Members – Food and Addiction Science & Treatment Lab

Lab Director

Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D.

Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology in the Clinical Science area at the University of Michigan. She also earned her B.A. in psychology from The University of Michigan as an undergraduate. While working on her doctorate in clinical psychology at Yale University, Dr. Gearhardt became interested in the possibility that certain foods may be capable of triggering an addictive process. To explore this further, she developed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) to operationalize addictive eating behaviors, which has been linked with more frequent binge eating episodes, an increased prevalence of obesity and patterns of neural activation implicated in other addictive behaviors. It has been cited over 1,000 times and translated into over ten foreign languages. Her areas of research also include investigating how food advertising activates reward systems to drive eating behavior and the development of food preferences and eating patterns in infants. She has published over 100 academic publications and her research has been featured on media outlets, such as ABC News, Good Morning America, the Today Show, the Wall Street Journal, and NPR.

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Research Staff

David Koo, B.A.

dakoo@umich.edu

Winter 2026 – Present

David is recent graduate from the University of Michigan and joined the FAST Lab as an undergraduate research assistant in Spring 2024. He majored in Psychology with a minor in Community Action and Social Change (CASC), and is passionate about understanding substance abuse and addiction, particularly within the military and veteran community. Beyond his undergraduate studies, David plans to further his education at the University of Michigan in the Masters of Social Work program (MSW) and aims to obtain certification as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CPMC). Additionally, he aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Amanda Walker, B.S.

amajee@umich.edu

Winter 2026 – Present

Amanda Walker graduated from the University of Michigan with a major in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. At large, she is interested in how socio-environmental factors shape the presentation of PTSD symptomatology in marginalized populations. In her career, Amanda intends to explore an interdisciplinary framework informed by the Biopsychosocial Model. In her free time, she likes to knit, read, and stay active.

Nikolai Tassin, B.S.

natassin@umich.edu

Spring 2026 - Present

Nikolai graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a major in Psychology and two minors in American Sign Language and Sustainability Studies. They are interested in how emotional- and self-regulation impact eating behaviors, especially relating to over- and under-eating. He is interested in the intersection between psychology and public health, creating a new understanding of eating behaviors for the public. He hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology in the future. In their spare time, they enjoy spending time with their cat, going on hikes, and listening to music.

Graduate Students

Jackie Katz, M.S.

katzjac@umich.edu

Fall 2023 – Present

Jackie is a third year grad student who graduated from Tufts University in 2021 with a B.A. in Community Health and worked at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK/NIH) the following two years before joining the FAST Lab as a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student in 2023. Jackie is very excited about research in which she can apply her natural sciences background to the study of food addiction, with a specific focus on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying reward-driven eating.

Lucy Loch, M.S.

lucyloc@umich.edu

Fall 2023 – Present

Lucy earned her B.A. in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies from the University of Michigan in 2021 and worked as a research fellow at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) before joining the FAST Lab as a graduate student. She is currently a third-year Clinical Science doctoral student and she is interested in exploring the life course development of food addiction using both longitudinal and cross-sectional age cohort data.

Research Assistants

Isabelle Perraut, B.S.

Fall 2023 – Present

Isabelle is a recent graduate who majored in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) with minors in Spanish and Statistics. She is interested in studying the impact of hormones on eating behavior and the relationship between the brain, disordered eating behaviors, and mental health. After undergrad, she hopes to continue her studies and pursue a postgraduate degree in Clinical Psychology or Public Health. She is currently completing an honors thesis through the FAST Lab under the mentorship of Jackie Katz, M.S.

Lily Lev, B.S.

Fall 2024 – Present

Lily is a recent graduate who majored in Biology, Health, and Society with a minor in Food and the Environment. She is passionate about using lifestyle mechanisms including diet, exercise, and stress management to enhance quality of life and increase longevity. She is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying food addiction and policy work against Big Food and Big Pharma. After undergrad, she hopes to obtain an MD or PhD.

Sharon Santosh

Fall 2024 – Present

Sharon is a senior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Actuarial Mathematics. She is interested in the mind-body connection, particularly how this connection intensifies/reinforces maladaptive behaviors and mental illnesses like PTSD and various neuropsychological disorders. Following her undergraduate studies, she hopes to continue her education and pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology or Developmental Psychology.

Sydney Jones

Winter 2025 – Present

Sydney is a junior studying Neuroscience with possible minors in Gender and Health and Spanish. She is interested in how environmental factors, especially sports’ environments and expectations, affect food addictions and disordered eating. After her undergraduate years, she hopes to pursue an M.D or M.D/Ph.D.

Ian Kuentz

Winter 2025 – Present

Ian is a senior studying Psychology and Cognitive Science. He is interested in the etiology and pathology of addiction and substance-related disorders, specifically in children and adolescents. After his undergraduate studies, he hopes to pursue a PhD in Developmental Psychology. Ian is currently completing an honors thesis with the FAST Lab.

