Lab Members

Ami Klin, Ph.D. is the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Professor and Chief of the Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities at Emory University School of Medicine, and Director of the Marcus Autism Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of London, and completed clinical and research post-doctoral fellowships at the Yale Child Study Center. He directed the Autism Program at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine until 2010, where he was the Harris Professor of Child Psychology & Psychiatry. Dr. Klin’s primary research activities focus on the social mind and the social brain, and on aspects of autism from infancy through adulthood. These studies include novel techniques such as the eye-tracking laboratories co-directed with Warren Jones, which allow researchers to see the world through the eyes of individuals with autism. Dr. Klin is the author of over 180 publications in the field of autism and related conditions. He is also the co-editor of a textbook on Asperger Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders in Infants and Toddlers published by Guilford Press, the third edition of the Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders published by Wiley, and several special issues of professional journals focused on autism spectrum disorders.

Warren Jones, Ph.D. is the Director of Research at the Marcus Autism Center and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University. His research is focused on the use of eye-tracking technologies to characterize and quantify the social phenotype in autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and related conditions. The aim of Dr. Jones’s research is to better understand the perspectives and struggles of individuals with social disabilities, to quantify phenotypic variation in the manifestation of such disabilities, to improve efforts at early diagnosis, and to develop future strategies for intervention.

Gordon Ramsay, Ph.D. is the Director of the Spoken Communication Laboratory at the Marcus Autism Center and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. Gordon graduated from Cambridge University in England with a B.A./M.A. in Electrical and Information Sciences and an M.Phil. in Computer Speech and Language Processing, and went on to complete a Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Southampton. He has also studied and worked at the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications in Paris, France, the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, the Institut de la Communication Parlée in Grenoble, France, and the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium, and has ongoing collaborations with the Department of Linguistics at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and MARCS Auditory Laboratories at the University of Western Sydney in Australia. Trained as a speech scientist and electronic engineer, his research has centered on understanding the biological foundations of spoken language by building computationally-explicit models of speech production and speech perception, and applying these to speech synthesis and recognition. In collaboration with Ami Klin, Warren Jones, and David Lin, he has recently begun developing new statistical tools and novel experimental paradigms for investigating the development of audiovisual perception in infants with autism. In his spare time, he is writing a prehistory of mechanical speaking machines.

Cheryl Klaiman, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and Director for the Assessment and Diagnosis Program at Marcus Autism Center, leading a team of 15 clinicians to conduct diagnostic evaluations for clinical and research patients. She is also clinical director of a multisite, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated clinical trial working to translate research endeavors at Marcus into a tool for diagnosing autism. Dr. Klaiman is also Assessment Core Director for the center’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center of Excellence grants. At the Marcus Autism Center, Dr. Klaiman investigates techniques to aid in the differential diagnosis of individuals with autism, such as eye-tracking, ERP and functional MRI, early diagnosis and treatment strategies, and genetic comorbidities, such as fragile X syndrome and Williams syndrome. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from McGill University in 2003 and then completed her pre- and post-doctoral internship at the Yale Child Study Center.

Sarah Shultz, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. She received her doctorate in Cognitive Psychology from Yale University, where she used both behavioral (eye-tracking) and neuroimaging methods and analysis techniques (fMRI, EEG, dynamic causal modeling) to investigate social cognition and perception gordon from infancy to adulthood in both typically-developing populations and populations with ASD. At the Marcus Autism Center, Dr. Shultz investigates the causes and biological mechanisms of ASD. Using behavioral and neuroimaging techniques, she studies the interaction between developmental changes in the brain and the developmental unfolding of social behavior in infants with and without ASD. She also uses simultaneous eye-tracking and fMRI to study how the brain functions when children actively explore dynamic, naturalistic social scenes.

Laura A. Edwards, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Marcus Autism Center. Her research aims to leverage social neuroscience methods and insights to improve the educational outcomes of children with autism and related communication disorders. Her current projects focus on identifying optimal timing and targets for early intervention, the development of community-viable biomarkers for predicting and monitoring risk of school difficulties, language/communication and literacy development, optimizing inclusive classrooms, and the role of arts education in social development. She received her doctorate in Human Development and Education from Harvard University.

Katherine Pickard, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Michigan State University and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at JFK Partners at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her primary research interest is in the translation of evidence-based practices into community systems that are naturally positioned to serve children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delays. This interest is rooted in a longstanding commitment to better understanding and addressing treatment disparities. Dr. Pickard’s research is grounded in community-engaged research models and guided by dissemination and implementation science. At Marcus Autism Center, Dr. Pickard leads and collaborates on research examining mechanisms that foster the adoption, implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices within a variety of community systems, including early intervention and public school systems. She is particularly interested in the role of families and community stakeholders in shaping interventions as they are implemented within the community, and in other factors that impact the reach and sustainability of translation efforts.

Stormi Pulver, PsyD is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and Program Manager for the Diagnostics Program at Marcus Autism Center within the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr. Pulver received her doctorate from the University at Albany, State University of New York and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University within the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD). Over the course of her career, Dr. Pulver has been involved in research investigating sensorimotor differences in Autistic individuals and their family members, auditory processing differences in individuals with Fragile X Syndrome, and natural history of Phelan McDermid Syndrome. Most recently, Dr. Pulver is involved in research investigating the genetic underpinnings of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), potential motor endophenotypes present in ASD as well as increasing community engagement and representation of ethnic/racial diversity in research.

