Lab Song!
Lab Director and Professor
Martha W. Alibali
I conduct research at the interface of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and mathematics education. My primary line of research investigates mathematics learning and development, with a special focus on the role of gesture in mathematical thinking and knowledge change. I am also interested in the role of gesture in thinking and communication, particularly in educational settings.
Contact information:
Department of Psychology and Department of Educational Psychology,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
mwalibali@wisc.edu
Office: (608) 262-0837
Graduate Students
Tory Jay
I am a fifth-year developmental psychology PhD student advised by Martha Alibali. I am a Wisconsin native who got my B.S. in Psychology & Neurobiology here at UW-Madison, and am excited to be back after receiving my M.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois. Broadly, I am interested in connections among math concepts and how these connections can be leveraged to deepen understanding of mathematics.
Email: vjay@wisc.edu
Jennifer Murray
I am a fourth-year graduate student advised by Martha Alibali. I completed a bachelor’s in mathematics and a bachelor’s in psychology at the University of Montana. After graduating, I taught high school math for five years before coming to UW- Madison. My research interests are at the intersection of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and education. In particular, I am interested in conceptual understanding of mathematics, especially fractions and division.
Email: jomurray@wisc.edu
Alan Lopez
I am a second-year PhD student advised by Dr. Martha Alibali. I graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in Psychology. My research interests have always been at the intersection of cognitive and developmental psychology along with how psychological findings in both areas can inform educational practices. I am acutely interested in how gestures, by both instructor and learner, can communicate information not present in speech as well as how visual representations can influence the organization of information in the learner’s mind.
Lab Manager
Phoebe Miller (she/her/hers)
I’m the Cognitive Development & Communication lab manager as well as your BioGames project manager! I’m really interested in how children learn mathematics and science as well as what curriculum and activities and policies enhance or inhibit a child’s learning. I graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Mathematics and studied as a research assistant for Percival Matthews’s MELD Lab. Outside of work, I love to do local theatre, try out new restaurants, ski, and travel!
Email: pamiller6@wisc.edu; Office: 689 Educational Sciences
Project Manager
Catherine Axness
Catherine is the project manager for the Fractions & Algebra project. She graduated from UW-Madison in May 2025 with a degree in Psychology. As an undergraduate, Catherine worked as a research assistant on the project through the Cognitive Development & Communication Lab. She hopes to go on to graduate school to study Clinical Psychology or Counseling.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Sofia Tancredi
I am a postdoctoral research associate in the RISE Postdoctoral training program in inclusive STEM education rooted in an integrative theory of learning. My research focuses on sensory dimensions of conceptual learning, with particular attention to sensory neurodiversity. I use design-based research as a context to test principles from embodied cognitive science through the development and evaluation of inclusive STEM pedagogical tools. Some of my current projects investigate the bodily sense of balance and haptic interactions for exploring math and science concepts. Prior to UW-Madison, I got my PhD in a joint doctoral program bridging Learning Sciences and Human Development at University of California Berkeley and Special Education at San Francisco State University, and worked directly with neurodiverse K-12 children and their families, as well as instructors, schools, and non-profits as a director of learning laboratories.
Email: tancredi2@wisc.edu
Sarah Clerjuste
I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the RISE Postdoctoral Training Program at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. I earned my Ph.D. in Educational Statistics and Research Methods from the University of Delaware, with a minor in Mathematics Education. My research examines mathematics cognition and learning, with a particular focus on how students engage with instructional feedback and opportunities for revision to improve mathematical understanding. I also investigate middle student’s fraction arithmetic reasoning and common errors that they make to better understand how instruction can support these learners.
Undergraduate RAs
Sophia Komosa
Grace Baeb
Kaitlyn Meier
Madison Featherstone
Snigdha Jasoria
Ella Bauman
Julia Terhaerdt
Grace Carman
Amanda Alegria
Amelia Dittman
Joslyn Polenz
Yining Long
Adrianna Rotering
Brigid Clarke
Bea Barbouche
Sam Schmidt
Eleanor Wolski
Lab Affiliates
Andrea Marquardt Donovan
Andrea Marquardt Donovan is one of the Teaching Faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Along with teaching Research Methods and Depth courses, her research focuses on how children use their bodies, as well as manipulatives with their bodies to learn, and how they communicate their knowledge through action and gesture in Science and Math. She is also interested in what information children and adults get from other people’s bodies during learning via observation of action and gesture. Andrea has worked with the research team through graduate school and continues to have an interest in children’s understanding of biological change through representations, diagrams, games and interactions with caregivers.
