{"id":18,"date":"2024-05-14T09:27:58","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T13:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/ahmed-lab\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2025-09-29T22:46:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T02:46:28","slug":"people","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/acd-lab\/people\/","title":{"rendered":"People"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Director<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Sammy Ahmed is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Ahmed received a B.S. in Applied Psychology from New York University, and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Ahmed\u2019s research focuses on the cognitive mechanisms that facilitate learning and social functioning during childhood and adolescence. To do this, his lab collects data in children\u2019s homes and schools using a variety of assessments and leverages large scale data sets (at the state, federal, and international levels) to study how cognitive development supports learning and social functioning across the lifespan. He also conducts research on assessment development and validation, including embedding virtual technology to capture children\u2019s cognitive development in everyday contexts such as school and peer settings. Finally, he works with public school districts and educational research foundations to develop, implement, and evaluate school-based interventions to support children\u2019s cognitive development via curricular enhancements and teacher training programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jessica L. MacLeod,<\/strong> – Health Sciences Ph.D. Student (jldavis@uri.edu<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jessica L. MacLeod is the Director of the URI Child Development Center, a NAEYC accredited laboratory preschool. She is a licensed early childhood educator with expertise in early learning program leadership, early childhood education, child development, and adult education, and she has been teaching college courses at URI for over a decade. Jessica has an extensive record of successfully partnering with different sectors of the ECE field, including Head Start, family child care homes, high school career and technical education programs, community early learning programs, and the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children to develop and present PD based on areas of identified need and lead engaging community of practice meetings. She currently serves on the International Association of Laboratory Schools Research Collaborative Planning Committee and the Tri-County Community Action Head Start Policy Council. Jessica is pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Sciences with a focus on Human Development and Family Science with the goal of leading ongoing research at the URI Child Development Center. Jessica\u2019s research interests include early childhood development, particularly social and emotional development, executive function, and behavior. She is interested in teacher-child interactions and relationships as well as children\u2019s peer interactions and relationships. Jessica is also interested in exploring issues around access to high-quality early childhood education and studying laboratory schools as a unique educational context. For her dissertation, Jessica plans to explore the relationship between student-teacher relationships and peer relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyson Panzarella Girard<\/strong> – Health Science Ph.D. Student (apanzarella@uri.edu<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alyson Panzarella Girard, M.J. is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Human Development and Family Science department, teaching Early Childhood Development (HDF 308) and Family Policy and Program Evaluation (HDF 533). She is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Sciences with hopes to advance evidence-based policy in the birth to five sector. Her area of focus is the long-term benefits of access to high-quality early childhood education. In addition to her work and studies at the University, Alyson is the Early Learning & Policy Specialist at the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children, an affiliate of NAEYC, where she supports the implementation of various programs aimed to advance the early childhood profession and improve early learning program quality across Rhode Island. She is deeply engaged in policy advocacy at the state and federal level and supports the professional development of aspiring advocates. Alyson holds a Master of Jurisprudence in Children\u2019s Law and Policy from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies with a focus in child settings from the University of Rhode Island (\u201815).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda Reddy<\/strong> – Psychology Undergraduate Student (amanda.reddy@uri.edu<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n\n

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Amanda Reddy is a Junior majoring in Psychology (B.S) with a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences. Her research interests are in early childhood cognition and developmental disabilities. She is currently working on the Peers and Executive Function Study<\/em>, which explores how group settings influence children’s cognitive development. After graduation, she plans to pursue graduate school and a career in developmental cognitive psychology research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Former Students<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n