Abigail Collins (Visting Scholar)
Abigail (amcollins3@wisc.edu) graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology. She is interested in studying how fostering worker well-being, engagement, and belonging can lead to a decrease in burnout and an increase in life satisfaction. She is also interested in the effects of inclusive paid leave policies and shifting worker norms. She intends to explore and utilize I/O psychology research to positively impact the lives of employees as an I/O practitioner. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, finding new coffee shops, and spending time with friends.
Abbie O’Byrne (Independent Study Student)
Abbie (aobyrne@wisc.edu) is a senior double majoring in Psychology and Neurobiology with a certificate in Leadership. She is interested in studying the impact of gender-based identification of professionals by their last name on assessments of competence in their field. She is President and founder of Global Medical Brigades, an RSO connecting pre-Health UW students with clinics around the world. She is also Service Director for APO: Beta Theta, a UW service fraternity. She currently works as a CNA at Outreach Community Health Centers (formerly Healthcare for the Homeless) and as a teaching assistant for the UW Chemistry department. She plans to attend Medical school to become a dermatologist. In her free time, she enjoys caring for and shaping bonsai trees, drinking exotic teas, and writing poetry.
Ela Altay (Undergraduate Researcher)
Ela (ealtay@wisc.edu) is a freshman double majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She chose these majors to understand the effects of culture, gender, and communication differences on how societies and communities function. She wants to research how the psychology, behavior, and development of said individuals create distinguishable communities. She plans on attending graduate school and obtaining a PhD in hopes of pursuing a career in academia/research. Ela is on the UW Madison MENA (Middle Eastern North African) Board planning campus-wide cultural events for MENA heritage month in March 2025. In her free time Ela enjoys going to concerts, traveling, trying new cuisines, working out, and reading.
Caroline Burns (Undergraduate Researcher)
Caroline (cgburns3@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in Neurobiology on the pre-medical track. She is fascinated to learn more from those around her and truly believes each person can teach a lesson to another. After undergraduate study, she hopes to attend medical school where she will learn from those with more experience while practicing more effective learning techniques. She hopes to become an Anesthesiologist after medical school. In her free time she loves running and walking, baking, being by the lake, and spending time with friends and family.
Carl Chen (Undergraduate Researcher)
Carl (tchen499@wisc.edu) is a freshman majoring in Psychology and Education Policy Studies. He has a deep interest in understanding how people learn and how psychology shapes communication. After completing his undergraduate studies, he plans to pursue a PhD in counseling or clinical psychology, with the goal of becoming a therapist or researcher. In his free time, Carl enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and watching film analysis videos.
Yein Choi (Undergraduate Researcher)
Yein (ychoi327@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in Data Science. She is interested in how data can be used to analyze patterns in human behavior and decision-making. While her focus is on data analysis, she enjoys exploring interdisciplinary applications, including finance and behavioral science. Looking ahead, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in Data Science to deepen her expertise. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking, experimenting with new recipes, and sharing meals with friends. She also loves spending time outdoors, whether it’s camping in nature or traveling to new places to experience different cultures and environments.
Brooke Kirkendall-Jones (Undergraduate Researcher)
Brooke (bkirkendallj@wisc.edu) is currently a senior majoring in Psychology with a certificate in Disability Rights and Services and Business Fundamentals. She is the vice president for NAMI-UW, which is a club dedicated to destigmatizing mental illness and providing mental health resources to students on campus. She plans on attending graduate school to obtain a master's in I/O psychology and hopes to pursue a career in consulting. She is primarily interested in studying employee well-being and exploring how to foster proactive work environments. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends and exploring new places in Madison. She loves to read, cook, lift, and go on walks.
Arushee Menon (Undergraduate Researcher)
Arushee (amenon25@wisc.edu) is a junior, double majoring in Psychology and Neurobiology. They are the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair for the UW Madison Chapter of Psi Chi, a National Honors fraternity for Psychology. They are interested in studying how people’s perceptions affect their speech patterns, and plan on attending graduate school to obtain a PhD. In their spare time, Arushee plays badminton, sketches, and reads.