Kelly Brice, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Kelly Brice is a postdoctoral associate interested in exploring the relationship between negative affective states, emotion regulation, and psychological and physiological indicators of stress. She is also interested in how changes in psychological state can impact physical health outcomes, including immune function and disease risk. She graduated with her BA in Psychology and minor in Business from Hendrix College in 2017. In 2023, she received her PhD in Psychology from Texas Christian University, where she studied the effects of chronic sleep loss, stress, and poor diet consumption on cognitive function, inflammation, and Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology in rodents. Outside of the lab, she enjoys going to concerts, painting, crafting, and taking dance classes.

Lydia Wu-Chung, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Graduate Student Researcher
lydia.wu@rice.edu

Lydia Wu is a graduate student in the Psychological Sciences Department at Rice University within the Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine and Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience research interest groups. She graduated from Wheaton College (IL) in 2016 with a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Psychology. With a research background in behavioral neuroscience and health psychology, she enjoys learning about the biology that underlies psychological phenomena. She is specifically interested in mechanisms underlying mental and physical health outcomes, with particular research interests in neuro-immune interactions and the role that inflammation, stress, and psychosocial factors play in the onset and exacerbation of psychological disorders such as depression. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, playing basketball, hiking, and exploring coffee shops and restaurants in Houston.

Ivanova Veras de Jesús, B.A. (they/them/elle)

Graduate Student Researcher
iv8@rice.edu

Ivanova is a Fulbright guarantee from the Dominican Republic and a graduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice University as part of the Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine and Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience programs. They received their BA in Clinical Psychology from Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), Dominican Republic. Their research interests are regarding the neurocognitive and psychophysiological effects of stress, discrimination, and negative life situations within marginalized communities. Specifically, in the way, these experiences impact health and wellbeing. They are also interested in possible actions that can be taken in order to prevent and/or mitigate these effects.

Vincent Lai, B.A. (he/him/his)

Graduate Student Researcher
vdl1@rice.edu

Vincent Lai is a second-year graduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice University as part of the Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine interest group. He graduated from Rice in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Vincent initially joined the BMED Lab as an undergraduate student and worked on several projects including Project HEART, Expressive Writing During COVID-19, Project CHROMA, and his honors thesis before starting graduate school. His research interests include how stress impacts well-being across the lifespan and how socially threatening experiences affect physical and mental health. Outside of the lab, he serves as the Marketing Director and a Staff Writer for the International Collegiate Journal of Science, where he manages a team of student writers contributing to a monthly newsletter showcasing cutting-edge research in psychology. In his free time, you can find Vincent going on runs, spending time with loved ones, or relaxing with a good movie or video game.

Daniel Argueta, B.A. (he/him/his)

Daniel is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice University studying health psychology and behavioral medicine. Daniel Graduated from Rice University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor in neuroscience, completing his senior thesis examining the role of psychological needs in depressive symptom expression in dementia caregivers. He has been working as a research assistant for Project Heart since the Summer of 2021 and Project ACT since Fall of 2021. His work surrounds the immune and metabolic mechanisms that link extreme stress to psychopathology, including anxiety and depression. He aims to understand how trauma, uncertainty, perfectionism, and other individual differences contribute to differences in mental and physical health, and how immune and metabolic dysregulation might explain these differences. Outside of Rice, Daniel enjoys figure skating and coaching, supplementing his passion for working with kids and young adults. He also enjoys photography, and is the current BMED Lab photographer.