Lab Director: Damian Murray, Ph.D.
Dr. Murray’s research programs follow two themes: 1) The consequences of a disease-avoidance motive for interpersonal relationships, social attitudes, personality, and cultural differences, and 2) The dynamics of new interpersonal relationships—the individual differences that predict formation, stability, and satisfaction in new romantic relationships, and the implications of these relationships for physiology and health.
Graduate Students
Zachary Airington
Zachary (Zach) is an eighth-year doctoral student in the ESC lab. Zach graduated in 2015 from Arizona State University. Zach is interested in stereotyping, prejudice, and stigmatization from an evolutionary perspective. His research also investigates how we use our senses to navigate within our social networks. For example, one avenue of inquiry that he is pursuing is how we use olfaction to understand our environment and conspecifics. Additionally, he is also interested in studying sexual minority issues. If you would like to know more about Zach’s work, please email him at zairington@tulane.edu or see his CV.
Maria Casteigne
Maria is a third-year Ph.D. student working in the ESC lab and Dr. Laurie O’Brien’s Social Perception Lab. She earned her B.A. in psychology at Le Moyne College and her M.A. in experimental psychology at the University of Dayton. Her research interests include perceptions of parents, prototypes of discrimination, and stereotypes. If you would like to know more about Maria’s work, please check out her CV or email her at mmusumeci@tulane.edu.
Qiran Fan
Qiran (Rex) is a second-year Ph.D. student. His research interests center around how ecology and life history strategy shape individuals’ perceptions and judgments (especially moral behaviors and decisions). He is intrigued by studying morality from an evolutionary psychology. Rex is also interested in how disease threats (such as the pandemic) alter the ways people achieve fundamental goals (e.g., parenting and kin care). If you are interested in learning more about Rex’s work, please email him at qfan3@tulane.edu, or see his CV.
Ellie Rauschmayer
Ellie is a graduate student in the Psychological Science Accelerated Master’s program. She is currently a graduate research assistant in the ESC Lab and works with the Coalition for Compassionate Schools to support trauma-informed care for first graders. She is interested in youth mental health and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a focus on research related to youth risk and resilience. CV
Former Graduate Students
Nicholas Kerry, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania
James Moran, PhD. Behavioral Scientist, Johnson & Johnson
Aaron Moss, PhD. Project Manager, Cloud Research
Former Post-Doctoral Fellow
Marjorie Prokosch, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology