Director
Karen L. Siedlecki, PhD
Dr. Siedlecki is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Fordham, and is the director of the Fordham Memory and Aging Lab. Her research focuses on age-related differences in cognition and memory. More recently, she has focused on investigating individual differences in autobiographical memory and examining whether age is associated with the retrieval of more positive memories. Dr. Siedlecki is also interested in the seemingly paradoxical relationship between age and subjective well-being, and the relationship between autobiographical memory valence and well-being across age.
Graduate Students
Merve Sena Imrek, BS
Merve is a third-year doctoral student in Applied Developmental Psychology at Fordham University, with a concentration in Health, Illness, and Well-Being Across the Lifespan. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Middle East Technical University and her M.A. in Applied Developmental Psychology from Fordham University. Her research interests center on cognitive aging, with a particular focus on subjective and objective cognition, as well as autobiographical memory. She is also interested in serious illness, palliative and end-of-life care, particularly the roles of memory, meaning, and psychological well-being in promoting quality of life among older adults, individuals with serious illness, and their families.
Previous Graduate Students
Rachel Bloom, PhD
Rachel graduated with her PhD in May 2025 and is currently a T32 postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Medicine.
Veronika Kobrinsky, MA
Veronika graduated with her MA from Columbia Teacher's College in 2024 and is currently a PhD Student at the University of Wisconsin- Madison in the Affect, Suicide, Self-Injury, and Social Triggers (ASSIST) Lab.
Emily LeRolland, MA
Emily graduated with her Master's in Clinical Research Methods in 2024.
Neshat Yazdani, PhD
Neshat graduated with her PhD in 2023 and is Director of Evaluation at College Access: Research & Action (CARA).
Jordan Sergio, MA
Jordan graduated with his Master's in Clinical Research Methods in 2022 and is currently a Ph.D. Student in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at the University of Rhode Island.
Jillian Minahan Zucchetto, PhD
Jillian graduated with her PhD in 2021 and is the Assistant Dean for Seniors at Fordham College Rose Hill.
Francesca Falzarano, PhD
Francesca graduated with her PhD in 2019 and is an Assistant Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California.
Amanda Leeder, PhD
Amanda graduated with her PhD in 2020 and is Executive Director and Founder of non-profit organization Families Like Ours.
Stephanie Hicks, PhD
Stephanie is a Research Project Manager at MJHS in New York.
Seojung Jung, PhD
Seojung is an Associate Professor at SUNY Old Westbury in Old Westbury, NY.
Zachary Kornhauser, PhD
Zach is the Senior Director of Faculty Assessment and Development at the Columbia School of Professional Studies in New York, NY.
Undergraduate Lab Members
Dina Borisovna Nemtsova
Dina is a Senior at Fordham University Lincoln Center, majoring in Psychology on the pre-medical track. She joined the Memory and Aging Lab in Spring 2025. Dina volunteers in the local hospital. She is also a Co-President of the Lincoln Center Pre-Medical Society club and the President of the Delta Alpha Pi Honors Society, Fordham’s chapter. As a career goal, Dina wants to go to medical school and become a physician.
Marisa Burke
Marisa is a student at Fordham University Lincoln Center majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish. She joined the Memory and Aging lab in Fall 2026. Marisa is also the President of Youth Advocacy Coalition at Fordham University, and works in Special Education.
Charlotte Foster
Charlotte Foster is a fourth-year psychology student at Fordham College Rose Hill, with minors in peace and justice studies and English. She joined the Memory and Aging lab in Fall 2025. Under the mentorship of Dr. Siedlecki, Charlotte is working to complete her honors thesis on autobiographical memory recall as an intervention to influence feelings of belongingness and engagement in social behaviors. Apart from her studies, she is the operations coordinator for the Fordham Psychology Club, a tutor in the Writing Center, and a devoted member of Psi Chi (The International Honor Society in Psychology) and the Fordham Pep Band.
Lila Greenfield
Lila is a Junior at Fordham University Rose Hill, majoring in Integrative Neuroscience with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience and minoring in Marketing. She joined the Memory and Aging Lab in summer 2026. On campus, she is on the executive board for Women in STEM, Integrative Neuroscience Student Association, and Surgical Society. She also volunteers as an Orientation Leader during Fordham University’s First-year Orientation. Outside of the classroom, Lila enjoys hiking and traveling. After graduation, Lila plans on pursuing a career in the MedTech industry with research focused in Deep Brain Stimulation and Spinal Cord Stimulation therapies.
