Dr. Anila D'Mello is an Assistant Professor and Jon Heighten Scholar in Autism Research in The Department of Psychiatry and Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern. She is also faculty within The Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. D'Mello received her BA in Psychology from Georgetown University and completed a PhD in Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience at American University. She completed postdoctoral training at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Dr. D'Mello is also an external fellow of the Center for Vital Longevity, and an affiliate of the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing at UTD and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. 

Contact Anila: anila.dmello@utsouthwestern.edu; Office: 214-645-7669

Bangjie is a PhD student in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas. His work focuses on the functional organization of language in the cerebellum. He is interested in understanding how the cerebellum and cortex, as well as their interactions, support language comprehension. He completed his BA in Psychology from Grinnell College and his MSc in Neuroscience from University College London. In his spare time, Bangjie enjoys cooking and learning new recipes.

Contact Bangjie: Bangjie.Wang@UTDallas.edu 

AJ is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, co-advised by Dr. Anila D'Mello and Dr. Milo Lin in Bioinformatics. He completed his B.A. in Neuroscience with minors in Computer Science and Statistics/ML at Princeton University. AJ works on applications of statistical computing, particularly network and graph-theoretic analysis, to brain imaging and behavioral data. He did his undergraduate thesis work on semantic network models of verbal fluency in children, and is excited to continue studying language and developmental differences through new projects and collaborations in the lab. In his spare time, AJ can be found watching shows, creating/listening to music, consuming boba, or laughing at memes (zoom in to this image).

Contact AJ: Dhvani.Jain@utsouthwestern.edu 

Carol Zeng is a first-year MS-Speech Language Pathology student at UT Dallas. She completed her B.A. in French Studies and B.S. in Speech Language Hearing Sciences at UT Austin. She has experience working with kids who stutter, adults with aphasia, and kids with ASD. As a clinician and as a potential Ph.D. research interest, she would like to work with families in Early Childhood Intervention and AAC education. She enjoys playing board games, rhythm games, various sports, the bass guitar, and annoying her two cats.

Contact Carol: carol.zeng11@yahoo.com 

Avalon De Curtis is a master’s student of Applied Cognition and Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas. Her specialization in her program is Neurological Diagnosis and Monitoring which provides advanced training in neuroimaging techniques and intraoperative monitoring. She completed her B.S. in Neuroscience with a concentration in medical neuroscience at UT Dallas, cum laude. She is interested in exploring the relationships between ADHD, OCD, ASD, and cognitive processes, along with the impact of early childhood interventions and therapies on future cognitive function. Avalon is driven by her dedication to making a meaningful impact in the field of neuropsychology and pushing for neurodiversity recognition. She aspires to attend medical school in the hopes of becoming a neurologist specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders. Beyond academics, she finds joy in spending quality time with friends through video games, trying out new restaurants, and expressing her creativity through makeup, nail art, and drawing! Notably, her artistic talents were recognized during her undergraduate studies, where her work was featured in two UT Dallas art shows.

Contact Avalon: avalon.decurtis@utdallas.edu

Jahnavi Lanka is a first-year MS Applied Cognition and Neuroscience student at UT Dallas. She completed her B.S. in Medical Neuroscience and B.A. in Philosophy both at UT Dallas in Spring 2024. She is a nationally-registered and state-certified Emergency Medical Technician, and has extensive experience in tutoring children with learning disorders such as autism and ADHD in fields ranging from elementary school science to AP/IB biology. She hopes to pursue a clinical Ph.D. in a psychiatric field in order to work with neurodivergent children of color in the context of improving autism diagnosis and educational interventions from an intersectional, culturally-aware lens. In her free time, she dances with her performance team, attends philosophy discussion events, and spends time with her two dogs.

Contact Jahnavi: jahnavi.lanka@utdallas.edu

Audrey is a clinical research assistant and lab manager for the D'Mello lab at UT Southwestern. She received her BS in Psychology from Southern Methodist University where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Family Health and Development lab. Following graduation, she worked in a neuropsychology practice as a psychometrist and administered ASD and ADHD assessments to children. However, Audrey's interest in psychology and autism stretches back many years. She briefly worked as an ABA therapist, but ultimately found the most satisfaction working with various families as a caregiver for kids and teens on the spectrum. She loved learning about each family's unique experiences and how they approach problems associated with neurodiversity. In the future, Audrey plans to obtain a Ph.D. in psychology and conduct research on various topics associated with autism and neurodiversity. 

Contact Audrey: audrey.courreges@utsouthwestern.edu 

Tanny is the research coordinator for the D’Mello and Tsai labs at UT Southwestern. She recently graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a B.S. in Psychology, and plans to pursue higher education. Throughout her undergraduate program, she worked as a Behavior Technician (RBT) providing individualized ABA therapy for children on the autism spectrum. Tanny is particularly interested in how intersectionality impacts research and disability, and she hopes to help further expand potential therapeutic approaches and provide inclusive support for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Contact Tanny: SeyedehTannaz.TahamiTehrani@UTSouthwestern.edu 

Ashley is a clinical research assistant for the D'Mello lab at UT Southwestern. She completed her B.S. in Medical Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas. Ashley began her journey in the lab as an undergraduate research assistant during her sophomore year and received a prestigious SURFiN research fellowship. Through this fellowship, she presented a poster on an independent project examining the transitioning process from pediatrics to adult healthcare in autistic individuals. Her research interests include language, memory, and sleep and how neurodevelopmental conditions may impact these cognitive processes. She plans to pursue an MD or MD/PhD, specializing in pediatric neurology, aiming to advocate for better transitioning services for vulnerable populations. In her free time, Ashley loves dancing, playing League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, drinking boba, and eating good food.

Contact Ashley: Marcia.Blanco@UTSouthwestern.edu 

Haley is a research coordinator in the Tsai lab at UT Southwestern, and an affiliate of the D'Mello lab. She received her B.A in Psychology from the University of North Texas in Denton. She received her M.S in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Capella University. She has 6 years of experience working with children diagnosed with ASD, ages ranging from 2-11 years old. Her passion was to become a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, but through the finding of research, she is determined to broaden her horizons in the research realm. While her main interest is the Autistic population, in the future, Haley hopes to expand more on research of neurodiversity and vulnerable populations. 

Contact Haley: Haley.Walker@UTSouthwestern.edu 

Sneha is an undergraduate research assistant for the D'Mello Lab at UT Southwestern. She is a sophomore at the University of Texas at Dallas and is pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science. After finishing her degree, she plans to attend medical school. She is interested in studying the connections between technology and science that contribute to medical advances. 

Alishba is a pre-med undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science at UT Dallas with an emphasis on Neuroscience. She strives to be an advocate for mental health and ultimately hopes to pursue a career revolving psycho and exposure therapy. Her plans involve either attending graduate school and completing a PsyD in Clinical Psychology or pursuing an MD in Psychiatry. Maybe both, who knows! In her free time, she enjoys listening to K-Pop, watching Netflix, and catching up on the latest young-adult novels.