Our Team

 

The Graduate Students

Katelyn Jackman, M.S.

Katelyn is a 4th year Clinical Psychology PhD student. I'm currently studying the psychophysiological outcomes of mindfulness training among K-12 teachers. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, running canyoneering, and crocheting.

UNURZaya Amarsaikhan

Unurzaya is a 2nd year Clinical Psychology PhD student. I love being in nature, serving people, and gaining more awareness and insights through mindfulness, self-compassion, and spiritual experiences. I am currently studying the barriers that we have when practicing self-compassion.

Elijah Kagan

Elijah is a 1st year Clinical Psychology PhD student. His research experience includes mindfulness-based interventions for refugees, yoga and breathing techniques for immune system recovery, and the use of MDMA and psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. In addition to his academic work, Elijah is a military veteran and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. His unique blend of scientific inquiry and spiritual practice informs a holistic, evidence-based approach that integrates mind, body, and spirit.

Meredith Vagner

Meredith is a 1st year Clinical Psychology PhD student. I am interested in the investigation of biopsychosocial processes underlying chronic pain and mindfulness-based psychotherapeutic interventions. I hope to integrate conventional and alternative healthcare models for underserved populations of interest, such as women managing chronic pain from endometriosis, post-operative orthopedic patients, and individuals experiencing medically unexplained phenomena.

Eve Barton, M.S.

Eve is a 3rd year Clinical Psychology PhD student. I am interested in researching the physiological effects of mindfulness as well as creating translational research that promotes individual well-being and life flourishing. Outside of my work, I love to snowboard, wakeboard, and wakesurf. 

Marinne Hammond

Marinne is a 2nd year clinical psychology student. She is currently conducting research on the relationships between self-compassion, perfectionism, and resilience. In her free time, she enjoys playing violin and spending time with her family in Arizona.

Kathleen Ririe

Kathleen is a 1st year Clinical Psychology PhD student. I think our human bodies are incredible and capable of experiencing so much more joy than we understand or implement in society. I’ve personally learned about and used so many positive psychology techniques in my own life and I’m excited to learn more and help others apply these same principles. I’m specifically interested in how positive psychology practices can decrease anxiety and increase joy.

The Research Assistants

ruth jack

Ruth is a 3rd year Post-BACC student who is passionate about mind-body interventions, meditation, biofeedback, emotional regulation, stress management, and motivational interviewing. She plans to attend graduate school to pursue a career as a clinical psychologist. In her free time, she loves to read and care for her garden, which overflows with ten varieties of fruit—raspberries being her favorite. 

Leini Jenkins

I am part of this research team because I love the idea of helping others discover for themselves the goodness that is already within themselves. Some of my specific interests are mindfulness and self-compassion and how they can improve both physical and mental well-being. I want to attend graduate school and earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or Marriage and Family Therapy. I hope to be a therapist and implement these positive psychology practices, helping individuals overcome challenges and thrive.

Bryce Klingonsmith

I took Professor Warren's class in Winter ‘22 Semester and absolutely loved it. I feel like positive psychology is what's most worth studying about psychology. Other disciplines are important, but why would you study how a bike works or how to fix a bike when you could be studying how to bring the joy and vitality of riding a bike to yourself and others? I am specifically interested in learning the clinical applications of positive psychology. I am aiming to go on to earn a PhD in counseling psychology and one day practice privately. How soon or where this will happen is still a mystery, but that's the goal.

Dan Wellock

I am from Queen Creek, Arizona, and I am a psychology and philosophy double major here at BYU. For the first year of my undergraduate degree, I was primarily interested in psychotic disorders, and I studied them in a computational neuroanatomy research lab. After my brother took his own life in 2025, my life reeled, and mindfulness is what has kept me afloat in the grieving process. Now I do research on mindfulness, seeking to help others find peace in bereavement. In my free time, I like to read, write, run, hike, and discuss philosophy with friends. I hope to get a master’s degree in philosophy and a PhD in clinical psychology so I can be a clinical psychologist and a theoretician/philosopher.

Mikaela Ahlstrom

I'm passionate about making the most out of life, and I want to help others understand how to flourish. I'm specifically interested in the impacts of an individual’s ability to tolerate discomfort on their well-being as well as mental health education and therapy outcomes. I plan to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology, and I’d like to open my own psychotherapy private practice.

Will MacDonald

I love psychology and I was searching for a lab to join to explore my interests. I was told about an opening in this lab and jumped at the chance! I love so many things about positive psychology that it is hard to pick just one. I think I have grown the most attached to mindfulness after seeing it’s effect in my life and the lives of others. I plan on going to graduate school in order to get an Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Ben Anderson

Hey! I'm from Parker, Colorado. I love to play tennis, I enjoy going on walks, especially in Winter. I am a Junior studying Psychology & Philosophy at BYU. I'm personally really interested in the environmental side of positive psychology (how the environment affects how we think and how we ought to respond) as well as the power of small decisions (like going on a walk, meditating, gratitude, journaling, etc.) has on our daily lives and mindsets.

christen craven

I am thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of Dr. Warren’s research lab. I am currently pursuing my undergraduate degree in psychology at Brigham Young University. After losing my son to cancer, I discovered the life-changing power of mindfulness, which not only guided my own healing but also inspired me to return to school. I am now preparing to apply to a clinical psychology PhD program to help others through evidence-based positive psychology practices that foster resilience, joy, and lasting well-being. Whenever we can, my husband, our eight children, and I love escaping to the mountains to recharge and connect with nature.