Our Team

Paula M. Niedenthal

Paula received her PhD from the University of Michigan and was on the faculty of the departments of psychology at Johns Hopkins University and Indiana University. Following a year’s sabbatical in Aix-en-Provence, Paula became a member of the National Centre for Scientific Research in France, where she worked for 13 years. She is now the Howard Leventhal Professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Psychology and an affiliate of the Institute for Diversity Science. Her areas of research include representational models of emotion, the social functions of emotion expression, socio-ecological shapers of emotion culture, and the physiological basis of social tolerance. Paula is a past president of the Society for Affective Science (SAS) and is the lead author of Psychology of Emotion (3rd edition). In her free time, she enjoys being with family, her many pets, including Rudi the miniature pig, winter and summer sports, cooking, and traveling. niedenthal@wisc.edu 

Paula’s CV

Paula’s blog Cliche Busters

postdoctoral and graduate students

Y. Ivette Colón

Ivette is a sixth-year PhD student interested in the neural and computational mechanisms that support the perception of familiar people, objects, and concepts in both humans and computers. Before becoming affiliated with the Niedenthal Emotions lab and joining Dr. Emily Ward’s Visual Cognition lab, they worked in Dr. Alice O’Toole’s Face Perception lab at The University of Texas at Dallas, studying the representations that emerge from deep convolutional neural networks trained for face recognition. ycolon@wisc.edu

Michelle Marji

Michelle is a fifth-year PhD student with a focus in computational social science. She studies the intersections between identity, emotion, and social interaction. She investigates these topics by modeling human movement through space, analyzing the effects of synchronous movement and belonging, and conducting naturalistic studies. She uses similar methods to investigate human-robot interaction. Michelle's research is grounded in collaboration with social scientists, computer scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, geographers, artists, and community members. Outside of the lab, Michelle is a dance artist. michelle.marji@wisc.edu

randy lee

Randy is a postdoctoral fellow with a PhD in Social and Personality Psychology from Cornell University and a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley. His research explores how people navigate complex social dynamics in everyday life, with a focus on how emotions are socially regulated, how people interpret and respond to ambiguous social situations, and how (mis)perceptions shape affective experience. He has a cat named Cucumber. Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in getting involved in research! tl729@cornell.edu website: randy.lee

undergrad research assistants

Corey Braverman

Corey Braverman is a junior majoring in Global Health on the Pre-Med track, with a certificate in Science Communication. He is interested in how psychological research can inform clinical practice---particularly in recognizing and responding to patients' emotional states when they aren't directly expressed. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing tennis, engaging in community service, and connecting with others through visual storytelling.

Heidi Grijnsztein

Heidi (she/her) is from Sacramento, California. She is in the class of 2026 and is planning to graduate with a degree in Psychology and a certificate in Disability Rights and Services. While post-graduation is a few years away, she hopes to pursue an advanced degree to become a therapist. Outside of psychology, she enjoys music, thrift shopping, and video production. 

Evelyn (Siyueqi) Li

Evelyn is a junior from Guizhou, China, majoring in Psychology and Educational Policy Studies. She is interested in students’ social-emotional development, peer relationships, and social interactions within educational settings. After graduation, she plan to pursue further studies in these areas. Outside of work, she enjoys solo photography trips, badminton, and cooking.

Kyler morgan

Kyler is a senior Psychology student from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. He is fascinated with the social and evolutionary purpose of emotions and behaviors. Post-graduation, he aspires to further his study of psychology with a graduate degree. Kyler is a serial hobbyist, but cooking, listening to live music, and painting are among his favorite ways to spend his free time.

AURELIA Dae Rutkowski

Aurelia is a sophomore from Jefferson, Wisconsin majoring in biochemistry, psychology, and neuroscience. She is interested in social functions of emotions, especially within nonverbal communication. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and will specialize in psychiatry. Outside of the lab, she enjoys swimming, camping, and cooking new foods.

Suhaas Vaddadi

Suhaas (he/him) from the California Bay Area majoring in Computer Science. He is working on how we can use computer and data science tools to further understand human emotion and social interaction dynamics. Outside of the lab, Suhaas enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and training jiu jitsu.

