Meet the researchers and students who work in our lab
Lab Director
Adela C. Timmons, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology
Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology Program
Florida International University Center for Children and Families
Ph.D., Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology, University of Southern California
M.A., Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology, University of Southern California
B.A., Psychology; Minor, Quantitative Psychology; University of Kansas
atimmons@fiu.edu
Curriculum Vita
Google Scholar
Colliga Apps Corporation
Dr. Adela Timmons is the director of the Technological Interventions for Ecological Systems (TIES) Lab. Dr. Timmons’ research examines how childhood stress, trauma, and adversity become biologically embedded and impact stress reactivity and emotion regulation capacity in the context of interpersonal relationships. She is particularly interested in coregulation processes, or how people in interpersonal relationships share in their moment-to-moment physiological and emotional states. To conduct her research, she uses both laboratory-based and ambulatory assessment methods to capture relationship dynamics as they naturalistically unfold. She is also interested in the development of new technologies and measures for automatically and passively capturing and quantifying interpersonal functioning in real-life contexts. She is currently developing just-in-time adaptive mobile health interventions using machine learning and wearables, with the goal of improving mental health outcomes for children, couples, and families. Her research is interdisciplinary, spanning clinical science, quantitative psychology, and engineering domains.
Dr. Timmons received a combined Ph.D. in Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2018 and completed her predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco in 2018. She obtained a combined M.A. in Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2013 and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Behavioral Sciences Research Methodology from the University of Kansas in 2011. She joined the faculty at Florida International University as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Science and Quantitative Psychology in 2018. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings in psychology and engineering outlets and has received multiple national awards and fellowships, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the American Psychological Association Dissertation Award, the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Basic Psychological Science Grant, and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Junior Scientist Fellowship. She holds two pending patents for inventions relating to mobile health machine learning applications for couple and family therapy. Her work has been featured in various press outlets, including BBC, NBC, Yahoo News, CNET, and TechCrunch. Visit our research page to learn more about Dr. Timmons' work.
Dr. Timmons is also the founder and CEO of Colliga, a startup company funded through an NIMH STTR grant that uses technology, AI, and pervasive computing to build research tools for promoting health and wellbeing.
Collaborators
The TIES team actively collaborates with a number of researchers in psychology, data science, and engineering domains. Here is a sample of our most frequent research collaborators:
Gayla Margolin, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics
University of Southern California
Visit Dr. Margolin's website
Theodora Chaspari, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
Texas A&M University
Visit Dr. Chaspari's website
Shrikanth Narayanan, Ph.D.
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
University of Southern California
Visit Dr. Narayanan's website
Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry
Florida International University
Visit Dr. Comer's website
Postdoctoral Researchers
If you are interested in joining our lab as a postdoctoral researcher, check out our join us page.
Doctoral Students
If you are interested in joining our lab as a doctoral student, check out our join us page.
Jacqueline Duong, M.A.
M.A., Psychology, San Diego State
B.A., Sociology, University of California, Berkeley
Jacqueline Duong is a second-year doctoral student. She obtained an M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. She is broadly interested in examining how children and families, especially those from traditionally under-served and under-represented backgrounds, can positively respond to stress, trauma, and adversity. She is also interested in exploring the clinical use of mobile health tools to examine the impact of parental psychopathology on child wellbeing.
Sierra Walters, B.S.
B.S., Psychology and Kinesiology & Health Sciences, College of William & Mary
Sierra Walters is a first-year doctoral student. She received her B.S. in Psychology and Kinesiology & Health Sciences at the College of William & Mary. At William & Mary, she conducted research with children of incarcerated individuals, fostering an interest in working populations exposed to adversity. While pursuing her graduate studies, she is interested in exploring how children and families show resilience in response to stress and trauma, especially the impact of parental relationships on a child’s emotional response to stress.
Kayla Carta, B.S.
B.S., Chemistry, Keene State College
Kayla Carta is a first-year doctoral student. She obtained her B.S. in Chemistry at Keene State College. After graduating, Kayla pursued clinical research and studied cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. More recently, she worked for the Center for Neuroscience in Women’s Health and the Pediatric Mood Disorders Program at Stanford University where she studied emotional regulation in adolescents at-risk for mood disorders. Kayla is interested in studying the effects of parental stress on children’s moods and using technological tools to promote supportive family environments to prevent the onset of psychiatric disorders.
Lab Manager
Natalia Simó Fiallo
B.A., Psychology; Minor, Criminal Justice Studies; Florida International University
I aspire to attend graduate school in Clinical Psychology and contribute to the field through research and clinical practice. I am committed to providing psychoeducation as preventative care and counseling for children, couples, and families.
Research Assistants
If you are interested in joining our lab as a research assistant, check out our join us page.
Pablo Gómez
Psychology Major; Natural & Applied Sciences Major; Biology Minor
My goals are to go to medical school and specialize in the field of Neurology. I hope to pursue clinical research.
Kamryn Chow
Chemistry Major; Biology Minor
My goal is to attend graduate school and obtain an M.A. in Physician Assistant studies. I am interested in the research process as a whole, especially the field of psychology and mental health.
Rozeena Taylor
Psychology Major
My goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to research the impact of acculturative stress in immigrant and POC communities.
Jessica Castro
Psychology Major; Women’s & Gender Studies Minor; Queer Studies Minor
My goal is to attend graduate school for Clinical Psychology. My dream is to become a certified sex and marriage counselor while raising awareness for comprehensive sex education in Miami-Dade County.
Wheddy Laguerre
B.S., Biology & Natural & Applied Sciences
My goal is to attend medical school and one day become a cardiologist. I plan to improve the lives of marginalized populations through medicine and service.
Theodore Lee IV
B.A., Psychology
My goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and enter the Air Force as a clinical psychologist. My research interests include suicidal ideation among minority groups and associated protective factors.
Adriana Dominguez
B.S., Nutrition
My goal is to attend medical school and become an OB-GYN or pediatrician with a subspecialty in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. I hope to improve the quality of care and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and infant health.
Ashley Martinez
B.S., Biology and Natural & Applied Sciences; Psychology Minor
I aspire to attend medical school to become a physician. Bring a research assistant in this study allows me to gage the impact relationships have on individuals, especially children, who are starting to form their identities. I hope to positively impact the healthcare field by catering the individual’s care based on their experiences, background, and concerns instead of solely focusing on their symptoms.
Lab Alumni
(2018-2021) Gabriella Morey, Research Assistant (currently attending medical school)
(2020-2021) Jamila Floyd, Research Assistant (currently attending Marriage and Family Therapy M.A. program)
(2020-2021) Miguel Ramirez, Research Assistant (currently applying to medical school)
(2018-2020) Alyssa Delcampo, Lab Manager (currently attending Doctor of Education program)
(2018-2020) Grace Hernandez, Research Assistant (currently attending Doctor of Physical Therapy program)