MEMBERS

PSI Lab at UCSD

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

CELESTE PILEGARD, PHD

I am an Associate Teaching Professor in the Psychology Department at UCSD. I am interested in facilitating meaningful learning -- learning that is flexible and long-lasting. Areas of focus include metacognition, motivation, gesture, educational games, and learning with multimedia. [ CV | GOOGLE SCHOLAR ]

GRADUATE STUDENTS

RIAN DREXLER

I am a 2nd year graduate student in Experimental Psychology here at UCSD. I am interested in using insights from both cognitive (e.g., learning, information coherence) and social perspectives (e.g., cultural cognition) to improve science communication and science literacy. In my free time I rock climb, go to techno clubs, and surf.

HANNAH LLOYD

I am a second year graduate student in the Psychology Department at UCSD. I am interested in investigating how people learn to reason scientifically and how that learning is mediated through various visual representations (i.e., graphs, diagrams). I aim to extend this research by examining how these findings can inform pedagogical interventions that promote quality learning in the classroom. 

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Jaylen Allison

McNair Scholar (2023)

Abby Despain

Research Assistant (2023)

IGNACIO ESPINOZA

Research Assistant (2023)

SHANTHI KUPPA

I'm a junior year student majoring in Psychology and currently developing keen interest in the fields of developmental and cognitive psychology and their roles in educational practices. Some of my hobbies include playing the guitar, the ukulele, cooking and watching movies!

ALAN LOPEZ

I am a third-year undergraduate majoring in Psychology. I am enamored by all aspects of the field but am chiefly interested in research dealing with learning and memory. My other interests include coding and filmmaking, though it's best for the public that many of my high school films are lost.

ROB SANTIAGO

Hi there! I'm a third-year undergraduate studying psychology and philosophy. I'm interested in social and cognitive psychology and how they might intersect with moral/political philosophy, and I love things like hiking, reading, music, and desserts!

Zhihui Sheng

Psychology Department Honors (2023)

ANNIE TANG

Hi! I'm a third year undergraduate double majoring in Psychology and Ethnic Studies. I am interested in social and cognitive psychology with a focus on education and social justice through an intersectional lens. Outside of school, I enjoy rock climbing, cooking, and drawing!

Yakuan Wang

Research Assistant (2023)

URC 2023

PSLIME 2023

BTR Team 2022

SRC 2023

PSLIME 2022

LAB ALUMNI

Graduate Students

Yerkezhan Tokbergen, M. A. in Educational Psychology, UCR class of 2020

Psychology Department Honors Students

Siyuan Liu (20212022), class of 2022
Yang Lu (20192020), class of 2020
Giulia Silver (20212022), class of 2022
Megan Tavares (20222023), class of 2023

Research Assistants

Bobbette Alexander (2022), class of 2022
Olivia Deniz Cetin (20222023), class of 2023
Aamyah Davis (2022–2023)
Jessica Denny (2021), class of 2022
Cecilia Fridge (2022), class of 2022
Kyle Fune (2020), class of 2021
Abigail Goldschmidt (20202021), class of 2023
Krishna Gomatam (20202021), class of 2021
Grace Hong (2020), class of 2020
Keeshia Kamura (ERC Honors; 20192022), class of 2022
Ki-Yeon Kim (2020), class of 2020
Emily Liu (2020), class of 2021
Yuxin Liu (20202021), class of 2021
Nathan Nguyen (20212022), class of 2022
Evan Schwager (2021), class of 2021
Yuhan Tao (FMP; 20222023)
Sydney Washington (STARS; 2021), CSU Fullerton class of 2023
Derek Ye (2022–2023)
Dongbowei (Iris) Zhang (20212022), class of 2022