Research Team
Meet the members of the Family Adversity Lab!
Dr. Molly Franz
Lab Director
Dr. Molly Franz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Dr. Franz received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2019. She was a NIH T32 postdoctoral scholar at the National Center for PTSD and Boston University School of Medicine. She joined the UMBC psychology faculty in 2021 and is a core member of the Human Services Psychology program. In her free time she enjoys running, watching movies, and playing with her dog.
Email: mfranz@umbc.edu
Emma Archibald
Graduate Student
Emma (she/her) is a second year doctoral student in the clinical track of the Human Services Psychology program at UMBC. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychological Science and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies. Emma’s research interests focus on the development of family-based preventive interventions for maternal PTSD, the use of intensive longitudinal research methods to study parent-child interactions, and the personalization of interventions using technology. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring local hiking trails, playing the clarinet, and reading contemporary fiction.
Rebecca Nguyen
Graduate Student
Rebecca is a third year Human Services Psychology doctoral student at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. As a dual track student, she studies both clinical psychology and behavioral medicine. She is interested in how trauma impacts familial relationships and the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Before coming to UMBC, Rebecca completed her B.S. in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience at the University of Richmond in 2017 and a Pre-Clinical Psychology post-baccalaureate certificate at Northwestern University in 2019. In her free time she enjoys reading, experimenting with Asian fusion cooking, hiking, and watching dramatic dating shows.
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Bonnie Woodward
Graduate Student
Bonnie is a third year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at UMBC. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2017 with dual bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Her research interests include couple and family functioning in relation to trauma and PTSD and understanding ways to improve family outcomes following traumatic experiences. In her free time, Bonnie enjoys weightlifting, cooking vegetarian meals, and spending time outdoors
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Alexandra Blumhorst
Andrew Bray
Amina Muhammad
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Amina is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In the future, she plans on obtaining her doctorate in clinical psychology. Her current research interest is dissociation, specifically symptoms of depersonalization and derealization. For fun she likes hiking with friends, reading, and playing video games.
Anastassia Sorokina
Research Assistant
Anastassia Sorokina (she/her) is currently interested in the developmental and sustaining factors of personality impairments, especially as they relate to borderline personality disorder, and as they relate to trauma and relationship functioning in general. Anastassia graduated cum laude with a BA in Psychology from UMBC in 2021 and currently works as a paraprofessional assisting therapists with the treatment of adolescent depression and suicidality in a mental health clinic in Cabin John, Maryland in conjunction with being a part of the Family Adversity Lab. When she isn’t working, she enjoys meditating, laughing a lot, and taking her dog, Buddy, on various adventures.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Andrew Bray is a current undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he is working towards his Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology. Andrew’s current research interests include working with trauma and addiction. Andrew plans to attend graduate school in order to complete a PhD program in clinical psychology, and become a licensed therapist in the future. In his free time, Andrew enjoys reading, exercising, spending time with friends and family, and watching movies.
Rony Ngamliya-Ndam
Research Assistant
Rony is a Clinical Research Assistant at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. She graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Her research interests include understanding the life-long effects of childhood trauma, maltreatment, and sexual violence in vulnerable populations. Rony plans to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology with the hope to integrate mental health research and interventions with advocacy work to prevent the impact of childhood violence. In her free time, Rony enjoys painting, attending bible studies, and spending time with family and friends.
Allie is a Research Assistant at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS). She graduated from Georgetown University in May 2017 with a B.S. in Foreign Service. Allie worked in the national security field for several years before transitioning to a career in psychology, where she has developed an interest in sexual violence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Allie hopes to eventually pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. When she’s not working in the lab, you can find her in the kitchen churning a batch of ice cream or baking a tray of cookies, attempting to solve every NYT crossword in the archives, or catching a musical at the Kennedy Center.
Research Assistant