HANNAH RAILA, PH.D.
EMOTION, COGNITION, & PSYCHOPATHOLOGY LAB
I have a lab for undergraduate researchers excited to explore topics in emotion, cognition, and psychopathology. I will next be accepting undergraduate applications to begin in the lab in Fall 2024; I recommend contacting me in late August or early September 2024 if you're interested. I encourage members of historically underrepresented groups to apply. Note that I ask for a commitment of at least 10 hours/week, for at least three quarters, in the lab. If you're interested in applying, please email me (hraila@ucsc.edu) your CV, transcript (from UCSC and/or another college if you transferred), a writing sample (e.g., a final paper from a class), and a brief cover letter explaining why you're interested. If it seems like a good fit, I will contact you for an interview.
To learn more about the lab's work and read some of our studies, please go to the Publications tab.
Why should you work in a research lab? If you've considered a career in psychology research (e.g., pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology), then being a research assistant in an undergraduate lab is a great way to get experience. Learn valuable skills (e.g., considering study design decisions, conducting literature reviews, analyzing data, presenting posters) that will both prepare you for independent investigation in a research career, as well as help you learn if you like doing research in the first place. Come be part of the "behind the scenes" of the kinds of studies that you've read about in your courses!
CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
Ash Wang
Ash graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2023. Their primary project uses CFS to look at whether disgust stimuli visually pop out more readily for people who are high on contamination-related fears. In their free time, Ash enjoys trips to Yosemite and hiking around the Bay area.
Ebele Obi
Ebele holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Government from Dartmouth College and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She works in performance auditing in local government. Her research interests are in resilience, cognition, and behavior change modification, among other areas. In her free time, Ebele enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, trying different cuisines, and singing.
Morgan Yates
Morgan graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2023 and is interested in an array of research topics pertaining to emotion, cognition, and psychopathology. She is particularly passionate about exploring the therapeutic benefits of human-animal interaction. Outside of academics she loves volunteering at her local animal shelter, painting, and spending time outdoors with her dog Dr. Snooze Wagner. See the paper she published with the lab here.
Kristy Li
Kristy is a fourth-year psychology major. Her primary project exams whether the framing of (i.e., the language used around describing) stressful events impacts the emotional impact of such events.
FORMER LAB MEMBERS
Annabel Bouwer
Annabel was in the lab from 2021-2023, studying links between visual attention and mindfulness. She is now a research assistant in the Social Neuroscience Lab at Stanford University. You can find the paper that she published with the lab here.
Rhea Modi
Rhea was in the lab from 2021-2022, studying links between visual attention and mindfulness. She is now a post-bacc pre-med student at Loyola Marymount University. You can find the paper that she published with the lab here.
Ashley Leon
Ashley was in the lab from 2021-2022, studying attention to interoceptive stimuli (e.g., our heartbeat) and how this interferes with our performance on external tasks. She is working on writing up her results, and she is now a PhD student at UT Austin.