Rowan Luzzi
Rowan is a senior at Fordham University Lincoln Center majoring in integrative neuroscience, with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience. They joined the Memory and Aging Lab in Fall 2026. Outside of the lab, Rowan's past research explored the effects of viral load and the ACE-2 enzyme on COVID-19 severity. Rowan is interested in researching different aspects of neurodiversity after working as a caretaker for kids with learning disabilities.
Ashley Petranka
Ashley is a junior at Fordham University Lincoln Center, where she is pursuing dual majors in Psychology and Dance through the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program. This is her first year with the Memory and Aging lab. Her research interests include the impact of pursuit of the arts on subjective age and memory, as well as how early childhood experiences influence aging across the lifespan. Ashley also serves as a counselor on the Crisis Text Line and tutor for NYC elementary students. After graduation, she hopes to pursue graduate study in developmental psychology and conduct research in a pediatric hospital or medical research setting.
Lauren Rocco
Lauren is a senior at Fordham University, majoring in Biological Sciences on the pre-med track. She joined the Memory and Aging Lab in Fall 2026. She joined the lab to deepen her understanding of cognition and its connection to emotional well-being in older adults. Outside the lab, Lauren has volunteered with older adults through DOROT's Caring Calls program and is a volunteer tutor with CitySquash.
Aleena Shehryar
Aleena is a fourth-year student at Fordham University Lincoln Center majoring in Integrative Neuroscience on the pre-medical track. She joined the Memory and Aging lab in the Fall of 2024 and is interested in pursuing research in neurodegenerative diseases and neurophysiological aspects of memory and learning. Aleena works as an EMT for Fordham University's EMS and plans on applying to medical school after graduation. She has also worked on research regarding menopause and dementia in hypertensive rats.
Julia Wray
Julia is a senior at Fordham University Rose Hill, majoring in Integrative Neuroscience with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience. She joined the Memory & Aging Lab in Fall 2025. On campus, Julia is a Peer Connections Program Mentor, helping first-year students adjust to the Fordham STEM program. Her research interests include cognition, memory, and the relationship between nostalgia and loneliness. After graduation, Julia plans to attend nursing school and pursue a career in either neurology or psychiatry.
Past Undergraduate Lab Members
2025/2026
Crystal Aung
Luciana Carnero
Çağla Cetin
Audrey Gomez
Bridget Flanagan
Sophia Ghelardini
Grace Glennon
Adeline Kong
Artin Preljvukaj
Valeria Ramos Prado
Sofiya Wariach
Jamai Williams
2023/2024
Arika Ahamed
Maggie Boros
Emmeline Brzeczek
Natalie Fermoselle
Yu Jin In
Inara Jamil
Ella Kohn
Alexa Mancini
Hannah Mason
Giovanna Rafanello
Vashma Ramdass
Elena Roden
Alex Schandlbauer
2021/2022
Samantha Dargie
Alissa Kerr
Ahang Leqola
Julianna Scofield
Zuzanna Smurzynska
2019/2020
Kennedy Abbott
Travis Aprile
Devin D'Agostino
Samantha DeAssis
Lis Ortiz
Eunice Jung
Emma Spoldi
2015/2016/2017
Samantha Banjany
Soulin Haque
Arif Kostak
Angela Kennedy
Erin Hunt
Maria Pleshkevich
Julianna Pollina
Courtney Romans
Zane Sejdui
Samantha Steimle
Siwen Xie
2018
Ilanys Almonte
Cassandra Cooney
Ara del Pino Mollina
Caroline Lucy
Emily McFadden
Nahla Taher
Annie Young
Undergraduate students who have completed Psychology Honors Theses or Neuroscience Capstone Projects
2026
Crystal Aung, “Are Higher Levels of Nostalgia Associated with Decreased Symptoms of Depression?”
