
Our Director
Ece Demir-Lira, Ph.D.
Director - Development, Experience and Neurocognition Lab
Assistant Professor - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences/Pediatrics

Dr. Demir-Lira received her PhD from the University of Chicago and completed her postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Her research program is aimed at understanding how early environmental and biological factors interact in predicting children's academic outcomes - in both typically-developing children and children with atypical developmental trajectories. Her work leverages a diverse array of methods, including naturalistic parent-child observations, experimental designs and neuroimaging methods (MRI, fMRI and fNIRS). Representative publications can be viewed on GoogleScholar.
Email: ece-demirlira@uiowa.edu
Phone: 319-467-0376
Office: PBSB 275
Résumé/Curriculum Vitae: demirlira_cv_jan20.pdf
Research Coordinator
Haley Laughlin

Haley is the Lab Coordinator for the DEN Lab. She graduated from the University of Iowa's psychology program. She hopes to pursue a career in research that focuses on the study of the mechanisms of emotion and the environmental factors that influence a child's emotion regulation success. In her free time, she enjoys writing, reading, rollerblading, and concerts.
Graduate Research Assistants
Ying Li

Paige Nelson

Paige is a PhD student in the individualized training program, with a focus in developmental science. She is interested in studying plasticity in the developing brain and specifically neurocognitive development in children born premature. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Email: paige-nelson@uiowa.edu
Francesca Scheiber

Francesca is a Ph.D. student in the clinical psychology program. She is interested in studying socioeconomic differences in early childhood experiences that influence children’s academic, cognitive, and socioemotional outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys time with family and friends, travel, and yoga.
E-mail:francesca-scheiber@uiowa.edu
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Sabrina Brown

Sabrina is a neuroscience major with a minor in gender, health, and health care equity. She is planning on going to graduate school and pursuing a career in neuroscience research. In her free time, she enjoys reading and listening to music.
Annamaria Iarrapino

Laxmi Annapureddy

TBA
Hayley Bassett

Hayley is pursuing a BA in Psychology on the Pre-Medicine Track with a minor in Sports Studies. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, travelling, and spending time with her family and friends.
Eden Conroy

Emily Krogstad

Isabelle Farmer

Callahan Morton

Callahan is a sophomore pursuing her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in French. She is interested in studying maternal and infant mental health. She plans to go to graduate school for Psychology. Callahan can’t imagine not working with children! She loves spending time with family, babysitting, reading about the brain, and baking when she isn't studying. She is overjoyed to be a member of the DEN Lab!
Collaborators
We also have many wonderful research collaborators:
- Bob McMurray (University of Iowa)
- Kelli Ryckman (University of Iowa)
- Ilaria Berteletti (Gallaudet University)
- Tilbe Göksun (Koç University)
- Aylin C. Kuntay (Koç University)
- Susan C. Levine (University of Chicago)
- Susan Goldin-Meadow (University of Chicago)
- Steve Raudenbush (University of Chicago)
- Steve Small (University of California - Irvine)
- James R. Booth (Vanderbilt University)
Graduates of the DEN Lab
We are proud of and miss our RAs who graduates from the DEN and went on to accomplish bigger and better things!:
- Shania Enriquez (Direct Support Professional, Independent)
- Emily Sones (Masters in Counseling, University of Iowa)
- Alexis Potocki (Recruiter, Motion Recruitment)
- Stephanie LeBlanc
- Raquel Gomez
- Nateshia Wilson (Doctorate of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennesse)
- Andrew O'Neill (Digital Marketing Specialist, Clickstop Inc.)
- Megan Schumer (Research Technician Associate, University of Michigan, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology)
- Julianne Maxwell
- Sam Clingan-Silverly (PhD Student, University of Iowa, College of Education)