Email: amdonovan2@wisc.edu
Percival Matthews
My research program is organized around two primary goals: 1) to understand some basic underpinnings of human mathematical cognition, and 2) to find ways to leverage this understanding into effective educational techniques that can be used to impact the life chances of everyday people. My research has spanned all stages of development and has included work both in K-12 schools and in the laboratory.
Lab website: MELD
Anna Stephens
I am a mathematics education researcher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. I am currently PI on the NSF-funded project “A longitudinal exploration of relations between fractions and algebra knowledge: An interdisciplinary approach.” In general, I am interested in studying the development of elementary and middle school students’ algebraic reasoning and supporting teachers in developing this thinking in their students. I enjoy working on an interdisciplinary team of math educators, psychologists, and educational psychologists.
CDC Lab Alumni
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Graduate Students and Post-Docs
Graduate Students
Alyssa Ortega
Lauren Anthony, Assistant Professor, Psychology, UW-Whitewater
Nick Vest, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Florida
Rui Meng, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Southern California
Andrea Marquardt Donovan, Teaching Faculty, Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Anna Bartel, Efficacy and Impact Research Associate, Learning and Technology Content Team, WestEd
David Menendez, Assistant Professor, University of California-Santa Cruz
Sarah A. Brown, Senior Research Associate, Accessible Teaching, Learning & Assessment Systems (ATLAS), University of Kansas
Amelia Yeo, Assistant Professor, Psychology and Child & Human Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Andrew G. Young, Associate Professor, Northeastern Illinois University
Annie Riggs, Associate Professor, Psychology, Western Washington University
Noelle Crooks, Associate Professor, Behavioral Science, Broward College
Shanta Hattikudur, Professor of Instruction, Psychological Studies in Education, Temple University
Pooja G. Sidney, Associate Professor, Psychology, University of Kentucky
Autumn Hostetter, Professor, Psychology, Kalamazoo College
Richard Prather, Associate Professor, Human Development, University of Maryland
Nicole M. McNeil, Professor, Psychology, University of Notre Dame
Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Professor, Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University
Postdoctoral Researchers
Daniel Alcaraz Carrión, Distinguished Junior Researcher, Department of English Philology, University of Murcia
Emily Szkudlarek, Data Scientist
Andreas Obersteiner, Professor, Mathematics Education, Technische Universität München
Christopher Osterhaus, Assistant Professor, Developmental Psychology in Education, Universität Vechta
Emily Fyfe, Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington
José Gutiérrez, Assistant Professor, Education, Culture, & Society, University of Utah
Jennifer Cooper, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Stonehill College
Rebecca Boncoddo, Associate Professor, Psychological Science, Central Connecticut State University
Virginia Clinton-Lisell, Associate Professor, Education, Health, & Behavior, University of North Dakota
Matthew Wolfgram, Senior Researcher, Wisconsin Center for Educational Research
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Project Managers
Project Managers
Elena Silla, Graduate Student, University of Delaware
Olympia Mathiaparanam, Graduate Student, University of Rochester
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Undergraduate RAs
Undergraduate Researchers
Sara Bannantine-Moron
Sofia Gasulla Swalve
Kairui Gu
Nick Tarantino
Ashlie Hewitt
Isabel Rojas
Megan Smitz
Delaney Dopp
Melissa Rubusch
Valeria Martinez
Hema Subramanian
Zoe Nazario
Adam Mikkelson
Katie McCaskey
Xiaoran Sun
Matias Martin
Michelle Zhou
Gabby Simmons
Catherine Axness
Sofia Bruschi