Luciana Carnero, “Intergenerational Trauma and Mental Health in Latine Individuals”
Dina Borisovna Nemtsova, “Differences in Camouflaging among Individuals with Autism across Individual Differences Characteristics”
-
Findings presented at the 2026 Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting
Ahang Leqola, "Daytime Sleepiness Mediates the Relationship Between Pediatric Sleep-Disordered Breathing Symptoms and ADHD-Like Behavioural Symptoms in Children"
2025
Audrey Gomez, "Phenomenological Characteristics of Self-Defining Memories in LGBTQ+ Young Adults"
-
Findings accepted for presentation at the 2026 Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting
Bridget Flangan, “Behind the Facade: Examining Predictors of Imposter Phenomenon in Undergraduates”
Grace Glennon, “Examining Mediators of the Relationship Between Subjective Age and Cognition”
-
Findings presented at the 2025 Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting
Sophia Ghelardini “The Influence of Adverse Childhood Exerperiences on the Specificity of Autobiographical Memory”
Sofiya Waraich, “Friend Group Composition Among International Students and Their Loneliness Levels"
2024
Arika Ahamed, “Examining the Relationship between Sleep Quantity and Cognition”
Yu Jin In, “Examining the Relationship between Personal Outlook and Academic Motivation”
-
Findings presented at the 2024 Hunter College annual convention
Inara Jamil, “The Impact of Long COVID on Cognition”
Vashma Ramdass, “The Relationship between Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive Flexibility on Facial Recognition Performance”
-
Findings presented at the 2024 Hunter College annual convention
Elena Roden (co-mentored with Dr. Falzarano), “Gender Differences in Psychological Outcomes of Dementia Family Caregivers”
2023
Maggie Boros, "Relationship Between Cognitive Functioning and COVID-19-Induced Loss of Taste and Smell"
-
Findings presented at the 2023 Association for Psychological Science annual meeting
Emmeline Brzeczek, "Assessing Language and Wording in Recall in Bilingual Speakers"
Natalie Fermoselle, "Examining the Role of Subjective Age in Subjective and Objective Cognition"
-
Findings presented at the 2023 Association for Psychological Science annual meeting
Alexa Mancini, "Age-Related Differences in the Accessibility and Usability of Online Therapy"
Alex Schandlbauer, "Examining the Temporal Relationship between Anxiety and Impulsivity"
2022
Radha Jadoo, "The Temporal Relationship between Need for Cognition and Cognitive Functioning"
Veronika Kobrinsky, "COVID-19 Illness and Cognition: Exploring the Effects of Moderating Factors"
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Kobrinsky, V., Aminoff, E.M., Boros, M., Falzarano, F., Minahan Zucchetto, J., Yazdani, N., Sergio, J., Bloom, R.F., & Siedlecki, K.L. (2024). COVID-19 illness and cognitive functioning in a community-dwelling sample of adults. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 20(1), 20-33. https://doi.org/10.5709/acp-0411-8
Julianna Scofield, "Examining whether Concussion History Moderates the Relationship Between COVID-19 and Neurocognitive Functioning"
Zuzanna Smurzynska, "Examining Autobiographical Memory Retrieval as an Intervention to Increase Physical Activity in Adults Over the Age of 55"
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Smurzynska, Z., LeRolland, E., & Siedlecki, K.L. (2026). Autobiographical memory retrieval as an intervention to increase physical activity in older adults. Memory. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2026.2680911
Alexandra Trant (co-mentored with Dr. Falzarano), "The Relationship between Self-Perceptions, Dating Anxiety, and Satisfaction in Romantic
Relationships in a Sample of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder"
2021
Loli Alvarez, "The Relationship between Feelings of Support from Religious Affiliations and Well-Being"
Madeline Becker, "Social Perceptions of Rape and Sexual Assault Across Age"
Samantha Dargie, "Examining the Relationship Between General Anesthesia Exposure and Cognitive Performance"
Kristen Jefairjian, "Autobiographical Memory Recall as an Intervention to Increase Academic Effort Among College Students"
Alissa Kerr, "The Effect of Music Training on Short-Term Musical Memory"
-
Findings published in the Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal
Arbi Kumi, "Exploring the Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Virtual Summer Treatment Program for Children with Behavioral and Social Problems: A Pilot Study"
2020
Bel Amaral, "Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Dimensions of Personality"
Devin D'Agostino, "The Influence of Language on Time Perspective and the Selection of Socially Oriented Goals"
Adina Fradkov, "Autobiographical Memory Recall as an Intervention to Increase Feelings of Belongingness among College Students"
Kristi Lise (co-mentored with Jillian Minahan), "The Social Effects of an Intergenerational Email Pal Program"
-
Findings presented at the 2021 Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting
Annalee Mueller (co-mentored with Jillian Minahan), "The Impact of Social Support and Environmental Demands on Subjective Cognition across Adulthood"
-
Findings presented at the 2020 Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Mueller, A., Minahan Zucchetto, J., & Siedlecki, K.L. (2021). The relationship between social support and subjective cognitive functioning across adulthood. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/00914150211066565 [epub ahead of print]
Tasmin Neha, "The Relationship Between Dimensions of Colorism and Body Image"
Lis Ortiz, "The Influence of Language Concordance on Visual Perspective in Autobiographical Memories"
Rebecca Thompson, "Individual Differences that Influence Mental and Sexual Health in College Students"
2019
Emma Spoldi (co-mentored with Francesca Falzarano), “The Effects of Using Smartphone Technology before Bed on Sleep”
Isabella Oliveira, “Do Individual Difference Characteristics Influence False Memory?”
