Who we Are
Valentina Nikulina, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator & Lab Director
Valentina Is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at Queens College and the Graduate Center at CUNY and the Principal Investigator of the laboratory. She is a NYS-Licensed Psychologist who received her undergraduate degree from New York University and her doctoral degree from St. John’s University. She completed two post-doctoral fellowships, one at John Jay College focused on Child Maltreatment Research and the other at the National Development and Research Institutes focused on drug abuse research.
Lab Students
Mikell Bursky
6th Year Doctoral Student
Mikell Bursky is a Ph.D candidate in Clinical Psychology (with a specialized concentration in Neuropsychology) at Queens College and The Graduate Center (CUNY). Mikell received his undergraduate degree in Applied Psychology from New York University, a Master’s Degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Queens College, and an M.Phil in Psychology from The Graduate Center. Mikell’s research and clinical interests include the application of meditation for preserving cognitive function and well-being as we age, and the integration of mindfulness with modern psychotherapy theory and practice. He has completed externships in neuropsychology at Weill Cornell Medicine (Department of Neurology: Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders) and NYU Langone Medical Center (Comprehensive Epilepsy Center), a Clinical Psychology externship at Queens College Psychological Center, as well as a Clinical Psychology Fellowship at Queens College Counseling Services. Mikell has collaborated on multiple NIH funded studies and engaged in research exploring a variety of topics including computerized cognitive training for depression, the relationship between white matter hyperintensity burden on antidepressant treatment response, as well as a longitudinal investigation into neuropsychological risk factors associated with intimate partner violence among emerging adults. Mikell has also published theoretical papers on the utility of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions for pandemic lockdowns and quarantines, as well as a theoretical model integrating mindfulness with computerized cognitive training to target and augment neural networks involved in depression. He is currently working with Dr. Nikulina on his dissertation focused on understanding the roles of executive function and dispositional mindfulness in predicting intimate partner violence. It is his hope that their investigation may provide information pertinent to the development of behavior modifying interventions, in turn, potentially reducing risk for violence. Mikell will be completing his predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Wai Man Wong
4th Year Doctoral Student
Coming Soon!
Jane Lee
4th Year Doctoral Student
Jane Lee is an advanced doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the City University of New York – Graduate Center at Queens College. She achieved her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at Columbia University – Teachers College in 2022, and her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience in 2018. Her expansive patient and research populations have included individuals with mood disorders (bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders, PTSD, neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD, learning disabilities, speech disorder), and psychotic disorders (schizophrenia). She previously conducted fMRI neuroscience research in typically developing children and young adults as well as adults with psychosis. Her current work focuses on emotion regulation in young adult survivors of sexual assault.
Phoebe MacDowell
3rd Year Doctoral Student
Phoebe is a 3rd year student in the Clinical Psychology program at Queens College & The Graduate Center, CUNY. She received her Bachelors in Psychology from University of North Florida in 2014 and her Masters in Education (concentrated in applied behavior analysis) from Arizona State University in 2018. She has worked extensively with children on the autism spectrum since 2015 and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2018. Phoebe’s previous research focused on trauma-informed care practices in applied behavior analysis. Her research interests include trauma-informed care, experiences of trauma, and mental health outcomes of trauma survivors. Under Dr. Nikulina’s mentorship her work will be focused on young adult survivors of sexual assault.
Victoria P Fairchild
Doctoral Student
Victoria is currently pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology at CUNY Queens College. She earned her BA in English and Psychology from the College of William and Mary, and previously conducted fMRI addiction neuroscience research on opioid use disorder, smoking, and risk behaviors in adolescents and young adults. Her current research examines risk factors and the progression and development of intimate partner violence in young adults
Marisol Flores-Ortega
Research Assistant
Marisol graduated from her associates degree at Queensborough Community College. She was part of a research program at QCC called SIRP. She transferred to Queens College how is currently a junior and is working on her BA for Psychology. She wants to pursue her career in the field of psychology as a clinical psychologist. As a research assistant she'll be in charge to prepare the participants for the SCORE study.
Reena Maharaj
Reena is a postgraduate student in the Applied Behavior Analysis program. She has previously conducted research with children with autism and their typically developing siblings. Her goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Her interests include depression and anxiety, stress and coping, mindfulness and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, chronic illnesses and psychoneuroimmunology.
Sara Babad
Sara Babad is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience at Queens College, City University of New York. She researches the long-term psychosocial sequelae associated with childhood adversity. Her recent work focuses on trait-level variability in non-clinical emerging adult survivors of adverse childhood experiences. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, ice skating, and reading.
Shanna Razak
My name is Shanna Razak and I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in School Psychology. In addition I work in developmental preschool . Currently I am working with Katherine in order to create a measure to test and analyze reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure of one’s sexual assault experiences