Aerielle (Elle) Allen, PhD
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Aerielle (Elle) M. Allen, PhD., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, with an affiliation in the Department of Community Health. Dr. Allen, who identifies as an African American woman, draws upon her unique perspective to apply critical race frameworks in her research on systemic racism, health disparities, social identities, group-based ideologies, and hierarchies. Dr. Allen is a former New York University Provost Postdoctoral Faculty Fellow. She received her B.A. in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, her M.A. at California State University, Northridge, and her Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut, Storrs.
When she is not reading, writing, or having a one-sided debate with data syntax, you can find her working with her sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., binging Netflix, HBO series, and Law & Order: SVU, or taking her fur baby Eve on a nature adventure.
Cilicia Brotherson
Lab Coordinator
Cilicia Brotherson (She/Her) is currently the lab coordinator for the IPSE Lab. A former McNair Scholar, she graduated from Hunter College, CUNY, in December 2023. Previously, she served as a full-time research assistant in Dr. Sarit Golub's HART Lab, where she conducted intervention science research. Cilicia's research interests include intergroup relations, intra-minority cooperation, and stereotyping, particularly the effects of metastereotype endorsement on minoritized individuals. In her free time, she enjoys going to the movies, reading, anime, fitness, and fashion.
Yolore Airewele
First Year Grad Student
Yolore Airewele (she/her) is an incoming first year Ph.D student at Tufts University. She received her B.A. in Psychology at Princeton University in 2021 with a minor certificate in the Program in Dance. After earning her undergraduate degree, she worked in the Fiske Lab (social cognition and stereotyping) at Princeton for over two years as the lab manager and research specialist. She is interested in a multitude of research topics such as: intersectional invisibility, intergroup solidarity, factors that may disrupt intra-group cohesion, and anti-racist interventionist work. Aside from her academics, Yolore spends most of her time making playlists and taking dance classes.
Graduate Students
Suliarys Contreras
First Year Grad Student
Suliarys Contreras is currently a first year graduate student in the IPSE lab. She received her A.A. from Lehigh Carbon Community College, and her B.A. in Psychology from Bucknell University. She is interested in understanding social stratification and examining how key social identities (e.g., race, gender, and socioeconomic class) lead to differences in intra- and intergroup contact, empathy, and equity. Specifically, she seeks to identify the underlying psychological processes in minoritized individuals' interaction with ingroup and outgroup members and their downstream consequences.
Outside of work, she loves finding new recipes to cook, writing poetry, and playing Fortnite.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Annie Chen
Annie Chen is a sophomore at Tufts University pursuing a major in Clinical Psychology and International Literary and Cultural Studies. She is interested in examining the psychological factors that drive the prejudice, discrimination, and systemic inequities faced by minority groups, particularly within the context of forensic psychology. Outside of the lab, Annie enjoys painting, watching musicals, listening to jazz performances, and spending quality time with friends.
Neel Sharma
Neel Sharma (he/him) is a sophomore at Tufts University majoring in Biopsychology. Neel is interested in researching how current systems of inequality tied to race, gender, and sexual orientation impact individuals' access to mental health and healthcare services, as well as their broader lived experiences. Outside the lab, he enjoys distance running on the Somerville Bike path, reading fantasy novels, and playing with his two yorkies.
Lily Clarke
Lily Clarke (she/her) is a sophomore at Tufts University pursuing a major in Biology and minors in Medical Anthropology and Chemistry. She is interested in researching the consequences of prejudice and discrimination based on social, cultural, and environmental identities in how it impedes the application of medicine in the healthcare system. When not in the lab, Lily enjoys going out on long distance runs, exploring the old parts of Boston, and Dungeons and Dragons sessions with her friends.
Maggie Zhang
Maggie Zhang (she/her) is a junior at Tufts University majoring in Psychology and Studio Arts, with minors in Film and Media Studies and Computer Science. Her research interests include the intersectional discrimination faced by marginalized groups within minority communities, its quantification, and its impacts on individuals, as well as the psychological effects of AI on human behavior. Outside the lab, Maggie enjoys photography, creative projects, and leading Mood Psychology, a club that applies psychology to real-world discussions through video content.
Lab Gallery and Pets
Lab Alumni
If you are alumni and your information has changed, please contact ipselab@tufts.edu
Graduate Students and Lab Coordinators
Debbie Nguyen
Laboratory Coordinator 2023-2024
Debbie Nguyen (She/They) was the inaugural Lab Coordinator for the IPSE Lab from 2023-2024. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Dechen Chokey: Fall 2024 - Spring 2025
Husseina Nurbhai: Fall 2024 - Spring 2025
Erin Guy: Summer 2024
Ingrid Toft: Summer 2024
Lian Juergens: Summer 2024