Katrine Jensen, “Examining Situational Motivations for Extrinsic and Intrinsic Aspirations in Young Adults”
Katherine Greenberg, “Examining Cognitive Dissonance-induced Memory Distortion”
Eunice Jung, "Does Time Salience Influence Working Memory Performance in College Students?"
-
Published in the Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal
2018
Cassandra Cooney (co-mentored with Jillian Minahan), “Do Feelings and Knowledge about Aging Predict Ageism?”
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Cooney, C., Minahan, J., & Siedlecki, K.L. (2020). Do feelings and knowledge about aging predict ageism? Journal of Applied Gerontology, 0, 1-10.
Emily McFadden, “Relationships among Autobiographical Memory Qualities and Non-Clinical Mood Characteristics”
-
Findings presented at the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition Annual Meeting, Cape Cod, MA (June 2019)
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: McFadden, E., & Siedlecki, K.L. (2020). Do depressive symptoms and subjective well-being influence the valence or visual perspective of autobiographical memories in young adults? Memory, 28, 506-515.
Claudia Rodriguez, “Examining Dance and Interactional Movement as a Catalyst for State Empathy Facilitation”
2017
Yetkaterina Shultberg, “Effects of Language Concordance on Visual Perspective in Autobiographical Memory”
Erin Hunt, “Effects of menstrual cycle on cognition and autobiographical memory”
-
Findings presented at the New England Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Worcester, MA (November 2018)
2016
Olivia Cortellini, “Do Internships Better Prepare Students for Success in Graduate School and the Workplace?”
-
Findings presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting in New York, NY (March 2016)
2015
Neshat Yazdani, “Optimism is Weakly and Not Significantly Related to Decision Making”
-
Findings presented at the APS annual convention in New York, NY (May 2015).
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Yazdani, N. & Siedlecki, K.L. (2019). Is the glass always half full? Examining the relationship between dispositional optimism and risky decision making. The New School Psychology Bulletin, 16(1), 55–65.
Marguerite Pintauro, “Investigating the Relationship and Nature of Multiple Types of Spatial Memory”
2013
Kathleen Buehler, “The Relationship between Fluidity of Sexuality and Well-being”
-
Findings presented at New England Psychological Association’s Annual Meeting in New York, NY (October 2013
Jillian Minahan, “Individual Differences in Need for Cognition Influence the Evaluation of Scientific Explanations”
-
Findings presented at the APS annual convention in New York, NY (May 2013).
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Minahan, J. & Siedlecki, K.L. (2016). Individual differences in Need for Cognition influence the evaluation of circular scientific explanations. Personality and Individual Differences, 99, 113–117.
2012
Bethany Boyle, “The Relationship between Executive Functioning and Physical Activity in Young and Older Adults”
Kristina D’Antonio, “The Relationship between Hippocampal Volume and Memory Performance across Age Groups”
-
Findings presented at the N.E.U.R.O.N annual meeting in New York, NY (May 2012)
Sarah Tazghini, “Facebook Use and Its Relationship to Self-esteem and Personality”
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Tazghini, S., & Siedlecki, K.L. (2013). A mixed method approach to examining Facebook use and its relationship to self-esteem. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 827-832.
2011
Jennifer Ferrar, “Do We Dream to Cope with Stress?”
Andrea Paul, “The Relationship between In-class Technology Use and Academic Achievement”
-
Published in a peer-reviewed journal: Kornhauser, Z.G.C., Paul, A., & Siedlecki, K.L. (2016). An examination of students' use of technology in the classroom. Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, 5, 1-15.
2010
Stephanie Diebert (co-mentored with Dr. Rachel Annunziato), “Distress and Self-reported Memory Change during the Transition to College”
-
Findings presented at the APA annual convention in Washington, DC (August 2011)
Joanna Wong, “Sheep or Cotton Ball? How Degraded Stimuli Help Explain the Extent of the Picture Superiority Effect”