Research Team
Students, researchers, and professionals across industry and academia. See below for a list of active members.
Anya Ragnhildstveit
Director of Research & Development
Ms. Ragnhildstveit is the Founding Director of the IRLG, directly supervising all research students, managing external collaborations, and spearheading research on eating disorders, social AI, and psychedelic therapy. She is also the Founder of the International Collaborative for Psychedelic Medicine, is an NIHR-funded PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge, England, and previously worked at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Duke.
University of Cambridge | Psychiatry
Paul Seli
Director of Psychological Science
Dr. Seli is the Director of Psychological Science at the IRLG, spearheading research on creativity, mind wandering, social AI, and psychedelics. He is also the Co-Founder of the Research Opportunity Scholarship that supports racial, ethnic, and gender-diverse minorities in pursuing independent research. Apart from the IRLG, Dr. Seli is an Assistant Professor at Duke University, with nearly 100 peer-reviewed, scientific articles.
Duke University | Cognitive Psychology
Miriam Kaiyo
Director of Ethnographic Research
Ms. Kaiyo is the Director of Ethnographic Research at the IRLG, spearheading research on real-world psychedelic therapy, with a focus on facilitation and harm reduction practices. She is also a Psychedelic Somatic Therapist, the Co-Founder of the International Collaborative for Psychedelic Medicine, and a lecturing Adjunct Professor at The University of Utah, where Ms. Kaiyo is completing a PhD in Human Development and Social Policy.
University of Utah | Human Development
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Alexander Landry
Research Fellow | Doctoral Student
Mr. Landry is a Research Fellow at the IRLG, leading and supporting research on intergroup violence, dehumanization, and social AI. He is completing a PhD in Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, and obtained a BS in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Methods-wise, Mr. Landry uses surveys and lab experiments, often combined with archival data analysis.
Stanford University | Social Psychology
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Kenechukwu Ben-Umeh
Research Fellow | Doctoral Student
Mr. Ben-Umeh is a Research Fellow at the IRLG, leading and supporting research on pharmacotherapy and service pathways. He is completing a PhD in Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research and Health Policy at The University of Utah College of Pharmacy, and obtained a Bpharm in Pharmacy from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Methods-wise, Mr. Ben-Umeh uses secondary data, health outcomes studies, and pharmacoeconomics.
University of Utah | Pharmacotherapy
Vittoria Barbati
Research Fellow | Doctoral Student
Ms. Barbati is a Research Fellow at the IRLG, supporting research on psychedelic therapy. She is completing a PhD in Medical Science at the International University of Catalonia, Spain, where she teaches biostatistics, epidemiology, and knowledge communication. Ms. Barbati obtained an MS in Clinical Psychology from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Italy. Methods-wise, she uses real-world data, observational studies, and lab experiments.
Int. University of Catalonia | Medical Science
William Orwig
Research Fellow | Doctoral Student
Mr. Orwig is a Research Fellow at the IRLG, leading and supporting research on social AI and creativity. He is completing a PhD in Psychology at Harvard University, and obtained an MEd in Cognitive Science from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, and a BS in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. Mr. Orwig is also a Fulbright Scholar from Colombia. Methods-wise, he uses cognitive and mixed methods.
Harvard University | Cognitive Psychology
Abdelrahman Younis
Research Associate | Doctoral Student
Mr. Younis is a Research Associate at the IRLG, supporting research on psychedelic therapy and pharmacoeconomics. He is completing a PhD in Health Economics Outcome Research at The University of Utah College of Pharmacy, and obtained a Bpharm in Pharmacy from Minya University, Egypt. Methods-wise, Mr. Younis uses evidence synthesis, secondary datasets, lab experiments, health outcomes studies, and health pharmacoeconomics.
University of Utah | Pharmacotherapy
River Jude August
Research Associate | Doctoral Student
Mx. August is a Research Associate at the IRLG, supporting research on dehumanization and psychedelic therapy. They are completing a PhD in Human Development and Social Policy at The University of Utah, where they serve as an Associate Instructor, and previously obtained an MEd in Educational Psychology. Methods-wise, Mx. August uses evidence synthesis, secondary data analysis, observational studies, and lab experiments.
University of Utah | Human Development
Godwin Okoye
Research Associate | Doctoral Student
Mr. Okoye is a Research Associate at the IRLG, supporting research on drug therapy. He is completing a PhD in Health Economics and Outcomes Research at the University of Texas at Austin, and obtained an MS in Pharmaceutical Health Services Research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a BPharm in Pharmacy from the University of Jos, Nigeria. Methods-wise, Mr. Okoye uses evidence synthesis and real-world data.