Aaria Shah

Winter 2025 – Present

Aaria is a senior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. She is interested in the relationship between the brain and certain behaviors. She wants to study the pathways in the brain and how behavior changes when they are damaged or disturbed. After completing her undergraduate studies, she wants to either go into research or potentially become a behavioral health specialist.

Zoey Sailer

Fall 2025 – Present

Zoey is a senior studying biology, health, and society. She is interested in how food addiction affects individuals of different ages. After her undergraduate studies, she is planning to pursue an M.D. in order to further her studies in the healthcare field.

Alexandra Berryman

Winter 2026 – Present

Alexandra Berryman is a senior double majoring in Psychology and Creative Writing and Literature. Her academic interests center on the cultural and neurobiological factors involved in the development and treatment of substance use and eating disorders. She plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and ultimately work to promote equitable access to mental health care.

Jocelyn Tolliver

Winter 2026 – Present

Jocelyn is a junior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) with a minor in Biology. She is interested in how media and developmental pathways trigger different addictive behaviors. After completing her undergraduate studies, she hopes to earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology and pursue a career in Clinical Neuropsychology.

Yulianna Kowalczyk

Winter 2026 – Present

Yulianna is a junior studying Movement Science. As a former ballet dancer, she is interested in how participation in environments like dance and sports affects body image, mental health, and disordered eating behaviors. She is also curious about how ultra-processed foods influence dietary habits and metabolic health. After completing her undergraduate studies, Yulianna hopes to pursue an M.D. or D.O.

Anushka Chillale

Spring 2026 – Present

Anushka is a junior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. She is interested in health equity and the effects of socioeconomic and environmental factors on metabolism and behavioral development, as well as the translation of research to clinical psychiatric care. After completing her undergraduate studies, Anushka plans to pursue an M.D. and become a psychiatrist.

Danica Lee

Spring 2026 – Present

Danica is a junior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) with particular interests in Clinical and Cognitive Psychology. She is interested in how environmental and social factors impact youth mental health and decision making. After completing her undergraduate studies, she plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and work towards a career as a clinical psychologist for children and adolescents.

Deborah Lee

Spring 2026 – Present

Deborah is a junior studying Psychology with a minor in Sociology of Health and Medicine. She is particularly interested in child and adolescent mental health, with a focus on how social, cultural, and environmental factors shape psychological well-being and development. After completing her undergraduate studies, she plans to pursue graduate school to build a career in therapy or social work focused on supporting children and adolescents.

Reva Patchava

Spring 2026 – Present

Reva is a junior studying biopsychology, cognition, and Neuroscience. She is interested in how competitive sports, especially in youth, can lead to disordered eating and its relation to addiction. After her undergraduate studies, she hopes to complete a PhD in clinical psychology.

Maya Sneller

Spring 2026 – Present

Maya is a junior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) with a minor in Statistics. She is interested in how early-life neuroendocrine disruptions may contribute to sex-specific vulnerabilities in psychiatric disorders. After completing her undergraduate degree, Maya plans to puruse a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience and continue researching behavioral neuroendocrinology.

Anika Vaitkevicius

Spring 2026 – Present

Anika is a sophomore studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. She is interested in the intersection of mental health, behavior, and clinical care, with a particular focus on how environmental factors influence psychological health. After completing her undergraduate studies, Anika plans to pursue an M.D. and continue working at the intersection of research and patient care.

Past Graduate Students

Lindzey Hoover, Ph.D.

Fall 2020 – Winter 2026

Lindzey earned her B.S. in Psychology at Eureka College in the spring of 2016 and worked as lab manager for the FAST Lab from Summer 2018 – Summer 2020. She defended her dissertation in May and started her clinical internship in August at the Battle Creek, MI VA. Her current research explores the co-occurrence between food addiction and traditional substance use disorders as well as risk factors (e.g., family history of addiction, trauma exposure) associated with an increased risk for food addiction.

Lindsey Parnarouskis, Ph.D.

Fall 2018 – Winter 2024

Lindsey earned her B.S. in Psychology from Northeastern University in 2014 and worked as a research coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital before joining the FAST Lab as a graduate student in 2018. She is interested in exploring how the concept of withdrawal might apply to addictive eating and its implications for treatment. Her other interests include the relationship between the food addiction construct and weight stigma and how demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status impact risk for food addiction.

Julia Rios, Ph.D.

Fall 2017 – Winter 2022

Julia earned her B.S. in Neuroscience and minor in English at Duke University. She is now a third-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology. Her current research explores individual differences in infant sucrose response and seeks to index reward system development in early life. She is also interested in exploring the potential effects of dietary restraint on food cue reactivity and addictive-like eating.

