Dr. Cristina Salvador is the Susan W. Beltz and A. Morris Williams Jr. Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology with honors from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Psychology and Neuroscience from Pomona College. Her research program examines how culture influences psychology, focusing on norms, cognition, emotion, and the self. She uses a variety of methods from electroencephalography (EEG) to country-level comparisons to examine the influence of culture. One of her primary goals is to expand the scope of cultural psychology to examine tendencies such as interdependence differ across understudied regions in the non-West. Specifically, some of her work aims to situate Latin America in the Cultural Psychology Literature. Growing up in South America with an Ecuadorian and American family influenced her research path. cristina.salvador@duke.edu | CV
POST DOCTORAL FELLOW
SONIA XINYU PAN
Dr. Sonia Xinyu Pan is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Hong Kong, an M.S. in Social Psychology from Peking University, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Shanghai University. Sonia’s research focuses on social cognition in different cultures—how people think about themselves and other people—to understand how people connect. Using methods such as behavioral experiments, big data analysis, diary studies, and fieldwork, she investigates both the barriers and benefits of social connection, aiming to promote a happy life across cultures.
Mercedes Muñoz is a 5th year doctoral student in Social Psychology in the Duke Department of Psychology & Neuroscience. Before joining Duke, Mercedes earned her B.A. in Psychology with Honors from Boston University. Her research largely focuses on understanding how people’s race and culture influences their cognition. Specifically, she investigates how racial ethnic groups in the United States vary in their levels of social norm strength and interdependence. Additionally, Mercedes explores how children and adults develop an understanding of racial categories. Notably much of her work focuses on understanding how Latino individuals racially self-identify and what factors can predict whether a Latino person views their identity as a race or an ethnicity.
Patrick Reyes is a 4th year doctoral student in Social Psychology in the Duke Departments of Psychology & Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience. Patrick earned his B.S. in Neuroscience with Honors and his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Delaware. His research focuses on the role of sociocultural factors in shaping the brain and our cognition, with an emphasis on the integration of psychological, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging methods. He hopes his work can add to the growing body of cultural neuroscience, as well as shed light on understudied and underrepresented cultural groups. patrick.reyes@duke.edu | CV
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NATALIA ESPINOSA
Natalia is a 4th year PhD student in Social Psychology in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience. Prior to her graduate studies, Natalia received a B.A. in Neuroscience from Duke University. Her research uses methods from neuroscience and psychology to examine how culture influences cognition, emotion, and the self. Natalia hopes to expand the scope of the current literature to examine the unique psychological profile of Latine people and test the broader idea that interdependence, although widely shared across non-WEIRD cultures, has (i) culturally variable features and (ii) psychological consequences. natalia.espinosa@duke.edu | CV
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KIRBY LAM
Kirby Lam (he/they) is a 3rd year PhD student in social psychology working with both Dr. Salvador and Dr. Sarah Gaither at Duke. His research investigates social norms and the factors that influence how sensitive people are to norms. Their current projects focus on how identity influences our sensitivity to gender norm violations. His future research will explore how these reactions to gender norms change across race, culture, and time.
Kaylee Miceli is a 1st year PhD student in Social Psychology in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, where she works with Cristina Salvador and Felipe De Brigard to study the intersection of memory, culture, and self—specifically how certain aspects of memory and self differ across cultures that vary in interdependence. Prior to graduate school, she received her BA in neuroscience, philosophy, and religion from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon graduating, she worked as a research associate in Dr. De Brigard’s Imagination and Modal Cognition Lab on topics related to memory, counterfactual thinking, and interpersonal forgiveness. Now, she is primarily interested in how memory and self change across time and culture.
Eliza Goldstein is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Psychology with a minor in Global Health. She is interested in clinical and social psychology, specifically the intersections and variance of psychopathology among differing cultures. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology. Outside of research, she enjoys teaching spin classes, reading, biking, and spending time with her friends. eliza.goldstein@duke.edu
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HONORS THESIS STUDENTS
JENNIFER HU
Jennifer is a junior at Duke University majoring in psychology. She is interested in exploring how people form connections and share emotional experiences, and how these experiences vary across cultures. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, listening to Taylor Swift, and scrolling through puppy videos.
