Meet Our Team

Valdijah Ambrose- Brown

EdD Graduate '23
​EDUCATION LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
FALL 2020 - CURRENT

Research Interests

• ​​​Neuroconstructivism
• Arts Integration and Creativity
• Embodied Cognition 
• Neurophysiological & Psychological Implications of Racial Stress
• ​Neuroprotective Embodied Practices 

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Regina McLean

Research Assistant and STAR Scholar '24
DREXEL UNIVERSITY '28 
B.S. IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

​Research Interests

• Neuroengineering
• Bioimaging
• Creativity
• Divergent Thinking

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Bea Ruiz

Doctoral Candidate in Educational Psychology
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Research Interests

• Creative achievement and Creative education in a P-16 setting​

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​Tajma Cameron, PhD

Former Graduate Researcher
​EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP & POLICY
2020-2024 

Research Interests:

• Culturally affirming, sustaining, and creative instructional practices
• Curriculum development
• Black girls' STEM identity
• Formal learning environments
• Informal learning environments

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Natasha Karnato

B.S. Creative Technology '24 

Research Interests

• User Experience for Educational Resources
• Technology & Education Equity
• Interactive Learning Environments
• Generative Art Through Code

Elaine Perignat, PhD

Former Graduate Researcher
​FALL 2015 - SPRING 2019
​

Research Interests

• STEAM pedagogy
  
• Fostering creative learning environments 
  
• Development of creative & critical thinking through arts-integration 
  
• Former PhD Student under the supervision of Dr. Katz-Buonincontro 

Helen Ingram Browne

Research Assistant
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA BIRIMINGHAM
PSYCHOLOGY
​FALL 2020 - CURRENT

Research Interests

• Eastern European/Slavic stereotypes, history, culture, and psychological trends
• Quantum Social Science (application of quantum theory to social sciences)
• Unusual perceptions of reality (psychotic experiences, schizotypal spectrum, and Dp/Dr) ​​​

Onyinyechi (Serena) Osuagwu '27

STAR Scholar '23
BS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
MINOR IN MATHEMATICS

Research Interests

• Psychology
• Human Interactions
• Cognitive Behavior
• Therapy​​

Daksh Tomar

Research Assistant
Drexel UNIVERSITY '28 
​BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
WINTER 2025 - CURRENT

Research Interests:

• Application of neuroscience in optimization of learning and creativity
• Biological basis of creativity
• Learning patterns

Christine Chesebrough, PhD

Former Graduate Researcher
​APPLIED COGNITIVE & BRAIN SCIENCES
2018 - 2024

Research Interests

• Reward and motivational mechanisms that can promote (and hinder) conceptual learning and creative behavior
• Relational and analogical reasoning
• Creativity in the classroom and workplace
• Application of EEG to study creative cognition
• Psychophysiological correlates of creativity ​​

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Vida Manalang

Former Undergraduate Researcher
​B.S. PSYCHOLOGY '21
FALL 2018 - SPRING 2021

Research Interests

• Theater & drama-based arts-integration
• Creative engagement & embodied learning
• Dynamic creativity 
• Current Masters student at New York University

Daryn Lam '27

STAR Scholar '23

Research Interests

• User Design
• Evolution of web design
• AI art vs. artists
• Gamification
• Learning through play
• Gacha games and gambling addiction (F2P and P2W culture)​

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Erika Riberio

PhD Candidate
EDUCATION- TEACHING METHODOLOGY AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
FALL 2019 - CURRENT

Research Interests

• Science teaching
• Teacher education
• Active learning methods
• STEAM education
• Creativity in learning contexts

Shatakshi Tyagi

Research Assistant
DREXEL UNIVERSITY '27 
B.S. IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
​MINOR IN MATHEMATICS
​SPRING 2024 - CURRENT

Research Interests

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning​​
• LLM

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Talia Hurwich, PhD

NSF Postdoctoral Fellow '21-'22
​​CREATIVE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN GRADUATE EDUCATION (NSF CIRGE) PROGRAM

Research Interests

• Comics and graphic novels in STEAM, ELA, L2, and religious education
• Empowering students’ creativity and agency 
• Critical literacies, multiliteracies, and gender equity
• Bilingualism and heritage language learning

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Brian McCommons, PhD

Former Graduate Researcher
​FALL 2018 - CURRENT
​

Research Interests

• CIRGE - Creative Interdisciplinary Research in Graduate Education

FACULTY COLLABORATORS

Research in partnership with a wide network of dynamic experts from Drexel University, the Philadelphia community, and beyond.

Lutfi Agartan, PhD

Assistant Teaching Professor
Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics
Drexel University

Evangelia Chrysikou, PhD

Director, Applied Cognitive & Brain Sciences PhD Program
Associate Dean for Research
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology & Brain Sciences
Drexel University

Fraser Fleming, PhD

Professor
​Department of Chemistry
Drexel University

Richard Hass, PhD

Program Director, PhD, Population Health Science
Lecturer
Population Health Science
Public Health
Thomas Jefferson University

Lisa Min Tang, PhD

Professor, International Management
​Director, The Institute for Creativity & Innovation
University of Applied Management, Germany

Elaine Perignat, PhD

Assistant Professor
​Business, Fashion & Leadership
Immaculata University

Jennifer Atchison, PhD

Assistant Teaching Professor
Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics
Drexel University

Melissa Clemmer

Associate Director
​Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships
Drexel University

Rajashi Ghosh, PhD

Associate Professor
Department Chair, Policy, Organization & Leadership
​School of Education
Drexel University

Todd Kettler, PhD

Associate Professor
Department Chair
Gifted Education Program Coordinator
Department of Educational Psychology
Baylor University

D. S. Nicholas, NCIDQ, AIA, LEED GA, EDRA

Director, MS Design Research
Associate Professor
Coordinator, Sustainability in the Built Environment Minor
Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
Drexel University

Rosalind Remer, PhD

Senior Vice Provost, University Collections & Exhibitions
​Executive Director, Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships
Drexel University

Megan Atha, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Leadership, Technology & Research
Florida Gulf Coast University

Allan Edmunds, MFA

Community Partner
​Founder & CEO, Brandywine Workshop & Archives

Paul Gondek, PhD

Adjunct Teaching Professor, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Visiting Research Professor, Department of Chemistry
Drexel University

Daniel King, PhD

Associate Professor
Associate Department Head
​Department of Chemistry
Drexel University

Sue Hyeon Paek, PhD

Assistant Professor
Psychological Sciences
Education & Behavioral Sciences
University of Northern Colorado

Neville Vakharia, PhD

Associate Dean for Research & Planning
Associate Professor, Arts Administration & Museum Leadership
Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
Drexel University