Undergraduate Research Assistant for Young Adult Holistic Public Defense Project
Our team is conducting mixed methods research examining the impact of holistic public defense teams on young adults' (18-25 year olds) legal and psycho-social outcomes.
Project activities include analyzing participant observations, conducting interviews with public defense team stakeholders, completing literature reviews, participating in a scoping review, and conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses.
We would love for an undergraduate student to join our team for the 2024-2025 academic year! Please contact Dr. Noor Toraif at the School of Social Policy and Practice to express interest (ntoraif@upenn.edu).
Spatial and Climate Justice in Architecture and Design
We invite motivated undergraduate students from architecture, design, urban studies, visual studies, and other Arts and Sciences majors to join an exciting research initiative at the intersection of spatial and climate justice. Students will collaborate on projects that address pressing environmental and social issues. Opportunities include engaging with local community groups and activists, conducting archival research, contributing to writing projects, and assisting in the planning and execution of design workshops and events.
Research in behavioral science, design, and health
Join the BEGIN Lab as a research assistant! We partner with researchers and organizations in Africa and South Asia on projects that seek to promote healthy behavior, impact policy, and end epidemics. Visit the BEGIN Lab website to learn more about our work: https://beginlab.upenn.edu/
#PoliceFreeSchools, Discourse Analysis, and Abolition
In 2020, during a moment of "racial reckoning," many school districts passed resolutions to terminate contracts with law enforcement and remove police from schools. The decision sparked contention debates across the U.S. and globally. This project examines the contours of those debates by focusing on school board meetings from 50 districts.
Mixed-Income Housing, Urban Development, and Educational Opportunities
Housing policy is education policy! This research project examines the relationship between a national housing initiative (Choice Neighborhood Initiative) and educational opportunities for low-income Black communities. Specifically, this multi-institutional research program asks (1) how mixed-income neighborhoods influence the social networks of Black, low-income residents and (2) how educational opportunities are shaped by housing policies and changes in neighborhood composition.
Development, Data and Evidence for Governance
Launched in 2020, PDRI-DevLab seeks to identify solutions to challenges facing low- and middle-income countries and foster impactful international development research. As co-director of the PDRI-DevLab, Dr. Wibbels' work centers around several of the lab’s flagship themes, including 'big data for development' and 'forced displacement and migration'. These themes cover a wide range of projects, ranging from Machine Learning for Peace to an ongoing study of internal migration in Ghana to many others.
Madison Dengel
My research interest lies in the neurological basis and treatment of anxiety disorders. Specifically, I am interested in the use of brain imaging, neuromodulation, psychophysiology, and psychological assessment to better understand pathological anxiety in the brain. I have worked under Dr. Ayelet Ruscio in the Boundaries of Anxiety and Depression Lab since my freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, contributing to projects investigating the distinctions, overlaps, and interactions between anxiety and depression.
Last summer, I worked with Dr. Nicholas Balderston in the Center for Neuromodulation of Depression and Stress, where I used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional MRI to investigate the neural circuitry underlying anxiety and further develop neuromodulation-based interventions. This experience deepened my interest in translational neuroscience and in bridging the gap between basic research and clinical applications. Across my work, I aim to integrate rigorous neuroscience with compassionate, socially-informed approaches to mental health.
Outside of my research, I serve as a mentor with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, I am a community chair for the Penn Undergraduate Psychological Society, and I am the tech director for Bloomers Comedy.
- 2025 MindCORE Summer Research Fellow with the Balderston Lab
- Psi Chi National Honor Society
- PMG Leader
Brooklyn Trevisan
Lauren Cho
My research interests primarily involve psychoanalysis, gender, and memory, which I synthesize with creative writing. Currently, I’m working on a short story collection in conversation with these themes, as well as class. For the upcoming year with University Scholars, I intend to support the project’s new stories, by researching thought processes and bodily disalienation. Previously, I’ve conducted a study on the effect of humor on learning and student engagement. In my free time, I enjoy coaching Speech for the Bronx High School of Science, producing theatre on campus, and acting as a cast member and Co-Head Writer of Mask and Wig, a musical sketch comedy group.
