Brain Development and Social Cognition Lab Staff
Eric Nelson, PhD
Principal Investigator
Eric.Nelson@NationwideChildrens.org
Eric Nelson, PhD, is principal investigator and director of neuroimaging research at the Center for Biobehavioral Health of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Eric received a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience in 1995 at Bowling Green State University under the guidance of Jaak Panksepp and did postdoctoral training at Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin before joining the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health in 2001. In 2016, Dr. Nelson joined the faculty of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and was appointed professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University. Dr. Nelson has published widely in the field of developmental and affective neuroscience and is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and Flux Congress of Developmental Neuroscience.
Whitney Mattson, PhD
Research Scientist
Whitney.Mattson@NationwideChildrens.org
Whitney Mattson is a research scientist in the Brain Development and Social Cognition Lab, supervising data collection and analysis, as well as participating in the reporting of scientific findings. Before joining the Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Whitney received a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Miami and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the psychology department at the University of Michigan. Whitney’s research examines the impact of early experiences and psychopathology on later affective and neural development, and how these experiences result in resilient or risky trajectories. His work employs techniques from multiple disciplines, including machine learning, eye-tracking/computer vision, and multi-level modeling.
Florencia Ontiveros
Clinical Research Coordinator
Florencia.Ontiveros@NationwideChildrens.org
Florencia works in both the Nelson and Hoskinson Lab as a clinical research coordinator. She received a bachelor of science in neuroscience from The Ohio State University in 2024. Florencia is involved in all aspects of neuroimaging research from recruiting to data analysis and hopes to pursue a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience.
Emily Alder
Program Manager
Emily.Alder@NationwideChildrens.org
Emily is the program manager for the Brain Development and Social Cognition Lab and also coordinates activities for the Neuroimaging Research Collaborative housed within CBH. Emily received a PhD in sociology from the University of Missouri and is interested in the impact adverse experiences on psychological development and the ways in which social structures like families and neighborhoods interact with adversity across development.
Hollen Knoell
Clinical Research Coordinator
Hollen.Knoell@NationwideChildrens.org
Hollen joined the lab as a clinical research coordinator in July of 2025. Hollen works on several studies investigating neural biomarkers of psychosis and suicide risk using EEG and MRI measures and is involved in all aspects of study implementation including recruitment, assessment and data analysis. She received a bachelor of arts from Kenyon College with majors in psychology and ancient Greek and a minor in mathematics.
Sirin Jitklongsub
Clinical Research Coordinator
Sirin.Jitklongsub@NationwideChildrens.org
Sirin joined the lab as a clinical research coordinator in July of 2025. Sirin works on several studies investigating neural correlates of depression risk and early symptom expression in adolescents using EEG and MRI measures. Sirin is involved in all aspects of study implementation including recruitment, assessment and data analysis. She received a bachelor of arts from Northwestern University in psychology.
Saachi Kuthe
Clinical Research Coordinator
Saachi.Kuthe@NationwideChildrens.org
Saachi joined the Center for Biobehavioral Health as a clinical research coordinator with joint duties in the Hoskinson and Nelson labs in July of 2025. Saachi participates in studies investigating neurocognitive development in patients with neurological conditions using neuropsychological assessments and risk for depression in adolescent girls using EEG and MRI measures. She is involved in all aspects of study implementation including recruitment, assessment, neurocognitive testing and data analysis. She received a bachelor of science from The Ohio State University in psychology.
Former lab members have continued their training and careers at a variety of institutions. Positions listed reflect where they went after leaving the lab and may have since changed.
- Aliyah Web: currently pursuing PhD in neuropsychology at the University of Nebraska
- Christine Roberts: Pursuing PhD in clinical psychology at Case Western Reserve University
- Caley Lane: Pursuing PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Toledo
- Haileigh Galloway
- Katherine Billetdeaux: Pursuing a doctorate in psychology, Penn State University
- Scout Crowell: Pursuing a doctorate in psychology, University of Missouri
- Alexander Douma: Neuroimaging Lab, Vanderbilt University
- Roberto French: Pursuing a doctorate in psychology and cognitive science, Indiana University
- Xiaoxue Fu: Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina
- Connor Grannis: Data Scientist, Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital
- Andy Hung: Pursing a counseling degree, University of Denver
- Michele Morningstar: Assistant professor, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
- Peyton Thomas: Pursuing a doctorate in neuroscience, Georgetown University
- Stanley Singer II: Biomedical Informatics and Data Sciences Department, Johns Hopkins University
- Meika Travis: Pursuing a doctorate in neuroscience, The Ohio State University
- Joseph Venticinque: Postdoctoral fellow, Georgetown University