Exploring Team Dynamics and Leadership
Meet the Team
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Principal Investigator
Alexander Ochoa
Dr. Ochoa received his undergraduate degree from Occidental College and his PhD from Saint Louis University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of San Francisco, teaching courses such as Clinical Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Advanced Research Methods: Values in Athletics, and Statistics.
He also is the faculty advisor for the Future Clinicians Association which was created to support students interested in pursuing careers in clinical work, as well as the Faculty Advisor for the Hawaiian Ensemble. When not teaching or working on lab research Dr. Ochoa can be found participating in sports such as rugby and judo, spending time with his family, or developing a green thumb in his garden.
Current RA's
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Lab Coordinator
Bella Leone
Bella is a fourth year Psychology major with a minor in Humanistic Management. She hopes these two topics will expand her interest in working in group scenarios to improve cohesion and mental well-being. She is a member of USF's Hip Hop team VarCity and enjoys cooking, fashion and working as a youth soccer coach
Project Manager
Jalyn Correia
Jalyn is a fourth-year Psychology major at the University of San Francisco. She hopes to pursue Marriage and Family therapy in graduate school and aims to become a licensed clinician. She is the current co-finance chair for Hawaiian Ensemble and a member of Hui o Hawai'i, two cultural clubs at USF. She is also a peer advisor for the psychology department at USF and a peer counselor for the Asian American/Pacific Islander Center on campus. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, brunch with her friends, watching sports, and movie nights.
Project Manager
Alyssa Mendoza
​Alyssa Mendoza is currently a fourth-year Psychology major at the University of San Francisco with minors in Health Studies and Chicanx and Latinx studies. She is passionate about mental health and aims to become a licensed clinician, focusing on providing culturally competent care to diverse communities.
Research Assistant
Alvaro Palabyab
Alvaro is a fourth year Psychology major with a minor in Humanistic Management. He hopes to pursue a career in organizational psychology, working and managing networks of people and operations in various organizational structures. He is the vice president of the university rock climbing club and treasurer of the university ultimate frisbee club. He also interns for the university events management & guest services office as an event manager. In his free time, he loves to climb, hike, and camp.
Research Assistant
Jasleen Kooner
Jasleen is a third-year Psychology major with a minor in Chemistry. She is on the pre-med pathway and is looking forward to an interesting and productive year in lab!
Research Assistant
Kiana Rosen
Kiana is a recent graduate from the University of San Francisco, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She plans to eventually pursue a graduate degree in Social Work. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, reading, and watching hockey.
Research Assistant
Kathleen Sheridan
Kathleen is a fourth-year psychology student with a minor in neuroscience at the University of San Francisco. She hopes to pursue Occupational Therapy in graduate school. She is the current president of the USF Women's Club Water Polo team and a youth swim team coach. Off the pool deck, she enjoys trying new restaurants in the city, visiting museums, and hanging out with her friends in San Francisco's parks.
Research Assistant
Sophie Connolly
Sophie is a first year psychology major studying at the University of San Francisco. She is an international student athlete from Tasmania, Australia as part of the USF D1 Cross Country Women's team. She has a deep curiosity about psychology, and in particular sports performance psychology and hope to go into a clinical field. She enjoy sports, the beach, hiking and exploring all of the amazing coffee spots that San Francisco has to offer
Research Assistant
Kailey Carlson
Kailey is in her second year here at USF. She is originally from Washington state (yay PNW!) and she loves sports and the outdoors. She is super excited to be a part of this team and see where it takes her.
Lab Alumni
See what some of our former lab members are currently up to.
Lab Manager
Devika Kumar
Devika is an incoming first-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at Alliant International University. She earned her BA in Psychology with a minor in Health Studies from the University of San Francisco. While at USF, she worked in the Athletic Systems Lab, where she developed an early interest in psychological research and gained experience in data collection and network-based analysis.
Devika is particularly interested in working with children and adolescents, and she hopes to integrate her background in athletic systems research into a deeper understanding of family dynamics and functioning. Through her graduate training, she aims to bridge research and clinical practice in ways that support youth and families in meaningful, culturally responsive ways.
Research Assistant
Mott Dhanaprasidhikul
Mott is a first-year graduate student pursuing his Doctorate of Psychology at Mount Saint Mary's University. He earned his BA in Psychology from the University of San Francisco. While at USF, he worked in the Athletic Systems Lab, where he developed an in psychological research and gained experience in data collection and network-based analysis. Mott hopes to integrate his background in athletic systems research into a deeper understanding of family dynamics.
Lab Manager
Bella Ruiz
Bella is a masters student in the Developmental Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of San Francisco. While at USF, she worked in the Athletic Systems Lab, where she was able to grow her interests in research under the supervision of Dr. Alexander Ochoa. In this lab, she learned the basics of data collection, IRB protocols, and social network analysis. This helped her greatly into getting into the lab she currently is in at Columbia, the Stroller Lab, where she assists in researching how adverse effects in children's early years affect their brain activity and behavior throughout the rest of their lives. She's grateful to have been a part of Dr. Ochoa's lab, as it was an invaluable experience that prepared her for the future.
Lab Manager
Max Katz
Max is currently in his 2nd year of a Master in Social Work degree at NYU. He is currently interning at Hudson Guild, which is an outpatient mental health clinic in Manhattan. He will be graduating in May 2025 and hope to obtain his LMSW shortly thereafter.
"Working with Professor Ochoa in the lab taught me important aspects of family systems theory which I continue to utilize in my therapeutic practice. Additionally, I learned how to engage stakeholders in various research projects to ensure accurate results."
Lab Manager
Jaclyn Krewinkel
Jaclyn graduated from USF with a Bachelor's degree in psychology in spring 2024 and is now pursuing a Master in Social Welfare (MSW) degree at UCLA on a clinical path! Her time in the Athletic Systems Lab helped her learn more about different research methods and how to navigate research and analysis on both individual and group levels.
"Working in a research lab, despite being on a clinical pathway, was beneficial to me because research is part of the curriculum, and the work in this lab shows how research connects to daily interactions and relationships among athletes and coaches"
Research Assistant
Ryan Tam
Ryan is currently interning with the Teng Lab at the Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, where he studies how individuals perceive and interact with the world in cases of vision loss, with particular interests in human echolocation and braille reading. He is currently learning skills in and related to EEG data collection and coding. His interests are in cognitive neuroscience, more specifically in therapeutics/rehabilitation.
"Being in the Athletics systems lab has made me appreciate other areas of psychology and reinforced my interest and knowledge in conducting research."
Research Assistant
Nakia Lemon
Nakia graduated with a Psychology major and Child & Youth Studies minor at the University of San Francisco. He hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or Marriage and Family Therapy as he aspires to work with the youth, but knows the familial elements around youth play an impact -- the systems of it all. He grew up playing sports and even after halting joining teams he still surrounded himself with sports. This lab aligned with his interests in understanding the dynamics of teams and the variables underlying or otherwise that affect such a team.
Research Assistant
Brenna Austgen
Brenna is from Boise, Idaho and graduated from University of San Francisco with a bachelor's inmajor. She will be graduating this winter and looks forward to going to graduate school to become a clinical psychologist!
Research Assistant
Hayden Goodman
Hayden is from Park City, Utah. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She is incredibly interested in team dynamics and found this lab to be a perfect fit for her research interests.