Rachel Barr, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Barr was trained as a developmental and clinical psychologist in New Zealand. Since 2001 she has been director of the Georgetown Early Learning Project. The ELP shows that babies, toddlers and young children pick up information from a variety of sources, from television, from books, from computers, from touchscreens, from siblings, and across contexts. There are still many open questions about how babies and young children learn and remember.
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McCall Booth, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Booth received her Ph.D. from Indiana University and is a postdoctoral researcher who researches various social and psychological effects of media and digital technologies on relationships—from that of romantic partners to the parent-child dyad. Some of her earliest research experience was centered on infant media use, and she is continuing this work as a researcher for the CAFE Consortium.
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Doug Piper, Ph.D.
Doug recently obtained his Psychology Ph.D. with a concentration in Human Development and Public Policy. He works on projects exploring children’s relationships with screen media. This work builds on his experiences at the Temple Infant and Child Lab, where he also supported the Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network and its Play Everywhere Philly project. Doug is a graduate of the University of Michigan with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and music. While at U-M, he studied language learning through digital media with Dr. Twila Tardif.
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Emily Kramer
Ph.D. Student
Emily is a second-year Psychology Ph.D. student with a concentration in Human Development and Public Policy. Her research interests focus on exploring parent-infant interactions through technology and play, and she is currently involved in the PLAY Project and Eye Tracking Study. Emily earned her B.S. in Cognitive Science from UC Davis, where she researched mental rotation through puzzle play under the guidance of Dr. Lisa Oakes. Before starting her Ph.D. program, she was the lab manager of the Cornell Play and Learning Lab under Dr. Marianella Casasola.
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Ila Harvey
Lab Manager
Ila is currently working as the lab manager, with a primary focus on our Eye Tracking Project. She earned her B.S. in Integrative Neuroscience from Binghamton University, where she researched visual development and attention under the guidance of Dr. Peter Gerhardstein. Ila is particularly interested in children’s perceptual and cognitive development, with a focus on how early experiences and environments shape learning, memory, and attentional processes.
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Natália Araújo do Carmo
Lab Manager
Natália Araújo do Carmo serves as the ELP lab manager, with a primary focus on the Eye Tracking project and the CAFE Consortium. She recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior and a minor in Data Science. Her research background integrates developmental neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience, and computational approaches, including a senior honors thesis where she developed a novel pipeline to decode EEG signals for brain-computer interfaces. Her research interests center on how environmental factors, play, movement, and bilingualism influence cognitive development and language learning, particularly in relation to neurodivergence and neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Caslin Sisk
CTB Project Manager
Caslin Sisk is the new Project Manager for the Context, Development and Social Policy Lab! She recently graduated from Georgetown with a B.A. in Psychology and Economics and a minor in Disability Studies. In undergrad, she worked on the Connect to Baby project. She is interested in the role of early parent-child and family interactions in the context of socioeconomic adversity. She hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology with a focus in developmental psychopathology.
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Natalie Alfonso Alcaide
Natalie is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Linguistics with minors in Psychology and Education, Inquiry, and Justice. She is currently working on the PLAY Project. After Georgetown, Natalie plans to pursue a Doctorate in Education, focusing on curriculum development and teaching. Natalie hopes to become an educator or an education specialist at a nonprofit organization.
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Avanthika Suryadevara
Avanthika is a senior in the School of Health at Georgetown University majoring in Health Care Management and Policy. She is currently working on the Eye Tracking project. After Georgetown, she hopes to attend medical school and become a pediatrician, combining her passions for child development, medicine, and helping others.
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Maya Gonzalez
Maya is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Psychology and Government. She is currently working on the Connect To Baby project. After graduating, Maya plans on following a career that integrates her passion for social work and early intervention programs for youth and young adults.
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Isabel Hong
Isabel is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University, considering a major in Psychology and a minor in Cognitive Science or Linguistics. She is currently working on the Connect to Baby project. In the future, she hopes to continue exploring her interests in psychology, childhood development, and education.
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Ava Camp
Ava is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgetown University, majoring in psychology on the pre-med track. She is currently working on the Connect to Baby project. After graduating from Georgetown, she hopes to attend medical school to become a developmental pediatrician, combining her interests in developmental disabilities, child development, and medicine.
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Ariane Barth
Ariane is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University, considering a psychology major on the pre-med track. She is currently working on the Connect to Baby project. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school on the route to become a psychiatrist, merging her passion for psychology and medicine.
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Sneha Majumdar
Sneha is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgetown University, majoring in Psychology on the pre-med track. She is currently working on the Cognitive Flexibility project. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in healthcare, combining her passion for understanding brain development with patient-centered care.
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Yinying Yin
Yinying is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, hoping to major in Psychology on the pre-med track. She is currently working on the Eye Tracking Project. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career that combines her interests in psychology, medicine, and child development.
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Isabella Hill
Isabella is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Russian. She is currently working on the Eye Tracking Project. After graduating, Isabella hopes to pursue a Clinical Ph.D. and become a psychologist.
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