Lab Director
CV
Professor Erik Nook hails from the rural town of Schaller, Iowa. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Princeton Psychology Department, an Associated Faculty Member of the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, a licensed clinical psychologist in New York state (license #025102), and the Logic of Emotion Lab Director. Erik seeks to support trainees in pursuing innovative and impactful research on human emotion to help uncover why people feel what they feel and how to help people manage their emotions. Erik's clinical work focuses on anxiety and personality disorders in adolescents and adults. Erik holds a BA in Psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Harvard University. For fun, Erik loves to cook, go on bike rides, hang out with his cat Sunday, and play Dungeons & Dragons.
Lab Manager
Miłka completed her undergraduate degree at UCSD, double majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience. Her main research goals involve investigating emotions, with a special interest in cognitive reappraisal, emotion naming, and mindful acceptance. In her free time, you can find her playing squash, doing yoga, or painting!
Postdoctoral Scholar
Razia studies how people regulate each others' emotions. She takes a dyadic approach to unpacking the mechanisms and outcomes of socio-emotional interactions. Originally from Texas, she completed her B.A. at New York University, M.A. in Neurophilosophy at Georgia State University, and Ph.D. in Psychology at University of California Los Angeles. She loves spending time outdoors, watching movies, and cooking.
Graduate Students
Claire is from Surrey, England. She is excited to study how we identify and regulate emotions, including how we use our language to do so. She is interested in how linguistic distancing and our ability to differentiate between emotions may influence emotion regulation and, in turn, mental health. Claire received her B.A. from the University of Cambridge and studied youth irritability in the Yale Child Study Center Affective Youth Lab during her M.Res. She enjoys nature walks, tea, and rotating between different art/craft hobbies.
Henna Vartiainen is interested in studying how social-conceptual knowledge influences how we perceive and experience emotions. Originally from Finland, she holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Glasgow and a MSc in Clinical Neuropsychology from Leiden University. Her past clinical work has focused on addiction psychiatry and her previous research has explored cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in emotion perception and various clinical symptoms. When she is not trying to convince the academic community of stand-up comedy's potential for social and affective neuroscientific research, Henna enjoys playing video games, going to concerts, and long walks while listening to contextually inappropriate music.
Chantal grew up in the Mexican-American border town of Chula Vista, California. She holds an A.B. in Psychology and Sociology from Wellesley College and later joined the Logic of Emotion Lab as its inaugural lab manager. She is now a graduate student at Princeton, primarily advised by Dr. Natalia Vélez. Broadly, Chantal is interested in how children come to understand their emotions and social relationships. Outside of lab, she enjoys collecting risograph prints and spending time with her many, many cousins.
Dan grew up in Romania and moved to the UK after high school to study at the University of Cambridge, where he got his BA and MSci in Natural Sciences. He is now a graduate student at Princeton primarily advised by Professor Yael Niv. Dan uses computational methods to better understand the cognitive and emotional mechanisms behind mental health struggles, with the ultimate goal of improving diagnosis and treatment. He also believes in the importance of scientific communication with the general public, which is why he is also an educational content creator on TikTok. His (other) hobbies include learning languages, singing and color-matching his outfits.
Steven grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He did his undergraduate studies at a small liberal arts school in Texas called Southwestern University and holds a Master's from Texas State University. After Texas State, he worked as a lab manager in the Communication Neuroscience Lab at the University of Pennsylvania (PI: Dr. Emily Falk). He is now a graduate student at Princeton advised by Dr. Erik Nook. Broadly, Steven is interested in questions like: does the language people use to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs grant us insights into shifts in their emotions, unique life experiences, and well-being? Outside the lab, Steven enjoys long runs on Saturday mornings, cooking for friends, and reading Western fiction novels in the park.
Faustine is French-American and grew up in the UK before moving to the US for college. She completed her undergraduate studies at Brown University, earning a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Philosophy. Now a graduate student at Princeton University, primarily advised by Dr. Diana Tamir, Faustine explores how emotions influence and are influenced by the content and dynamics of spontaneous thoughts. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading contemporary fiction, rock climbing, and cooking long, intricate recipes.
