Meet the LEEDERS
LEED Director
Johanna Bick, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology · University of Houston
She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Delaware in 2011. Dr. Bick’s work takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on methods and theories from child clinical psychology, developmental psychology, and developmental cognitive neuroscience to understand how early adverse experiences shape child development. She directs the Laboratory of Early Experience and Development in the Psychology Department at the University of Houston and mentors students in clinical psychology and developmental cognitive neuroscience.Note to 2027–2028 prospective applicants
Dr. Bick will be reviewing applications for the Clinical Psychology – Child and Family Track and Neuropsychology Track and Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience (DCBN) doctoral programs for the 2027–2028 admissions cycle.
Explore our Programs: Clinical Psychology • Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience (DCBN)
Graduate Students
Haley Laughlin
Doctoral Student · Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Haley is a doctoral student in the Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience program. Her research interests include investigating the sources of individual variability of outcomes in children who experience stress and adversity.
Kelly Barry
Doctoral Student · Clinical Psychology – Child and Family Track
Kelly is a fourth-year child clinical doctoral student in the lab. Her research focuses on understanding how experiences of stress impact brain development during sensitive developmental periods. She is particularly interested in identifying neural and socio-cognitive processes that confer risk for psychopathology.
Marguerite Knudtson
Doctoral Student · Clinical Psychology – Neuropsychology Track
Marguerite is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. Her research interests include examining the effects of early life adversity on children's emotion regulation and behavioral outcomes through effects on neurodevelopment, and identifying family environmental factors that contribute to resiliency.
Josh Litwin
Doctoral Student · Clinical Psychology – Child and Family Track
Josh is a doctoral student in the Child Clinical Psychology program. He spent a year researching neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with congenital heart disease at Boston Children's Hospital. Josh's research interests involve using neuroimaging methods to better understand the relationships between environmental risk factors and cognitive outcomes.
Brookelyn Mayfield
Doctoral Student · Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Brookelyn is a doctoral student in the Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience program. Her research interests include using neuroimaging to understand how risk factors manifest in behavior. She hopes to apply this work to the study of trauma and developmentally originating disorders, while also examining the roles of grit, resilience, and beneficial experiences.
Jordan Denaver-Thabit
Doctoral Student · Clinical Psychology – Child and Family Track
Jordan is a doctoral student in the Child Clinical Psychology program. Her research interests include understanding how early parent–child relationships shape children’s cognitive development. She hopes to translate this knowledge into clinically informed interventions that strengthen parent–child relationships and promote healthy developmental trajectories.
Sarah Martinez
Doctoral Student · Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Sarah is a doctoral student in the Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience program. Her research interests center on how early environments shape children’s emotional, regulatory, and academic development. She is particularly interested in understanding how these early experiences contribute to pathways of risk and resilience through the use of neuroimaging techniques.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Leslie Gonzalez
Major: Psychology
Jana Saidy
Major: Psychology
Jonas Amaya
Major: Psychology
Xiomara Barahona
Major: Psychology
Drew Cash
Major: Psychology