his post-graduate studies in nursing. Additionally, Francisco is an activate member of the Latinx Student Association where he advocates and finds community within the local body of Latinx students at Pitt. His current interests in the psychology field are behavioral, social, sexuality and gender, and health psychology, with the desire to bring a new and diverse perspective to psychological research.
Literacy Eats Intervention Team
Sofina Shekhar
PhD Student, University of Delaware
Sofina is a PhD student at the University of Delaware and was previously the full-time research coordinator for Literacy Eats. She completed her undergraduate education at Pitt in December 2021. During her undergraduate education, she worked in Dr. Leyva's lab assisting with project activities in similar projects. Her primary responsibilities will be to help with participant recruitment and testing, and data entry and analysis as well as implementation of the program.
Qianjin Guo
Graduate Research Assistant
Qianjin is a Ph.D. student in the Developmental Psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh. She received a master's degree at the East China Normal University. She then worked as a full-time research assistant in Hong Kong. Her research interests are early family intervention and young children's literacy and math development.
Ashley Escobar Martinez
Research Assistant
Ashley is an undergraduate Psychology major at the University of Pittsburgh Honors College. She is an active volunteer with the American Red Cross and is currently training to be a Child Development Specialist. Ashley's main research interests are in developmental psychology. She hopes to apply the skills and experiences she learns in the lab to her future aspirations, which include pursuing a degree in pediatric physical therapy.
Layla Kaufman
Research Assistant
Layla is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work. She is also pursuing minors in Sociology and English Literature, with a certificate in Global Health. Layla has a vested interest in Developmental Psychology and works with groups of elementary school children who are in need of additional academic and social enrichment. She hopes to pursue social work, with a focus on adolescents in child protective services or public health.
Kynies Xiao
Research Assistant
Kynies Xiao is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a major in Psychology. She is also considering double majoring in sociology. Currently, she is very interested in pursuing a future career in the field of developmental psychology and clinical psychology. She is also a member of PSI CHI.
Recipe for Success Intervention Team
Emanuelle Silva
Graduate Research Assistant
Emanuelle is a Graduate student in the Developmental Psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her master's degree in Neuroscience from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Since her undergraduate degree, she has worked with numerical cognition, reading development, and the impact of family practices on school learning.
Mercy Akanmu
Research Assistant
Mercy Akanmu is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh Honors College pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and History & Philosophy of Science. She is also earning a minor in Spanish and Chemistry and is interested in studying the impact of culture on child development. She hopes to apply her skills and experiences to a career in neurosurgery.
Vanessa Fernandez
Research Assistant
Vanessa Fernández is a dedicated Puerto Rican undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, currently pursuing a double major in Sociology and Political Science, along with a minor in Legal Studies. Her active engagement in university life included serving as the social media manager for the Puerto Rican Student Association, where she contributed to fostering a sense of community. In addition, Vanessa has played a vital role as a research assistant on two projects led by Fernando Tormos-Aponte—one focused on police reform and the other addressing energy inequality in Puerto Rico. Driven by a strong commitment to social justice, Vanessa passionately advocates for meaningful change and endeavors to create a positive impact on society.
Alessandra Lapetina
Research Assistant
Alessandra is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a major in Psychology with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. She is the secretary of the university's Puerto Rican Student Association Club. She is an advocate for bringing awareness to different inequalities. Plans on going to graduate school to keep pursuing an education in psychology, with the aim of becoming a clinical psychologist.
Ana Larez
Research Assistant
Ana is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a BS in Psychology and BA in English Writing, as well as a minor in Spanish and a distinction in the learning sciences. She is the president of psychology club as well as a resident assistant in holland and a research assistant at the Kid's Thinking lab. She is interested in developmental and clinical psychology and enjoys working with parents and their children. Ana is also pursuing an honors thesis that investigates parental beliefs about math and bilingualism and their role in parental math talk to their toddlers.
Kona Ogawa
Research Assistant
Kona Ogawa is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a major in Chemistry. She is also earning a certificate in Global Health and a minor in Spanish. She enjoys working with children and learning Spanish and hopes to attend graduate school in the future.
Brandon Rodas
Research Assistant
Brandon is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh studying Law, Criminal Justice and Society with a minor in Italian. Brandon is the president of the Music Production Club at Pitt. He hopes to become a compliance officer upon graduation.
Dr. Diana Leyva
Diana Leyva is an Associate Professor of Psychology and a Research Scientist at the Language Research and Development Center (LRDC) at University of Pittsburgh. She received her PhD from Clark University and was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University and project director of Un Buen Comienzo (A Good Start), a teacher professional program in Chile. She has published in Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly, among other top scientific journals.
Lab Events
Former Lab Members
Staff Members
- Annette Tull
- Taylor Williams
- Angela Febles
- Yarelin Rivera
Undergraduate Research Assistants
