Our Team

HEROES interns and mentors, 2023 End-of-Year Research Symposium

"I'm really grateful to have been able to be a part of this team because it sparked my interest in research and topics that I did not think I would be so interested in."

-HEROES intern

Supervisors

Our lab leaders work closely with our team to ensure quality data collection on academic integrity!

Dr. Tal Waltzer

Postdoctoral Researcher, UC San Diego & UC Santa Cruz

Dr. Tal Waltzer is a researcher who studies moral reasoning and cognitive development, and is currently a National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Scholar working at UC San Diego. You can learn more about Dr. Waltzer here.

Dr. Gail Heyman

Professor, UC San Diego

Dr. Gail Heyman studies social development and learning in children and adults. She is the director of the Social and Cognitive Development Lab (SCDL). She has been a Professor at UC San Diego for over 20 years.

You can learn more about Dr. Heyman here and the SCDL here.

Research Mentor-Coordinators

Our HEROES research coordinators help with daily lab tasks to contribute to the overall efficiency of the lab!

Ava Gabrenya

Ava is a third year undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz majoring in Intensive Psychology. Outside of school, she enjoys playing video games and spending time in nature.

Oliver Herrera

Oliver is a third-year undergraduate at UCSD majoring in Clinical Psychology. During his free time, he enjoys playing and watching soccer.

Mia Kottgen

Mia is an undergraduate student in her third year at UCSC. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Education. Aside from school, Mia enjoys painting, and specifically following Bob Ross’ painting tutorials.

Caeli Tani

Caeli is a third year undergraduate student at UCSC majoring in Cognitive Science. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting.

HEROES mentors presenting a research poster at SSEA Conference 2023

2023-2024 High School Interns

During the 2023-2024 school year, high school interns come together to learn about academic research, data collection, analysis, and more as part of our research team.

"My fellow interns have been a source of inspiration and motivation. ... This supportive environment has thus allowed me to overcome some personal struggles and has helped me overcome my doubts about myself and my work."

-HEROES intern