University of Texas at Austin | Pharmacy
Jaden Brooks
Research Associate | Medical Student
Mr. Brooks is a Research Associate at the IRLG, supporting research on eating disorders and real-world psychedelic therapy. He is completing an MD with a focus on Psychiatry at The University of Utah School of Medicine, where he obtained a BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. Methods-wise, Mr. Brooks uses evidence synthesis, large-scale, secondary datasets, observational studies, lab experiments, and clinical trials.
University of Utah | Psychiatry
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Eleonora Armyra
Research Associate | Post-Graduate
Ms. Armyra is a Research Associate at the IRLG, supporting research on eating disorders and psychedelic therapy. She obtained an MSc in Mental Health with a focus on Psychological Therapies at Queen Mary University of London, England, and a BS in Psychology at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Greece. Methods-wise, Ms. Armyra uses evidence synthesis, secondary datasets, observational studies, and clinical trials.
Queen Mary University of London | Psychiatry
Vismay Agrawal
Research Analyst | Post-Graduate
Mr. Agrawal is a Research Analyst at the IRLG, supporting research on social AI and psychedelic therapy. He is preparing for a doctoral program and obtained an M.Tech and B.Tech with Honors in Biomedical Engineering Design from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. Methods-wise, Mr. Agrawal uses medical imaging, deep learning, machine learning, statistics, evidence synthesis, observational studies, and lab experiments.
Indian Institute of Tech. Madras | Engineering
Alyssa Miranda
Research Associate | Master’s Student
Ms. Miranda is a Research Associate at the IRLG, leading and supporting research on eating disorders and psychedelic therapy. She is completing an MA in Transformative and Consciousness Studies at National University, and obtained a BS in Psychology and BA in Childhood and Adolescent Development from California State University San Marcos. Methods-wise, Ms. Miranda uses secondary data, surveys, and lab experiments.
National University | Consciousness
Ryan Khan
Research Associate | Post-Baccalaureate
Mr. Khan is a Research Associate at the IRLG, leading and supporting research on psychedelic therapy. He recently obtained a BSc in Human Physiology with Biomedical Science (Industrial) at the University of Leeds, England, and is completing a Psychedelic Core Practitioner Program at the Synthesis Institute. Methods-wise, Mr. Khan uses evidence synthesis, real-world secondary data, observational studies, and lab experiments.
University of Leeds | Clinical Psychology
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Magdalena Jaglinska
Research Assistant | Post-Graduate
Ms. Jaglinska is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on LSD, DMT, and psilocybin. She obtained an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University College London, England, where she studied neural correlates of LSD perceptions. Ms. Jaglinska is now a Researcher at the Royal Holloway University of London, England. Methods-wise, she uses statistics, neuroimaging, lab experiments, and clinical trials.
University College London | Neuroscience
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Noor Baig
Research Assistant | Master’s Student
Ms. Baig is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on cognition. She obtained an MA and BA in Neurobiology and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, where she served as Secretary of Harvard's Pakistani Students Association. Ms. Baig also works in Harvard’s Retinal Imaging Lab. Methods-wise, she uses evidence synthesis, neurophysiological techniques, and lab experiments.
Harvard University | Neurobiology
Sherlock Langevine
Research Assistant | Master’s Student
Mr. Langevine is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on intergroup violence and dehumanization. He is completing an MSc in Management Science and Engineering and a BS in Mathematical and Computational Science at Stanford University. Mr. Langevine is also a LaunchPad Scholar at Yale Law School. Methods-wise, he uses evidence synthesis, statistics, programming, surveys, and lab experiments.
Stanford University | Mathematics
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Charlotte Mair
Research Assistant | Master’s Student
Ms. Mair is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on dehumanization, social AI, and psychopharmacology. She obtained two MScs, one in Genetics and Psychiatry from King’s College London, and one in Psychological Sciences from Brunel University, England. Ms. Mair received a BS in Biological Sciences from Bournemouth University, England. Methods-wise, she uses genetics, neuroimaging, and clinical trials.
London Southbank University | Psychiatry
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Zoë Pipa
Research Assistant | Master’s Student
Ms. Pipa is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on psychedelics. She is completing an MA in Biomedical Sciences jointly at George Mason University and Georgetown University, and obtained a BS in Neuroscience from George Washington University. Ms. Pipa previously worked as a Research Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University. Methods-wise, she uses wet lab techniques, neuroimaging, and clinical trials.
Georgetown University | Biomedical Science
Nandita Tuteja
Research Assistant | Post-Baccalaureate
Ms. Tuteja is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, leading and supporting multidisciplinary research. She completed a post-bacc program in Clinical Psychology at the University of California, Irvine, where she now works as a Research Coordinator and MRI technician, and obtained a BA in Psychology from Ashoka University, India. Methods-wise, Ms. Tuteja uses programming, statistics, neuroimaging, lab experiments, and clinical trials.
