Grace Ogunjobi, PhD
Research Assistant
Grace's academic, research and administrative interests attracted her to the Hart Lab, where she provided essential support to ensure the smooth operation of research activities and day-to-day administrative functions.
Beyond the lab, Grace filled many other roles as an educator, researcher, community service provider and volunteer. Her areas of interest include, among others: e-management in education, education leadership, reading, math, social development and special needs education in early childhood.
Daniela Pasqualini, BSc
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Daniela was a part-time research assistant and a recent BSc. Psychology graduate from the University of Waterloo. In the lab, she supported the research dissemination efforts and managed social media. Her interests primarily lay in cognitive psychology, specifically emotional processing. Outside of the lab, Daniela can be found enjoying various activities like hiking or visiting museum exhibits.
Nathan Lau, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr. Nathan T.T. Lau was a researcher specializing in developmental and educational psychology, with a primary focus on mathematical learning and math anxiety. His work investigated the cognitive, affective, and environmental factors that shape mathematical performance, with an emphasis on understanding the development and impact of math anxiety across diverse educational contexts.
A key aspect of Dr. Lau’s research was examining the individual and contextual influences on math learning, particularly how classroom environments and socio-cultural factors shape students' experiences with mathematics. His work integrated cross-cultural and longitudinal perspectives to understand how math anxiety develops and impacts learning over time. He was particularly interested in how math anxiety leads to math avoidance, a behavioral consequence that can further hinder skill development and academic achievement. By identifying the mechanisms underlying this relationship, his research aimed to inform interventions that foster more positive engagement with mathematics.
Beyond his substantive research interests, Dr. Lau was also deeply engaged in quantitative research methods, particularly structural equation modeling (SEM). He applied advanced statistical techniques to model complex relationships between cognitive, emotional, and educational variables, enhancing the precision and rigor of psychological research in math education.
Dr. Lau’s research had been published in leading journals in educational psychology and cognitive science. He actively collaborated with international scholars to develop evidence-based strategies for reducing math anxiety, mitigating math avoidance, and improving math education through methodological innovation and applied research.
Vir Hirani
NatPAT Project Coordinator
Vir was the Project Coordinator of NatPAT. He graduated from FSU in May of 2023 with his BS in Psychology. His research interests include cognitive control, behavioral genetics, and translational psychiatry. Outside of science, he enjoyed cooking and playing pickleball.
Veronica Mellado De La Cruz, Ph.D.
Veronica was a Postdoctoral Scholar with Dr. Hart from 2021-2023. She is current a researcher at the University of Virginia.
LaTasha ("Tasha") Holden, Ph.D.
Tasha was a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Hart from 2019-2021. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois in Cognitive Psychology!
Wilhelmina ("Willa") van Dijk, Ph.D.
Willa was a Dean's Postdoctoral Scholar with Dr. Hart and our close colleague, Dr. Chris Schatschneider, on the LDbase project from 2019-2021. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Utah State University in Special Education!
Florina Erbeli, Ph.D.
Florina was a postdoc with Dr. Hart and our close colleague, Dr. Jeanette Taylor, from Fall 2015-Fall 2017. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Texas A&M University in Special Education! Check out her faculty website here
Cynthia Norris, MPH, MS, Ph.D.
Dr. Norris defended her dissertation in March 2024, and is currently working for FSU in the Office of Research Development. She works to support STEM faculty with grant opportunities.
Jeffrey Shero, Ph.D.
Dr. Shero defended his dissertation June 2023, and is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University.
Mia Daucourt, Ph.D.
Dr. Daucourt defended her dissertation August 2022, and is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Yale University
Rasheda Haughbrook, Ph.D.
Dr. Haughbrook defended her dissertation in April 2020, and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University.
As a graduate student, Dr. Haughbrook was a McKnight Fellow.
Connie Barroso, Ph.D.
Connie was a graduate student Research Assistant in the IDCd lab for three years, before moving on to the Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program at FSU! She's now an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M!
Kimberly Martinez, BS
Kimberly was the first project coordinator for NatPAT. She graduated from FSU in 2016 with her B.S. in psychology, and is currently pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology at Syracuse.