Christine Becerra
Harrison Berger
Jasmine Hu
Sydney Brando
Madison Freeman
Manal Hassan
Skylar Montgomery
Pragati Maheshwary
Ariel Sanchez
Olivia Moore
Julia Sales Leite
Johnathan McLaughlin
Lauren Smith
Greta Hansen
Claire Bowman
Cassie Liu
Alyssa Shack
Holden Manhart
Tyler Tommasi
Nour Sabbagh (Spring 2021-Fall 2021)
Kai Sylte
Hannah Alpert
Xinyi Liu (Spring 2020-Spring 2021)
Shivali Zala
Zach Bueler
Kylie Robinson (Fall 2019-Spring 2021)
Grace Sutton
Sonja Lin Vaintrub (Spring 2019-Spring 2021)
Makayla Petersdorff (Fall 2020-Spring 2021)
Lauren Kresser (Fall 2020-Spring 2021)
Jaclyn Psenka (Fall 2019-Fall 2020)
Benjamin Barmore (Spring 2018-Spring 2020; Senior Thesis)
Vanesa Meneses (Fall 2017-Spring 2020)
Gill-Helene Schomaker (Spring 2018-Spring 2020)
Sarah Desch (Fall 2019-Spring 2020)
Ruby Paisner (Spring 2018-Fall 2018; Fall 2019)
Nicole Koshevatskiy (Fall 2019)
Devin Deegan (Fall 2017-Spring 2019)
Erin Condon (Spring 2017-Spring 2019)
Shaolong Xue (Spring 2019-Spring 2019)
Nadine Jessup (Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019)
Vaughn Collins (Spring 2017-Spring 2019; Senior Thesis)
Vijay Marapudi (Fall 2017-Spring 2019; Senior Thesis)
Adele Posner (Fall 2017-Spring 2019; Senior Thesis)
Helen Huang (Fall 2018-Spring 2019)
Kathryn Anderson (Fall 2016-Spring 2019)
Erika Stauss (Spring 2017-Spring 2019)
Delaney McCabe (Spring 2018-Spring 2019)
Carmen Krug (Fall 2017-Fall 2018)
Hannah Kubicki (Spring 2018-Fall 2018)
Elizabeth Moellers (Fall 2018)
Delaney Twing (Fall 2017-Fall 2018)
Morgan Gald (Fall 2017-Spring 2018)
Maggie Kotecki (Spring 2017-Spring 2018)
Nel Siemsen (Fall 2017-Spring 2018)
Jaspreet Singh (Fall 2017-Spring 2018)
Ruohan (Crystal) Xia (Fall 2017-Spring 2018)
Sarah Her (Fal 2017-Spring 2018)
Xiaoning Zhang (Spring 2017-Spring 2018)
Colleen Bruckner (Spring 2017-Spring 2018)
Hallie Martens (Spring 2017-Spring 2018)
Nidhi Deepu Rajan (Spring 2017-Spring 2018; Senior Thesis)
Alexis Hosch (Fall 2016-Spring 2018)
Haley Beers (Fall 2016-Spring 2018)
Morgan Pagenkoph (Fall 2017)
Li Cai (Spring 2017-Fall 2017)
Yanchi Gu (Fall 2015-Spring 2016, Fall 2017)
Megan Schmitt (Spring 2017)
Eartha Zhang (Spring 2017)
Sydney Bibicoff (Fall 2016-Spring 2017)
Kayla Knowles (Spring 2016-Spring 2017)
Bobbi Aubrey (Fall 2016-Spring 2017)
Yang Liu (Spring 2016-Spring 2017)
David Singer (Spring 2016-Spring 2017)
Feier Yang (Spring 2016-Spring 2017)
Cher Yang (Spring 2016-Spring 2017)
Min A Kim (Spring 2016-Spring 2017)
Aleska Kresovic (Fall 2016-Spring 2017)
Mariah Ferri (Fall 2015-Spring 2017)
Victoria Jay (Fall 2014-Spring 2017; Senior Thesis)
Senior Thesis Students
Senior Thesis Undergraduates (2019-present)
Megan Smitz, Relations Between Mathematics Anxiety and Preference for Visual Representations: Evidence from Fraction Arithmetic, 2026.
Kaitlyn Meier, Helping or Hindering: The relationship between caregiver characteristics, scaffolding and children’s science learning, 2026.
Nick Tarantino, The Perception of Spatial Relations as a Building Block for Mathematics, 2026. Recipient of Trewartha Senior Honors Thesis grant.
Christine Becerra Lopez, Solving Math Problems Together: Exploring Translanguaging in Spanish-English Bilingual Children, 2025. Recipient of Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship.
Cassandra Angeles, Mathematical Agency and Flexible Problem Solving, 2025
Pragati Maheshwary, Is Early Abacus Training Associated with Later Mathematics Performance? 2024. Recipient of Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship.
Lauren Rose Smith, Do Skip Counting Exercises Enhance Multiplication Skills? 2023. Recipient of Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship.
Tyler Tommasi, Interpreting Symbolic Expressions for Algebraic Story Problems, 2022.Benjamin Barmore, Action and Imagination in Mathematics, 2020.
Vijay Marupudi, Children’s Non-Symbolic Fraction Comparison: An Eye-Tracking Study, 2019.
Adele Poser, Gestures in Fraction Comparison: Symbolic and Non-symbolic Pairs, 2019.
Vaughan Collins, Gestural Catchment and Perception of Similarity, 2019.