Cooper Wisener

Cooper is from Hartland, Wisconsin, majoring in Data Science. He is interested in studying human connection, sports analytics, and the impact of social interaction on a team's performance. While graduation is still a couple years away, Cooper wants to work in the sports industry, providing teams with the cutting edge of sports analytics. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, playing basketball, and swimming.

Jack Esser

Jack is a second-year undergraduate student with majors in psychology and neurobiology. He is very interested in human behavior and emotion, although he is open to any type of learning that may be intriguing or beneficial. After graduating he plans on going to medical school to study psychiatry. In his free time he enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music, and getting exercise.

Callie Jahnke

Callie is a senior neurobiology and psychology major from Hugo, Minnesota. After graduation, she plans to continue gaining lab experience before she pursues a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She is interested in working with people who have neurodegenerative diseases and how we can minimize the negative effects on social connection. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, dancing, playing volleyball, and reading.

Zachary Lowenthal

Zach is from Morristown, New Jersey, majoring in psychology on the pre-health track. He plans to pursue medical school after graduating with the goal of integrating psychological perspectives into patient care as an aspiring psychiatrist. Outside of work, Zach loves staying active, playing guitar, and playing basketball with his friends.

Sarah Nesseim

Sarah is a senior from Reedsburg, Wisconsin majoring in neurobiology on the pre-med track with a certificate in global health. She is interested in social and emotional psychology, and the intersection of medicine and social justice. In her free time, she loves to draw, read, and talk about movies.

Luke scanlan

Luke (he/him) is a sophomore from Greenwich, CT, planning to major in psychology and global health. Luke is interested in pursuing a career in medicine and hoping to attend medical school upon graduating from UW. He is very interested in human behavior and emotions. Outside of school, he enjoys spending time outside, hanging out with friends, and is an avid golfer.

William WANG

William is a sophomore from Toronto, Canada majoring in psychology. He is interested in studying emotion and is willing to learn anything that is beneficial. After his undergraduate education, William plans to attend graduate school to pursue a license in psychology. During his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and also enjoys fencing.

Henry Fries

Henry is a junior from Waupaca, Wisconsin, majoring in psychology and political science. His academic interests focus on how individuals form groups and build understanding in the absence of verbal communication. He plans to pursue a Master of Public Affairs and eventually a Ph.D. in psychology. Outside the classroom, Henry enjoys hiking, waterskiing, engaging in the local political scene, and spending time with friends.

Natalie Kleiderer

Natalie is from Charlotte, North Carolina, majoring in Psychology and Kinesiology. After graduation, Natalie aspires to go to graduate school to study sport psychology, with a focus on performance anxiety. Her goal is to work with professional athletes, particularly in the NFL. In her free time, Natalie loves to snowboard, go to cycle classes, and spend time with her friends.

Reese Mengwasser

Reese is from Hartland, Wisconsin majoring in neurobiology and psychology. She is interested in studying how people use emotional synchrony during communication and how that influences understanding and connection. After graduation, Reese hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. Outside of the lab, she is a recruitment chair for Badger SPILL, an anonymous peer support club, and enjoys running, baking, and spending time with friends.

Luca Photopoulos

Luca is from New York City and is set to graduate with a major in Psychology and minor in Business Management. He is primarily interested in the role social interaction plays in human development and decision-making. After his senior year, he plans to continue his education in social psychology. Outside of work, Luca loves to play tennis and cook.

Prior Turnmeyer

Prior is from Madison, Wisconsin, pursuing a triple major in Psychology, Spanish, and Communications. Prior is very interested in social connection, specifically what roadblocks hinder connection, and how to overcome them. After graduating, he plans to go to grad school to enter the field of clinical psychology. Outside of the lab, he likes to spend time outside, play sports, and spend time with friends.

melia wendt

Melia (she/her) is a psychology major from Appleton, Wisconsin. She is interested in clinical psychology, as well as human behavior and personality. She plans to pursue a career in mental health, either as a therapist or a researcher. Melia loves gardening and learning about the natural world, and plans to continue developing her writing skills.

lab alumni