People
Principal Investigator
Dr. Colder is the Principal Investigator of the Child and Adolescent Family Development Laboratory. He directs a multidisciplinary team that includes faculty from UB, Buffalo State University, University of Washington, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Emory University. Dr. Colder received his doctoral degree from Arizona State University in 1994, and completed post-doctoral training at Duke University Medical Center and The Health Policy and Researcher Centers at University of Illinois at Chicago. His area of interest is in childhood and adolescent behavior problems, and the development of substance abuse.
Project Coordinators
Dr. Eugene Maguin is a Research Scientist in the Department of Psychology. He has worked as a data analyst on numerous studies with Dr. Colder and colleagues.
Dawn is the project coordinator of the Adolescent and Family Development Project. She received her B.A in sociology from Buffalo State College. Dawn has worked on several NIH grant funded projects at the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo from January 1999 to November 2006, at which point she came to UB to work on this project.
Graduate Students
Katie is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. She studied psychology and Spanish as an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame. Katie’s research focuses on the intersection of substance use and psychopathology across development. Specifically, Katie is interested in the mechanisms by which early substance use impacts the developing adolescent brain, and how this process may precipitate the onset of mood and anxiety disorders. When she’s not in lab, Katie enjoys hiking, spinning, and cheering on the Irish during football season.
Nolan is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. He studied psychology and business as an undergraduate at IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis). Nolan’s research interests lie in understanding the individual (personality, affect, attitudes) and interpersonal (family, peers, broader social contexts) factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of adolescent substance and psychopathology. Specifically, Nolan’s work has focused on how adolescent personality (e.g. sensitivity to punishment/reward) and family (e.g. parent substance use, general parenting, substance-specific parenting) factors interact with one another to contribute to substance use attitudes and behaviors in adolescents. Outside of research, Nolan enjoys playing piano, exercising, reading, and hiking.
Jamie is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. She studied psychology and social work as an undergraduate at Eastern Michigan University, then managed the Developmental Psychopathology Lab at the University of Iowa before joining UB’s clinical program in fall of 2020. Jamie’s research centers around risk and protective factors for adjustment outcomes in adolescence into early adulthood. Specifically, she is interested in how internal (e.g., symptomatology, personality) and external (e.g., peers, environment) factors influence the initiation and escalation of alcohol and substance use. Beyond research, Jamie enjoys hiking and exploring, movies, cooking, and hanging out with her dog Willow.
Bernard Pereda
Bernard “Berny” Pereda is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. He studied psychology as an undergraduate at The College of New Jersey before joining UB’s Clinical program in Fall of 2022. Berny’s research interests center around learning processes. Specifically, Berny is interested in individual differences in salience of learning experiences and consequent influences on behavior as they relate to substance use. Outside of the lab, he enjoys music and video games.
Nathaniel Perdue
Nathaniel Perdue is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. He studied psychology as an undergraduate at The University of Louisiana at Monroe and as a graduate student at The University of New Orleans before joining UB’s Clinical program in Fall of 2023. Nathaniel’s research centers around understanding what factors lead to an adolescent’s maladjustment in later life. Currently, Nathaniel is interested in the effects of adolescent peer victimization and how to mitigate negative outcomes. Outside of academia, Nate enjoys hiking, cooking, and playing with his cats.
Samuel Levy
Sam Levy is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. He studied neuroscience as an undergraduate at Vassar College and worked as a research coordinator at the Recovery Research Institute before joining UB’s Clinical program in Fall of 2023. Sam’s research interests center around factors influencing adolescent substance use and psychopathology. Currently, Sam is interested in the impact of personality on perceptions of parental authority and subsequent effects on adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing guitar, reading, and spending time with his two cats.
Alumni
Nicole Kiss, M.A.
Samuel Meisel, Ph.D.
Trenten Foulkrod, M.A.
Blair Ganoe, M.A.
Carolyn Speidel Pardee, Ph.D.
Elisa Trucco, Ph.D.
Hector I. Lopez, Ph.D.
Jamie Tillman, M.A.
Jennifer Zehe, Ph.D.
Matthew Scalco, Ph.D.
Paula Fite, Ph.D.
Patrick Nowlin, Ph.D.
Roisin O’Connor, Ph.D.
Shontay Barnes, M.A.
Viktoriya Magid, Ph.D.
Degree & Transfer Specialist, SUNY Empire State College
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Brown University
Doctoral Student, Sam Houston State University
Academic Coach & Student Success Coordinator, Villa Maria College
Private Practice, Buffalo NY
Associate Professor, Florida International University
Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island
Clinical Psychologist, Robert J. Donovan Prison, San Diego CA
Associate Professor, The University of New Orleans
Professor, The University of Kansas
Clinical Psychologist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Professor, Concordia University, Montreal
Research Associate, Via Evaluation, Buffalo NY
Private Practice, Charleston SC