University of California, IR | Neurobiology
Lisa Bass
Research Assistant | Post-Baccalaureate
Ms. Bass is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on trauma and psychedelic therapy. She obtained a BS in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she works as a Study Coordinator for New School Research, a participating site for Phase 3 trials on MDMA for PTSD, sponsored by MAPS. Methods-wise, Ms. Bass uses evidence synthesis, mixed methods, and secondary datasets.
University of California, LA | Neuroscience
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Noa Dukler
Research Assistant | Post-Baccalaureate
Ms. Dukler is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on psychedelic therapy. She obtained a BS in Psychological and Brain Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbra, where she worked in several research labs. Post-bacc, Ms. Dukler was a Research Fellow at Stanford University and a Lab Manager at the University of California, Santa Barbra. Methods-wise, she uses mixed methods and lab experiments.
University of California, SB | Psychology
Sarah Spooner
Research Assistant | Post-Baccalaureate
Ms. Spooner is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on creativity, dehumanization, and psychedelic therapy. She obtained a BS in Psychology from Florida State University, where she worked in the Transmission Electron Microscopy Lab. Ms. Spooner is now a Research Assistant at Duke University in the Mind at Large Lab. Methods-wise, she uses evidence synthesis, wet lab techniques, and lab experiments.
Duke University | Psychology
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Anh Vo
Research Analyst | Bachelor’s Student
Ms. Vo is a Research Analyst at the IRLG, supporting research on social AI and group psychedelic therapy. She is completing a BS in Data Science and Statistics at Miami University, where she works as a Statistical Analyst for professors and graduate students. Ms. Vo is also a Feasibility Informatics Intern at Medpace. Methods-wise, she uses machine learning, programming, statistics, observational studies, and lab experiments.
Miami University | Data Science & Statistics
Leo Smart
Research Assistant | Bachelor’s Student
Mr. Smart is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on eating disorders and psychedelic therapy. He is completing a BS in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry at Bates College, where he works as an Emergency Medical Technician. Mr. Smart previously served as a Research Assistant at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Methods-wise, he uses evidence synthesis, secondary datasets, and observational studies.
Bates College | Neuroscience
Niara Botchwey
Research Assistant | Bachelor’s Student
Ms. Botchwey is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on psychedelic therapy. She is completing a BS in Biomedical Engineering at Harvard University, where she was President of Women in Science at Harvard-Radcliffe. Ms. Botchwey is also a Research Associate at Regeneron. Methods-use, she uses evidence synthesis, programming, computational analysis, wet lab methods, and observational studies.
Harvard University | Biomedical Engineering
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Naz Uzun
Research Assistant | Bachelor’s Student
Ms. Uzun is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on eating disorders and psychedelic therapy (e.g., LSD and MDMA). She is completing a BS in Psychology at The University of Manchester, England, where she researches memory using fMRI techniques. Ms. Uzun is also a Peer Support Group Co-Facilitator at Manchester Mind. Methods-wise, she uses neuroimaging, evidence synthesis, observational studies, and lab experiments.
University of Manchester | Psychology
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Zia Baig
Research Assistant | Bachelor’s Student
Mr. Baig is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on eating disorders and social AI. He is completing a BSc in Biotechnology and Chartered Professional Accounting at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and works as an Associate at Corse Ventures. Mr. Baig previously worked at Harvard Innovation Labs and Y Combinator. Methods-wise, he uses evidence synthesis, secondary datasets, and lab experiments.
University of Waterloo | Biotechnology
Noor Hassan
Research Assistant | Bachelor’s Student
Ms. Hassan is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting research on self-regulation, dehumanization, and social AI. She is completing a BS in Symbolic Systems, focusing on Neuroscience and Computer Science, with a minor in Human Biology at Stanford University, where she works in the NIRS Lab and Sarnquist Lab. Methods-wise, she uses programming, machine learning, wet lab techniques, and lab experiments.
Stanford University | Symbolic Systems
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Kushi Thakkar
Research Analyst | Bachelor’s Student
Ms. Thakkar is a Research Assistant at the IRLG, supporting multidisciplinary research. She is completing a BS in Clinical Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she works in the STEPP Lab (preventative science) and Cultural Heritage Racial Identity Lab. Ms. Thakkar is also a Research Intern at Northwestern University. Methods-wise, she uses secondary datasets and lab experiments.
University of Illinois UC | Clinical Psychology
Email Address | LinkedIn | Google Scholar