Staff
Kristi English, M.Ed.
Laboratory Manager
kristi.parker@rice.edu
Kristi Parker graduated from the University of Tulsa with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in Education and Exercise Sports Science. She received her Master of Education in School Counseling with a PPS Credential from the University of Southern California. Immediately following her Master’s degree, she worked as a paralegal for over five years at a criminal defense law firm. Wanting to shift back into the field of psychology, she joined the BMED lab in the summer of 2015 as a Project Coordinator on the Project Heart R01 grant. Her role has transitioned over the years primarily into lab management and administration.
Patricia (Patty) Morales, MBA
Research Program Manager – Project REACH
Patricia (Patty) Morales graduated from The University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. Following her undergrad degree, she worked with Dr. Christopher Fugundes at MD Anderson Cancer Center as Behavioral Science Research Coordinator in 2013. When Dr. Fagundes moved to Rice University in 2015, Patty joined Dr. Fagundes and began her career as Research Project Coordinator for the BMED Lab. Spearheading his multiple R01 grants, she quickly realized project leadership was her true passion. She received her Master of Business from Texas Woman’s University in 2021 to continue her education in organizational and business management. As hard of a decision as it was to leave Rice University in 2021, she pursued her next career move at MD Anderson Cancer Center once again. After almost two years at MDACC, Patty happily rejoined Dr. Fagundes’ lab as Behavioral Medicine Research Program Manager. In her free time, she loves running and indoor cycling, trying new restaurants, cooking, traveling, spending time with friends/family, and enjoying her new role as a dog mom.
Itee Mahant, M.Biotech
Research Analyst II
Itee Mahant Graduated from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in India. After receiving her Master’s of biotechnology degree in 2015, she worked as an assistant lecturer in the Government Science College. Itee’s began her career in the U.S.A. as a research assistant in the Laboratory of the Department of Symptom Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center, focusing on psychoneuroimmunology research with Dr. Christopher Fagundes and Dr. Cobi Heijnen. At the end of 2020 she worked as a coordinator of clinical studies for phase I clinical trials in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at MD Anderson. In 2022, Itee joined the BMED Laboratory as a Research Analyst II to perform immunological and cell biological analysis. In her free time, Itee likes to listen to poetry and spends time with her husband and 3-year-old son.
Khadija Ziauddin, MBBS, MPH (she/her/hers)
Graduate Research Assistant
Khadija Ziauddin is currently working with the data team while starting the PhD program in Public Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center. Since joining the BMED lab, she has been involved with Project Heart, the Break Free Smoking Study, Project Voces, and Project ACT. Most recently, she worked with Project Care and the Physical Activity for Caregivers Intervention Study as Project Coordinator. Khadija is a foreign medical graduate, and received her Master of Public Health degree (Health Promotion & Health Education) from UTHealth in 2021. She is interested in the underlying mechanisms of chronic disease and the interface between physical health and mental well-being.
Project Coordinator – Project ACT
Ann Wang is the Project Coordinator for the NIH RO1 funded grant Project ACT. She graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Health and a minor in Medicine and Society. Ann previously worked at UTHealth as a Research Assistant where she worked closely with patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and people living with HIV. Her research interests include health disparities, women’s health, and exploring the risks and benefits of medical cannabis from biological impacts to societal implications on public policy. During her free time, Ann enjoys making candles, singing karaoke, drinking natural wine, and spending time with her partner and their two cats.
Temilade Dada, B.A.
Lab Management Assistant – Project ACT
Temilade is a Lab Management Assistant working on Project ACT. Temilade graduated from Rice University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She has been working as a research assistant for Project Heart since the Summer of 2021 and Project ACT since Fall of 2021. Temilade is interested in health disparities and improving the lives of those struggling with mental illness. She plans to attend medical school and become a physician. During her free time, Temilade enjoys reading, exercising, fashion, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.
