People
Principal Investigator
Dr. Craig 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.
Lab Staff
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 Keough 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
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.
Fiona Ralston
Fiona Ralston is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. She studied cognitive and behavioral neuroscience as an undergraduate at UC San Diego, where she worked as a research assistant in the Tapert and Pelham labs. She then worked as a research coordinator at the Stanford REACH Lab before joining UB’s Clinical program in Fall of 2026. Fiona’s research interests center around the development of substance use and psychopathology throughout adolescence. Currently, Fiona is interested in how substance use motives and contexts are associated with patterns of use and negative outcomes across adolescence. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, exploring new coffee shops, and crocheting.
Nadia Bibb
Nadia Bibb is a doctoral student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. She studied psychology and neuroscience as an undergraduate at Texas A&M University and worked as a research associate in the Mood Addiction Interaction Neuroscience lab at the University of Texas at Austin before joining UB’s Clinical program in Fall of 2026. Nadia’s research interests center around the developmental and environmental factors that contribute to individual differences in adolescent alcohol use and prospective risk for alcohol-related problems. Currently, she is interested in the roles of family communication (direct and indirect) and social influences on the development of alcohol-related cognitions and behaviors. In her free time, Nadia enjoys art, traveling, and spending time outdoors with her dog.
Will Roberts
Will Roberts is a masters student in the Child and Adolescent Family Development Lab. He studied chemistry and biomedical science as an undergraduate at the University at Buffalo and conducted research in chemistry before joining the university’s Drugs, Health, and Society Masters program in the Fall of 2025. Will’s research focuses on integrating machine learning into research methods at the lab. Outside of school, he enjoys reading and watching movies.
Alumni Name |
Current Position |
|---|---|
| Katie Paige, Ph.D. | Post-doc at University of Michigan |
| Nolan Ramer, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln |
| Nicole Kiss, M.A. | Degree & Transfer Specialist, SUNY Empire State College |
| Samuel Meisel, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor at Boston University |
| Trenten Foulkrod, M.A. | Doctoral Student, Sam Houston State University |
| Blair Ganoe, M.A. | Academic Coach & Student Success Coordinator, Villa Maria College |
| Carolyn Speidel Pardee, Ph.D. | Private Practice, Buffalo NY |
| Elisa Trucco, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, Florida International University |
| Hector I. Lopez, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island |
| Jamie Tillman, M.A. | Vice President at Canandaigua National Bank & Trust |
| Jennifer Zehe, Ph.D. | Psychologist with Integrated Behavioral Health at UC San Diego Health |
| Matthew Scalco, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, The University of New Orleans |
| Paula Fite, Ph.D. | Professor, The University of Kansas |
| Patrick Nowlin, Ph.D. | Clinical Psychologist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Roisin O’Connor, Ph.D. | Professor, Concordia University, Montreal |
| Shontay Barnes, M.A. | Research Associate, Via Evaluation, Buffalo NY |
| Viktoriya Magid, Ph.D. | Private Practice, Charleston SC |