Lab Guests
Mostafa is a postdoctoral researcher at the Daw lab. His work examines how language structures our cognition and psyche and how it might be involved in and expressive of various psychological disorders. Before coming to Princeton, he lived in Copenhagen where he completed a PhD.
Sarah is visiting from University College London where she is a senior research fellow. Her work focuses on understanding the development of social, emotional and communication skills and their relationship with mental health outcomes. She is collaborating with the LEmo lab on a project looking at linguistic complexity in adolescent therapy conversations. Her hobbies include running, swimming and playing the double bass.
Ali grew up in Shiraz, Iran, and earned his B.A. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Shiraz University. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at Fordham University, researching adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in children. He likes watching movies, reading biographies, and listening to classical music.
Undergraduate Students
Emma was born and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey but recently moved to the Upper East Side of New York City. She is currently an undergraduate majoring in psychology at Amherst College. Emma is interested in studying the various factors that influence emotion regulation, particularly in children with early experiences of trauma. She is also excited to learn more about the role linguistics play in the process of development. In her free time, Emma loves to read new and old books, drink copious amounts of coffee, and explore running trails.
Angela is from Naples, Florida and is a junior at Princeton University in the Neuroscience Department pursing a minor in Asian American Studies. She is interested in the neurological basis of child development and the applications of neuroscience/psychology to mental health and clinical practices. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering and tutoring at Community House, playing the cello in Princeton University's Sinfonia, and organizing movie nights with her friends.
Laura is from Edison, New Jersey and is a rising sophomore at Princeton University intending to major in Neuroscience, with a minor in English. She is interested in the influence of language on emotional regulation and mental state, as well as the neurological basis of mental health struggles in children and adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys running and stargazing, reading, playing the oboe, and talking to her dramatic little fish Pinky.
Shauna is from Bridgeport, Connecticut and is a junior in the Psychology Department at Princeton University while pursuing minors in East Asian Studies and Cognitive Science. She is interested in topics related to emotional regulation and mental health in adolescents, and is especially curious about the cultural transmission of emotion…
Siena is from the quaint town of New City, NY and is a junior in the Psychology Department at Princeton University also pursuing a certificate in Spanish Language & Culture. She is interested in how adversity shapes how we perceive and experience emotions, and is especially curious about how are thoughts manifest into feelings. Outside of the lab, Siena enjoys cooking all types of food for her friends, from chicken Alfredo to Kraft Mac and Cheese. She is also a dancer for Disiac Dance Company, the Marketing & Publicity chair for the Princeton Caribbean Connection, and the president of the Princeton Wellness Club.
Sofía is from Yonkers, New York and is a junior in the Psychology Department at Princeton University with interdisciplinary interests in neuroscience and philosophy. She aims to examine how emotions influence ethical judgments and research whether there are formal structures to emotions that ground their communicability and regulation through language. By deepening her understanding of these areas, Sofía hopes to gain greater insight into how emotion regulation contributes to an individual’s mental health. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, watching international shows, and eating her cherished Cuban dish of spicy oxtail.
Jack was raised in Pomeroy, Ohio and is a current sophomore intending to major in Psychology. Jack takes interest in developmental psychology and the link between language and emotions, and he plans to become a clinical psychologist. In his free time, he loves to perform on the stage and hang out with friends.
Aiden is from El Monte, California and is a current sophomore at Princeton University intending to major in Psychology. He hopes to pursue a Master of Social Work degree and become a licensed social worker in California that operates in schools. He is interested in studying the nature of emotions and the application of such knowledge to…
Reyna is from Teaneck, New Jersey and is a sophomore at Princeton majoring in Psychology. She is interested in emotional regulation and systems of support. On campus, you can find Reyna at the Center for Jewish Life, embarking on biking adventures, or in the ceramics studio.
Aysu was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a current sophomore undergraduate student at Princeton university intending to major in Psychology. She is interested in studying the biological and neuroscientific bases of more abstract concepts related to Psychology, such as emotion, personality, and thought formation. She is also interested in how culture plays a role in psychological processes (for example, managing one's emotions). In her free time, Aysu likes to draw, read, play video games, and take walks.
