Current Members

I am currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at USC. I received my PhD in Clinical Science from the University of Delaware in 2019 under the mentorship of Dr. Bob Simons, having completed my pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program. I went on to work as a postdoctoral fellow with Drs. Nathan Fox (University of Maryland) and Daniel Pine (National Institute of Mental Health) before coming to USC. My fascination with mental health risk started with the notion of the brain as a computer — and how that computer may sometimes go awry, leading to mental health problems. Naturally, I was disappointed to learn that humans are more complex than computers! This disappointment turned to curiosity about the ways we differ. Our work in the BRAVE lab focuses on understanding some of these differences: our brains develop slowly, two people with the same early risk factor can have completely different outcomes (“multifinality”), and different types of risk factors can have similar impacts on our development (“equifinality”). Outside of the lab, you might find me rucking or building computers for PC gaming.

Elisa is a Clinical Science PhD student in the BRAVE lab. In 2022, Elisa graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.A in Psychology. Prior to beginning graduate school, Elisa worked as a research assistant for the Developmental Brain Imaging Lab at Oregon Health & Sciences University, and as a research associate for the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up Lab at the University of Delaware. She is interested in how alterations in neurobiological development mediate the impact of early life factors, such as early adversity, on adolescent internalizing symptoms. Outside of the lab, Elisa enjoys many hobbies, such stained glass making, crocheting, knitting, playing piano, and horseback riding.

Spencer graduated from Harvard University in 2023 with a B.A. in Psychology. He has worked with Dr. Valadez since graduating, initially at the University of Maryland/NIH and now at USC. Broadly speaking, Spencer is interested in studying the risk factors and mechanisms at play in the development of psychopathology, with a particular focus on social factors. He hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the coming years. Outside of the lab, he loves to hike, paddleboard, listen to podcasts, and watch bad TV.

Sarita graduated from UC San Diego with a BS in Cognitive Science, specializing in Machine Learning and Neural Computation. Her prior work has ranged from studying neural characteristics of decision making and language learning to growth trajectories of subcortical areas in developmental populations. She is interested in how early childhood experiences can relate to later social outcomes. Outside of the lab, Sarita loves to explore LA and catch a good sunset at the beach.