PEOPLE
LAB DIRECTOR:
Dr. Leah Irish
Leah Irish is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at North Dakota State University and Adjunct Scientist at the Sanford Center for Biobehavioral Research. Prior to joining the faculty at NDSU in 2013, she earned her Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Kent State University in the lab of Dr. Douglas Delahanty and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Martica Hall. Broadly, Leah’s research interests include the complex interplay of sleep and waking health behaviors and the promotion of sleep health in the general population. In her free time, Leah enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS:
Allison Veronda
Allison became a member of the SLEEP Lab in 2016 as a graduate student in the NDSU Health Psychology Ph.D. program. She previously attended Iowa State University in Ames, IA, where she completed her B.S. in Psychology. Allison is interested in studying relationships between sleep and eating behaviors, with a particular focus on chrononutrition. Allison has taught Research Methods in Psychology and Introduction to Health Psychology. In her free time, Allison likes to bake, read, and spend time with family, friends, and her dog.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENTS:
Mike Mead
Mike joined the SLEEP Lab in 2014 as a graduate student in the Health Psychology Ph.D. program at NDSU. Mike earned his Ph.D. in Health Psychology in Spring 2020 and began a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University in Summer 2020. Before joining NDSU, Mike completed his B.S. at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI where he majored in psychology and minored in criminal justice. His research is focused on 24-hour health, and uses multilevel modeling to test the intra-individual temporal associations between sleep and waking health behaviors. Further, his work applies health behavior theory to better understand the decisions people making regarding their sleep health. Mike is also passionate about teaching psychology, earning his teaching certificate at NDSU. He has taught Research Methods in Psychology (both online and in person) and Introduction to Health Psychology. In his spare time, Mike likes cooking, reading, spending time with friends and family, and listening to podcasts.
UNDERGRAD RESEARCH ASSISTANTS:
Each year, we are fortunate to work with a number of talented and dedicated undergraduate research assistants. Our students include:
Fall 2017
Zoe Citrowske Lee
Shyla Furcht
Brandon Gibson
Amanda Jensen
Anna Montgomery
Rachel Rausch
Rachel Westphal
Fall 2019
Sage Bendickson
Micayla Brown
Julia Duncan
Samantha Fitzer
Kylie Gullickson
Michaela Powers
Micaela Rud
Spring 2018
Alma Cipranic
Sydney Hofmann
Amanda Jensen
Rachel Rausch
Roxanne Roemer
Rachel Westphal
Elise Williams
Spring 2020
Sage Bendickson
Micayla Brown
Julia Duncan
Samantha Fitzer
Brooke Gronwold
Kylie Gullickson
Tate O'Hara
Michaela Powers
Micaela Rud
Scott Rudquist
Larissa Stoddart
Fall 2018
Sage Bendickson
Lisa Brekke
Mykenzie Broadland
Micayla Brown
Julia Duncan
Samantha Fitzer
Matt Laden
Joanne Ramos
Roxanne Roemer
Elise Williams
Priscilla Xiong
Fall 2020
Brooke Gronwold
Elizabeth Lembke
Tate O'Hara
Michaela Powers
Faith Rickbeil
Micaela Rud
Scott Rudquist
Larissa Stoddart
Spring 2019
Sage Bendickson
Mikayla Bennett
Mykenzie Broadland
Micayla Brown
Julia Duncan
Samantha Fitzer
Joanne Ramos
Elise Williams
Priscilla Xiong
Spring 2021
Tate O'Hara
Scott Rudquist
Mariah Seidel
Larissa Stoddart
Cali Williamson
Fall 2021
Adam Beyer
Tessa Large
Tate O'Hara
Scott Rudquist
Mariah Seidel
Serene Timp