People — University of Arizona CATS Lab

Meet the research team!

Ashley A. Huggins, PhD

Principal Investigator

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Dr. Huggins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona and the Director of the CATS Lab. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under the mentorship of Dr. Christine Larson. She completed a predoctoral clinical internship with a specialization in Neuropsychology at the Charleston Consortium, and a research postdoc fellowship at the Duke University Brain Imaging and Analysis Center.

An affective neuroscientist and clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Huggins broadly aims to identify neurobiological mechanisms involved in the etiology and maintenance of trauma-related psychopathology. Her interests largely center on aberrant neural processes relevant to threat regulation, including fear conditioning and generalization, and response to unpredictable threat. She is also especially interested in how broader socio-environmental factors – such as neighborhood disadvantage and exposure to community violence – affect neurodevelopmental trajectories to impact affective and cognitive function. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, hiking, and going to see live music.

Email — Google Scholar — Twitter — ResearchGate — Psychology 252 (office)

Katie Barlis

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Katie Barlis is a third year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Arizona. She completed her Bachelor's degree at Davidson College. Prior to joining the CATS Lab, Katie served as a research coordinator in Dr. Jane Joseph's lab at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she worked on several studies examining risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Her research interests broadly include the neuropsychology of memory and the effects of stress on cognitive processes.
Jamie Terner

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Jamie is a second year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Arizona. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and upon graduating worked full time as a research assistant at the University of Southern California’s Imaging Genetics Center in Dr. Meredith Braskie’s lab. Her research interests center around risk and resilience to psychopathology, and more specifically she is interested in applying a multi-modal approach that leverages neuroimaging to better understand the interaction of neural, biological, and environmental mechanisms underlying (ab)normal brain function and behavior. She is also interested in how adversity might affect these functions. Jamie will be pursuing the neuropsychology track during her PhD.
Outside of the lab, Jamie enjoys trying new restaurants and coffee shops, watching the sunset, and practicing hot yoga - namaste!
Alexis Marshall

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Alexis is a first year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Arizona. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience & Behavior at Columbia University where she completed an honors thesis on behavioral sequencing of inflammatory pain models in mice. Upon graduation, she worked full time as a research assistant in the Substance Use Research Center of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Her current research interests include applying multimodal neuroimaging to better understand the cognitive effects of prolonged exposure to various stressors.
Outside of the lab, Alexis enjoys martial arts, dancing, and going to concerts.
Nancy Huynh

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Nancy is the lab coordinator of the CATS Lab. She completed her B.A. in psychology with a minor in sociology at San Diego State University. Before joining the CATS Lab, Nancy served as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Tristen Inagaki’s lab at SDSU, where she worked on several studies surrounding social cognition, prosocial behaviors, and opioid use. Her research interests broadly centers around examining how social connections influence on the body-mind relationship in addition to individuals with internalizing and stress-related disorders. Additionally, she is interested in investigating how these dynamics may vary among underrepresented groups.
Outside the lab, she enjoys watching films, reading, going to concerts, and trying new things!
Janice Hayhoe

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Janice is a graduate research assistant in the CATS lab in the Neuroimaging Research Certificate program. She is also the staff Senior Research Psychometist on a joint project between Dr. Grilli's Human Memory Lab and Dr. Sbarra's Laboratory of Social Connectedness and Health where she does cognitive testing on twins looking at the impact of social relationships on health outcomes. She completed her B.A. in neuroscience with a minor in music from Wellesley College. Janice is interested in all things that involve the brain and understanding more about individual differences and how we process the world.
In her spare time she facilitates sexuality education workshops for youth, enjoys singing and playing music, playing tabletop games and relaxing around a good fire with friends.
Penelope

Penelope is an honorary member of the CATS Lab. Her research interests include desert ornithology and solar energy. She plays a key role in the lab by promoting work life balance and emotion regulation.

Research Assistants

Rae Dudoit

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Rae is a volunteer research assistant at the CATS Lab. She graduated at University of Arizona in May 2025 with her bachelor’s in Psychological Sciences along with a minor in Fashion and Consumers.
Mia Bettis

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Mia is a senior majoring in Psychological Sciences.
Sripriya Srinivas

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Sripriya is a junior majoring in Psychological Sciences with a minor in Creative Writing.
Alyssa Blanks

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Alyssa is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Special Education and Rehabilitation.
Abby Witt

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Abby is a senior majoring in Psychological Sciences with minors in Business Administration and Recreation & Sports.
Vibha Chandrasekaran

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Vibha is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science with minors in Data Science & Statistics and Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Bailey Boigon

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Bailey is a senior majoring in Psychological Sciences.
Gabriella Mangano

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Gabriella is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and Psychological Sciences with a minor in Italian.