Emma Schiestl, Ph.D.

Fall 2016 – Winter 2021

Emma Schiestl earned B.A.s in Psychology and Philosophy from Colorado College in the Spring of 2015. She is currently a fourth-year doctoral student in the department of Clinical Psychology. Her current research interests include evaluating the impact of negative emotion on subsequent eating behaviors and understanding the influence of impulsivity on food-addiction status. She is especially interested in using real-time assessment technology to better understand proximal and antecedent variables that influence the decision to eat and what types of foods to consume.

Erica Schulte, Ph.D

Spring 2013 – 2019

Erica earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Kansas. Erica is interested in identifying which foods or food attributes may be implicated in addictive-like eating. Additionally, she hopes to explore whether individuals may experience symptoms of dependence, such as withdrawal and tolerance, in response to these foods.

Michelle Joyner, Ph.D

Spring 2013 – Spring 2019

Michelle earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University. Her research focuses on cue-induced food cravings. She is interested in how the brain responds to food rewards, and how these responses contribute to addictive-like eating behaviors.

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Hayley Yu, M.S.

Winter 2020 – Summer 2022

Hayley is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan and a former lab manager at the FAST Lab. During her time as an undergraduate, she double majored in Psychology and Creative Writing and minored in Religion. She recently graduated from the Accelerated Master's Degree Program, where she completed a Master's thesis on the association between childhood trauma and food addiction. She is especially interested in the connections between traumatic experiences, PTSD, food addiction, and substance use.

Past Staff

Celina Furman, Ph.D.

furmancr@umich.edu

Postdoctoral Researcher, Spring 2023 – Summer 2026

Celina earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Minnesota in 2023 and has joined the FAST Lab for her postdoctoral fellowship. Her research focuses on understanding how people sustain repeated health behaviors over time. In particular, she is interested in motivation related to eating and exercise behavior, and how it is influenced by temporal factors, including momentary fluctuations in how people feel (e.g., stress) and the contexts that they are in (e.g., social, environmental), as well as life events that may disrupt one’s routine or ability to regularly engage in health behaviors.

Ingrid Worth, B.A.

worthi@ku.edu

Lab Manager, Spring 2023 – Summer 2026

Ingrid graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Gender & Health. She joined the FAST Lab as an undergraduate in Winter 2022, then as a Lab Manager in Spring 2023. Her research focus is in integrating insights from the food addiction and eating disorder fields to better understand maladaptive eating behaviors and inform more effective, personalized treatment approaches. She will be pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat and being outdoors.

Jacki Zhang, B.A.

Lab Manager, Winter 2023 – Summer 2026

Jacki graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with honors in Psychology, and double majored in Anthropology. Broadly, her research interests include the intersection between medical anthropology and psychology, outlining the idea of “care” in clinical psychology. She is especially interested in the use of idiographic aspect in developing treatment models, reacting to real-time influences in individuals’ response to food addiction and craving triggers. In her spare time, she’s a full cat-lover, and likes to sew, hike, and keep herself overly caffeinated. Jacki will be pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Noor Khalaf, M.A.

nkhalaf@umich.edu

Lab Manager, Spring 2023 – Summer 2024

Noor was lab manager for the FAST Lab from Spring 2023–Spring 2024. She graduated with honors from the University of Michigan in 2023, with a B.A. in Psychology. She is interested in research on the mental health outcomes of racial/ethnic stressors such as stigma, discrimination, and intergenerational cultural dissonance. Further, she is interested in clinical practices that are inclusive of these unique stressors. In her free time, she enjoys movie nights, spending time with her cat, and hanging out with friends. Noor is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan.

Hannah Xu, M.A.

Lab Manager, Spring 2021 - Summer 2022

Hannah earned her B.A. and M.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior at Wesleyan University. She is interested in translational models of addiction and studying the neural mechanisms underlying compulsive eating behaviors and food addiction. Hannah is currently attending the University of Michigan Medical School.

Meredith Turner, B.A.

Lab Manager, Spring 2017 – Spring 2021

Meredith is a University of Michigan alumni. She graduated in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in English. She is interested in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders, with a specific focus on holistic treatment options involving the growing, cooking, communal, and cultural aspects of the food experience. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Jessi Lewis, B.S.

Lab Manager, Summer 2016 – Summer 2018

Jessi earned her B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan in 2016. She’s interested in assessment and early intervention for various developmental delays and is attending the University of Victoria to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology.

Julia Smeal, M.D.

Lab Manager, Spring 2015 – Summer 2018

Julia graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in statistics and actuarial mathematics and was a lab manager from Spring 2015-Summer 2018. She is interested in the self-perceptions of addictive eating, especially pertaining to age and gender. Julia earned an MD from Wayne State University in 2022.