About

Hi, I’m Ryan and I’m a Psychology PhD student in my fourth year of study. I hold an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Quinsigamond Community College, a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in psychobiology from Worcester State University, and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of New Hampshire. My research focuses on learning, memory, and education.

As a young child, I spent a large amount of time pouring over the dictionaries and encyclopedias that my grandparents owned. Although I had difficulty reading I was filled with curiosity and wonder while looking at their images and considering the ideas presented within. I would often ask existential questions, like who am I? Why are we here? How did life start? Due to my families religious background these questions and explorations would always be framed in some theological context. Often questions about the complexity of human or animal behavior would end with the simple explanation that such curious behavior exists because, “God made them that way.” As an adult, I look at the natural world through a more secular lens and understand behavior as a natural process that is the product of natural rules and laws. This has not made life any less interesting though, in fact it has made it all the more precious and fascinating.

Ultimately, my fascination has lead me to go to college and enroll in a doctoral program for Psychology. Throughout my graduate studies, I have participated in various research projects, including those related to addiction, navigation, and animal learning and memory. I have also attended seminars on discourse psychology, cross-cultural development, memory development, navigation and spatial learning, addiction, cognition and evolution, and college teaching. Upon completing my PhD, I aspire to work in academia, where I can continue research and teaching psychology courses.