Jocelyn Kuhn, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Kuhn’s research aims to promote equitable access to evidence-based, culturally responsive mental and behavioral health care for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. Her work targets critical junctures across the lifespan, from the diagnostic odyssey to the transition to adulthood. Her research agenda is applied and change-oriented, informed by real-world problems that arise for families from communities that have historically been underserved by the service system and under-represented in research. She works together with partners in clinics, schools, and community settings that are well-positioned to adopt and implement practices that can better support all children and their families.

Aiden Ford, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor within the Pediatric Neuroimaging Core at the Marcus Autism Center. She received her doctorate in Neuroscience from Emory University. As a developmental social neuroscientist, Dr. Ford is interested in the mechanisms by which modifiable factors enmeshed within early social experiences contribute to individual variability in neurobehavioral development, with a particular emphasis on infant-caregiver interaction. Her research integrates computational approaches and longitudinal modeling to investigate how infants learn within social interaction across multiple timescales and how their learning shapes and is shaped by structural and functional brain development. She also collaborates with researchers at the Emory National Primate Research Center to study how social learning processes are conserved between humans and non-human primates.

Sydney Messer Olson LMSW is a Research Project Coordinator at Marcus Autism Center. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia. At Marcus, she manages research activities for the Pediatric Neuroimaging Core, leads the development of a study website for public dissemination, and supports a Community Advisory Board that informs research direction and priorities.Sydney is particularly focused on advancing community-engaged and participatory research in autism. She is committed to ensuring that research is shaped by the voices of autistic individuals and their families, and that findings are shared in ways that are accessible, meaningful, and actionable for the communities they aim to serve.

Jose Luis Paredes is an Applications Developer and Analyst. He received his Masters in Computer Science specializing in Network Systems at the University of New Haven. Jose works in the development and implementation of in-house software and hardware solutions. He provides configuration, deployment and technical support of macOS and windows desktop and laptop computers. He also provides training and support with computer programming fundamentals.

Hely Patel graduated with highest honors from Emory University in May 2023 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. During her time at Emory, she was awarded the Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology research fellowship and worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Marcus Autism Center’s Pediatric Neuroimaging Core. As an undergraduate researcher, Hely played an integral role in investigating the behavioral differences within infant-caregiver interactions from 0-6 months in autism. During her senior year at Emory, Hely continued her research journey by completing an independent honors thesis, supervised by Dr. Sarah Shultz and Aiden Ford. Her thesis focused on characterizing the temporal relationship between infant eye-looking and caregiver greeting in infants later diagnosed with autism. In addition to her research experiences, Hely organized and led mental health workshops in rural Guatemala as part of the Emory Helps Guatemala initiative. She also volunteered as a yoga instructor at the Emory Autism Center, served as a teaching assistant for general chemistry lab courses, and delivered several talks on neurodiversity, autism, and mental health as Vice President of the Emory Autism Advocacy Association.

Hely is continuing her journey within the Pediatric Neuroimaging Core, where she has taken on the role of a clinical research coordinator. She assists with MRI data collection of infants at elevated- and low-likelihood for autism as part of a project that examines brain development within the first 6 months of life. Additionally, Hely helps collect data for a study involving 3q29 gene deletions, with the aim of advancing the understanding of brain structure and function, as well as the pathophysiology of diverse neuropsychiatric conditions. Hely is also involved in a project centered around school-aged children, which integrates statistical measures and behavioral training to improve the representation of children with autism and behavioral challenges in MRI research. After her time at Marcus, Hely plans to attend medical school and specialize in child and adolescent medicine, specifically focusing on neurodevelopment and mental health.

Carmen Baden graduated from Emory University in 2021 with an honors degree in American Studies and a concentration in Disability Studies. During her time at Emory, Carmen completed an undergraduate honors thesis examining the effects of ableism in preschool settings under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Rice. Following graduation, she began her time at Marcus as an Assistant Preschool Teacher in the Brett and Louise Samsky Preschool. She then took on the role of Research Coordinator of a new multi-site study led by Dr. Lindee Morgan examining the effects of the peer-mediated intervention, Stay-Play-Talk, in local metro Atlanta inclusive preschools. Led by her love of working with families, Carmen is now the Research Coordinator for the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) research study under the guidance of Dr. Sarah Schultz and Dr. Warren Jones. In the future, Carmen hopes to pursue a graduate degree in Speech Language Pathology or Public Policy.

Jewel Okoronkwo graduated from Emory University’s College of Arts and Sciences in May 2023, where she obtained a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. In August 2022, she became an intern at the Education Sciences Research Core at Marcus, where she worked with Dr. Michael Siller and Dr. Lindee Morgan. During that time, she participated in the behavioral coding and observation of children in the Brett and Louise Samsky Preschool. She also investigated the intersection between how children with autism engage with peers, teachers, and materials so educational strategies may be developed to provide more inclusive learning opportunities. As an undergraduate student, she was engaged in multiple clubs and associations including the Stem Pathways Program and Peer Academic Coaches at Emory, where to mentored freshmen students and assisted Emory students improve their study skills. 

After graduating from Emory, Jewel began her current position as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Pediatric Neuroimaging Core at Marcus. As a member of this team, Jewel helps in the data collection process of infants who have an elevated- and low-likelihood of having autism with the purpose of better understanding the course of brain development of children within the first 6 months. Jewel also works on multiple studies that focus on school-aged children and utilize statical methods and behavior training to expand the representation of children with ASD in MRI research. In the future, Jewel hopes to attend medical school and work in pediatric medicine, specifically working in physical medicine and rehabilitation.