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JEANIE JA
Jeanie is a junior at Duke University studying Psychology and East Asian Studies. Her interests lie in the intersection between race/ethnicity and mental health, especially in Asian American diaspora communities. She hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology after graduating. In her spare time, Jeanie enjoys singing, drawing, and watching shows/movies.
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RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
SOPHIA CORREDERAS
Sophia is a senior at Duke University with majors in Political Science and Psychology. Her Cuban background prompted her to explore how different cultures express their emotions as well as how to help foster communication and cooperation amongst varying groups. She plans to continue to graduate school after completing her undergraduate studies.
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JOSE DE OTEYZA GOMEZ
Jose De Oteyza is a sophomore pursuing a double major in Economics and Decision Theory & Data Science, with a minor in Philosophy. Having grown up across Venezuela, Colombia, and Paraguay, he has developed a deep appreciation for the ways culture shapes identity. A passionate athlete, Jose sees sports, especially soccer, as a universal language that bridges his diverse backgrounds. His volunteer work with indigenous communities in the Amazonas sparked his commitment to understanding culture, language, and tradition. After graduating, Jose hopes to return to Venezuela to create meaningful impact and help uplift his community.
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CHARLOTTE LIN
Charlotte is a sophomore at Duke University majoring in Mathematics and Psychology. As a student of both Taiwanese and British heritage, Charlotte’s interest in culture stems from navigating and understanding her own multicultural background. She is fascinated by the way mathematical thinking mirrors the patterns and logic found in human behavior and communication. Through studying mathematics and psychology, she explores how reason, structure, and curiosity intersect in both numbers and people. She hopes to pursue cross-disciplinary research exploring how mathematical reasoning shapes our understanding of culture, language, and technology.
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DIANA VILLA-SEGURA
Diana Villa-Segura is a sophomore pursuing a double major in Statistical Science and Latin American Studies/Spanish, alongside a minor in Computer Science. She is passionate about the intersection between Latin American culture, statistics, and technology. She aims to use database languages, such as Python and R, to explore cultural behaviors, the histories of the Caribbean and Latin America, injustices, and other disparities within the Latin American community. She is currently investigating how cultural backgrounds and identities influence the way individuals view themselves, discuss and perceive others, and express psychological behaviors, which draws on her bilingual upbringing and Mexican culture perspective. After graduation, Diana plans to pursue graduate studies focused on Latin American cultural research and data science, with a long-term goal of becoming a data scientist and researcher in these fields.
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SRILAKSHMI VENKATESAN
Srilakshmi Venkatesan is a first-year undergraduate student hoping to major in Neuroscience. She is interested in exploring cultural amalgamation and its prevalence in society in comparison to traditional acculturation or assimilation models. In addition, she is interested in EEG based studies to understand the interplay between culture and neuroscience.
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XIAOYE ZHU
Xiaoye Zhu is a junior majoring in Computation and Design with a Social Policy track at Duke Kunshan University. Her research interests center on political communication and computational social science, with a focus on public opinion and discourse. She aims to explore how narratives, technologies, and social realities interact to shape broader patterns of understanding, using both quantitative and qualitative text analysis.
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LAB ALUMNI
Sabrina Manero
Yaretzy Barranco
Rose Simons (Duke 2028)
Laura Norman (Duke 2026)
Joseline Barragan (Duke 2026)
Carina Lei (Duke 2025), Hart Leadership Scholar at Duke University
Sarah Williams (Duke 2025), PhD Student at Brown University
Vicky Ramirez (Duke 2025), Clinical Research Assistant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Dani Tejada (Duke 2025), Lab Manager, Duke University
Caimao Liu (Duke 2024), PhD Student at the University of Virginia
Alejandra Mella-Velazquez (Duke 2024)
Alex Leo-Guerra (Duke 2023)
Deborah Cesarini (CNAP Rotating Student)
Rachel Kamis (Duke 2023)
Nicolas Pardo (Duke 2023), PhD Student at USC
Rafaella Zanatti (Duke 2023), MA Student at Columbia University
Janet Kim (Lab Manager 2022-2023)
Kate Leonard (Duke 2022)
Emily Sen (Duke MA Bioethics & Science Policy 2021)
