People

Professional photo from the shoulders up of Zehra Gulseven. She is wearing a white shirt and blue blazer.

Zehra Gülseven

Principal Investigator

Dr. Zehra Gülseven is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech. Dr. Gülseven received her B.S. in Psychology from Abant İzzet Baysal University, in Turkey, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Missouri with an emphasis in Human Development and a collateral specialization in Statistics. Then, she completed her postdoctoral studies in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine.

Her research primarily focuses on positive social development during childhood and adolescence. She is particularly interested in prosocial behavior and moral development with individual, parental, cultural, and contextual correlates among children and adolescents.

gulseven@vt.edu

Bengisu Nisa Aras

Graduate Research Assistant

Bengisu is a third-year PhD student who received her B.S. in psychology from Middle East Technical University in 2019. She also received her MSc degree in Developmental Psychology from the same institution in 2023. Her research interests include prosocial behaviors, parenting, culture, and emotion regulation. Outside of the lab, she enjoys listening to podcasts, watching sitcoms, practicing yoga, and reading.

bnaras@vt.edu

Professional photo from the waist up of Bengisu Nisa Aras. She has brown hair and is wearing a black shirt with a jean jacket.

Kennedy Kreidell

Graduate Research Assistant

Kennedy is a third-year Ph.D. student in the PSD Lab. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2023 with Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Exercise and Sports Science. She has been involved in developmental research at both UNC and Boston College. Her primary research interests explore culture, parenting practices, and youth prosocial behavior. In her free time, Kennedy likes to read, dance, crochet, and hang out with her dog, Goldie.

kkreidell@vt.edu

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Charlotte Pearson

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Charlotte is a junior majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. She has an interest in pursuing a career working with pediatrics, either as a Psychiatrist or a Speech and Language Pathologist. This is her second year working in the PSD Lab, and she looks forward to learning more about research processes and data analysis!

Professional photo of Charlotte Pearson. She is wearing a red button-down shirt.

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Katalina Cuevas

Undergraduate Research Assistant

My name is Katalina and I'm a senior double majoring in Psychology and Human Development with a minor in Adaptive Brain and Behavior. Following my graduation in spring of 2027, I'm planning to attend grad school for Clinical psychology, hoping it'll be a steppingstone to later work in clinical pediatric psychology. In my past-times I enjoyed reading, crocheting, and going for walks during nice days. This is my first year in the PSD Lab and I'm very excited to deepen my knowledge of research in a psychology setting and get to work!

Riley Sharpley

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Riley is a junior majoring in Psychology with a double minor in Early Childhood Development & Education and Disability Studies. She has an interest in the study of child development, and she plans to pursue a career in pediatrics focused on supporting the developmental and mental health needs of children and adolescents. This is her first year as a member of the PSD Lab, and she is looking forward to learning about research processes.