Arya Tsay-Jones, B.A. (she/her)Data Manager
Arya graduated from Rice University in 2021 with a B.A. in psychological sciences. She has been working with the BMED Lab since 2018 and has been part of the Project Heart, Expressive Writing During COVID19, and Project CARE teams. She is currently working closely with the Project CARE team and is one of BMED lab’s data managers, in charge of tracking and consolidating study data. She is pursuing a master’s degree in counseling psychology and hopes to continue her studies to earn a Ph.D. In her free time, she loves reading, painting, and relaxing with her cat, Sesame!
Research Assistants
Amara Anyanwu (she/her)
Research Assistant – Project BB
Amara is a Rice undergraduate in the class of 2025 majoring in Psychology and minoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She hopes to earn a Ph.D. in psychology and to treat patients while pursuing research in the field. She is especially interested in the psychological effects of music in older adults. She joined the BMED lab in February of 2022 as a research assistant for Project CHROMA. Outside of lab, she enjoys playing the violin, making jewelry, and gardening.
Ananya Kar
Research Assistant – Project ACT
Ananya Kar is an undergraduate student at Rice University in the class of 2025.
Ethan Nguyen
Research Assistant – Project ACT
Ethan is a sophomore at Rice University majoring in Psychology with a minor in Business. After Rice, Ethan hopes to attend medical school and one day become a psychiatrist. Some of Ethan’s hobbies include Basketball, Volleyball, reading, and watching F1. He has lived in Austin, TX, all his life and will never stop talking about how it is the best city in the world.
Research Assistant – Project ACT
Sarah is a senior at Rice University majoring in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. She joined the lab in the fall of 2021 as a research assistant for Project CHROMA. Sarah is interested in improving the lives of those struggling with mental illness and plans to pursue a Master’s of Social Work following graduation. When not working in the lab, Sarah enjoys hammocking, farmer’s markets, and discovering new coffee shops around Houston.
Research Assistant – Project ACT
Taylor Stowers is an undergraduate student at Rice University majoring in Psychological Sciences and minoring in Neuroscience (class of 2025). She joined Project CHROMA as an RA in the summer of 2022 and has loved it ever since. She is hoping to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to become a therapist while also continuing varying research on mental illness (specifically anxiety), the effects of fine arts on cognition and development, and positive psychology. When not in the lab, you can find her singing acapella with the Rice Philharmonics, performing in various Rice Theatre productions, consuming various nerd media (Dungeons & Dragons, Marvel Cinematic Universe), and reading every book under the sun.
Xi Yang (she/her)Research Assistant – Project ACT
Xi is an aspired psychology student (previously at Harvard Extension School and now self learning) and a practicing landscape architect in Boston, MA. She joined the BMED Lab in Summer 2022 as a research assistant for Project CARE. A firm believer in the influences the built environment has on society and the individual psyche and vice versa, Xi is a keen learner in both fields and strives to bring wisdoms of psychology into the practices of public place making.
Nisha Oruganti
Research Assistant – Project ACT
Nisha is an undergraduate student at Rice University majoring in psychology in the class of 2024. She joined the BMED lab as a research assistant in the summer of 2023. She plans to continue engaging in research during a gap year before pursuing a graduate degree in counseling psychology. She is especially interested in transdiagnostic approaches to treating mental illness and psychotherapeutic interventions addressing the effects of trauma and chronic stress. In her free time she enjoys taking walks while listening to music or podcasts and coffee-shop-hopping around the city.
Joon Lee
Research Assistant – Project BB
Joon is an undergraduate at Rice in the class of 2025 majoring in psychology and minoring in neuroscience. He joined the lab in the summer of 2023 as a research assistant for Project Bereaved Brain. After graduating, he plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to become a therapist working with children and adolescents. In his free time, Joon enjoys competing in chess tournaments, playing his violin, and watching the NBA.
Hira Tariq
Research Assistant – Project ACT
Hira is an undergraduate at Rice University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Global Health Technologies. At the BMED lab, she works as a Research Assistant for Project ACT. After graduating from Rice, she plans on attending medical school. Some of her hobbies include baking, watching movies with her family, and trying new coffee and boba shops.