People

Olivia E. Atherton, Ph.D.

Lab Director

Dr. Atherton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California Riverside. At the intersection of social-personality, health, and developmental psychology, her research program aims to understand the associations among self-regulation, sociocultural contexts, and mental and physical health across the lifespan. For example, she investigates research questions like: How do self-regulatory traits develop across the lifespan, from early life to old age? What sociocultural factors predict self-regulation development? How do sociocultural contexts and self-regulatory traits impact mental and physical health in the longterm? To answer these questions, she uses large-scale longitudinal studies spanning multiple developmental periods (i.e., childhood through old age) and generations (i.e., family studies). She has a particular interest in working with socioculturally-diverse populations that are often underrepresented in psychological science, including Latinx communities, socioeconomically-disadvantaged and rural populations, and aging samples from across the globe. She serves as Co-Director of the Personality Development Collaborative, which aims to bring together personality researchers and data across the globe to advance our scientific understanding of personality development. She also helps to manage the California Families Project (CFP), an ongoing, 17-year longitudinal study of Mexican-origin families. To analyze these complex data, she has expertise in a wide range of statistical techniques including structural equation modeling, multilevel modeling, and coordinated data analysis. In her free time, Olivia enjoys exploring the beaches, mountains, and deserts of Southern California, going to barre and hiit classes, and trying to keep her plants alive.

Priscilla Whang

Ph.D. Student

Priscilla Whang is a first-year doctoral student in the Social/Personality Psychology Program at the University of California Riverside. At the broadest level, her research interests lie in the intersection of personality traits, motivation, health behaviors/outcomes, and major life transitions. At the time of this bio, she is investigating: (1) motivational underpinnings of health-promoting behaviors, and (2) personality development in youths before/after leaving their parental home. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new coffee shops (and attempting to copy latte recipes at home), spending time with her cat Mouse, and indulging in reality TV and true crime/conspiracy documentaries.

David Bermudez

Research Assistant, Archival Data Team

David Bermudez is currently an undergraduate at the University of California, Riverside. He is a Psychology major. Currently, his plan is to stay diverse in research topics but with a preference for child development, social psychology, and mindfulness. With the eventual goal to be a social worker here in California while also being diverse in multiple fields of psychology.  Hobby-wise, David watches the NBA or rewatches sitcoms.

Nova Villalpando Galvan

Research Assistant, Archival Data Team

Hello! I’m Nova Villalpando Galvan, a first generation third-year Psychology student and research assistant at SRCH Lab. My focuses in psychology are broad however, my main interests are social, development, and I/O. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, going to cafes, and sharing a meal with friends.

Shaivi Patel

Research Assistant, Archival Data Team

Hi! I am a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience. I joined SRCH Lab in fall 2024. I was particularly interested in joining SRCH Lab to get a deeper understanding into research that helps bridge the connection between mental and physical health. In my free time, I like to spend time with my friends, cook for myself, and watch F1. I am very excited to be a part of this lab!

Lily Alvarez

Research Assistant, Geographical Linkage Team

Kyle Kim

Research Assistant, Geographical Linkage Team

Catherine Serrato

Research Assistant, Geographical Linkage Team

Laila Alaghbash

Research Assistant, Systematic Review Team

Denise Guzman

Research Assistant, Systematic Review Team

Pablo Ramirez

Research Assistant, Systematic Review Team