Megan Mueller (she/her)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Megan Mueller is the Principal Investigator of the Teen & Dog Study. She is an Associate Professor of human-animal interaction at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Dr. Mueller directs the Pets and Well-Being (PAW) Lab, which studies the role of companion animals in the lives of children, teenagers, and their families. In her free time, Dr. Mueller enjoys spending time with her kids, her dog (Jett), and her horse (Fox).
To learn more about Dr. Mueller’s research, click here.
Seana Dowling-Guyer (she/her)
Co-Investigator
Seana Dowling-Guyer, M.S., is a Co-Investigator of the Teen & Dog Study. She is the Associate Director of the Tufts Center for Shelter Dogs at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and teaches in the M.S. in Animals and Public Policy program. Ms. Dowling-Guyer’s research focuses on the intersection of animal behavior and people’s perceptions of that behavior. She also studies how to improve the welfare of dogs in shelters and support dogs and other companion animals in the home and community.
To learn more about Ms. Dowling-Guyer’s research, click here.
Evan Mingo (they/them)
Project Coordinator
Evan Mingo, M.Phil, is the Project Coordinator for the Teen & Dog Study at the PAW Lab. Evan graduated from Yale College in 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology and Ethnic Studies, and then completed a Masters of Sociology in the Sociology of Marginality and Exclusion at King’s College, Cambridge. Evan’s research interests mainly involve clinical consequences of discrimination and bias, environmental and intersectional stress, and diverse sampling and recruitment. Outside of the PAW Lab, Evan enjoys binge-watching movies and TV shows, playing board games, eating good food, and video games.
Rachael Sabelli (she/her)
Projects Manager
Rachael, M.Sc., is the Projects Manager. She has worked at Tufts University since 2018 and is the project manager of multiple studies, including Dr. Megan Mueller’s Teen & Dog study and those in Dr. Margie Skeer’s substance use prevention laboratory. She specializes in helping researchers start up their grants – developing protocols and study materials and building databases. She received her Master of Science in Epidemiology from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2018. Prior to working with Dr. Skeer, Rachael lived and worked in Malawi as a project manager for programs focused on providing comprehensive HIV care to families and served in the Peace Corps (Malawi, 2010-2012).
Jordanne Brown (she/her)
Research Associate
Jordanne Brown, B.S., is a Research Associate at the PAW Lab, working on the Teen & Dog Study. She recently graduated from Florida International University and the FIU Honors College in psychology. Her research interests predominately focus on social anxiety and ADHD in children/adolescents, alternative treatment methodology, and diverse family dynamics. Jordanne was also born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. She is incredibly passionate about her culture, driving her interest in racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. Outside the PAW Lab, Jordanne is an avid equestrian who loves finding new restaurants to eat at with friends and talking with her family.
Erin King, M.S. (she/her)
Ph.D. Student, Doctoral Research Assistant
Erin King, M.S., is a student in the human-animal interaction track at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine PhD program. In addition to working in the Pets and Well-Being Lab, Erin is the Civic Life Coordinator at Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Her current research project areas include equity and accessible veterinary care, student service -learning and civic engagement, and human-animal interaction.
Nicole Mason, M.S.W. (she/her)
Ph.D. Student, Doctoral Research Assistant
Nicole Mason, LMSW, is the newest doctoral student in the PAW lab as part of Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine’s PhD program within the human-animal interaction track. Nicole’s background comprises of both research and clinical social work experience within animal-assisted therapies. Her research interests are on using interdisciplinary and participatory research methods to examine the human-animal bond through the One Welfare lens. Outside of the PAW lab, Nicole works in the substance use prevention industry, and also co-founded a nonprofit equine sanctuary that puts the One Welfare perspective into practice.
Jiaqi Tian (she/her)
Graduate Research Assistant
Jiaqi Tian is a student in the M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) program at Tufts University. Her main interests lie in human-animal interaction and the human-animal bond. Specifically, she focuses on the role of companion animals in children’s development and how pets’ presence can impact the dynamics of human interaction. It’s worth noting that she is a proud owner of two lovely cats.
Ramina Bebezova (she/her)
Student Research Assistant
Ramina is a sophomore from Kyrgyzstan, studying Clinical Psychology and Child Study & Human Development and hoping to become a clinical psychologist in the future! She is passionate about developing accessible psychological interventions and believe that researching human-animal interactions provides amazing insights into how our companions can help maintain our mental health. Outside of the lab, she is also a research assistant at the Translational Emotion and Memory Lab in the psychology department of Tufts University and an Events Coordinator at Tufts Active Minds. In her free time, she enjoys rewatching comfort shows, meeting with friends, and reading fantasy book series!
Niamh Guyer (she/her)
Student Research Assistant
Niamh is an undergraduate at Tufts University, studying biochemistry and biotechnology. She currently works at Armstrong Ambulance as an EMT and for Tufts EMS (TEMS). Niamh is very excited to be working with the PAW Lab, as she is interested in the human psychology involved in human-animal interactions. Niamh’s interests include spending time outdoors, late-night ice cream runs, and anything containing caffeine.
Angie Zhong (she/her)
Student Research Assistant
Angie is a junior studying Cognitive Brain Science and Biology at Tufts interested in psychology and neuroscience. She’s excited to learn more about human-animal interactions and the benefits of pets on human wellbeing! In her free time, she likes to draw and helps with lighting in the student theatre groups on campus. She’s very excited about the cat cafe opening up soon and has fingers crossed that it’ll go well.
