Lab Team
Our amazing lab team in their Fall Chapter!
From left to right (Luc NeJame, Juanita Hoyos, Kiana Cogdill-Richardson, Dr. Susan Bluck, Sarah Stander, Gaya Prabhakaran, Dan Topaj)
For more information on Dr. Bluck (Professor and Lab Director), visit her profile.
Kiana Cogdill-Richardson, Graduate Research Assistant
Kiana is currently a fifth year Ph.D candidate in Developmental Psychology at the University of Florida, studying under Dr. Susan Bluck. She is a proud triple gator, having received a M.S (Psychology), B.S (Psychology) and B.A (English) all from UF. Her dissertation examines how adults come to feel that their lives are complete, integrating developmental theory, life-story processes, and mixed methods to better understand existential life completion in later life and serious illness. She uses mixed methods, including qualitative, quantitative, and AI-assisted computational text-analytic approaches, to examine how individuals construct, interpret, and draw meaning from autobiographical memories and life stories, and how these processes relate to adaptation, identity, and well-being across adulthood. In her free time, Kiana likes to read fiction novels, camp in the Florida Springs, and learn to cook new recipes.
Juanita Hoyos, Research Assistant and Lab Manager
Juanita is a third-year Psychology and PPEL dual major with a minor in Business Administration. Her interest in the Life Story Lab began with her fascination with autobiographical memory and its connection to the self. As someone who often bridges psychology and philosophy, she is especially drawn to how questions of memory and identity intersect with classic thought experiments like the Ship of Theseus paradox. Beyond academics, Juanita enjoys exercising, exploring creative hobbies, and having coffee/reading dates with friends.
Gaya Prabhakaran, Research Assistant
Gaya is a post-baccalaureate Psychology student. Her interest in the Life Story Lab is rooted in the desire to gain wisdom by consciously considering her own death and processing the death of her loved ones who have passed on. She is curious to investigate how compassion, wisdom, and peace can grow through such experiences. Gaya is currently applying to graduate school in social psychology, hoping to further her studies in the realm of positive emotions and well-being. Gaya is a certified yoga teacher and teaches yoga around the community. She also works as a gymnastics coach to young athletes with special needs at Balance 180 Gymnastics. In her free time, she likes to spend time with friends and family, meditate and practice yoga, and run.
Sarah Stander, Research Assistant
Sarah Stander is a fourth-year Psychology major and BFA Art student, also pursuing a certificate in Art Education. Her interest in the Life Story Lab stems from a desire to understand how experiences with family and memory can influence people’s attitudes toward death, as well as how different religious beliefs can shape those perspectives. Her artwork also explores themes of memory and personal relationships. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school for art and pursue a career in collegiate art education. Outside of school, she enjoys weightlifting, baking, and going on hikes with friends.
Luc NeJame, Research Assistant
Luc is a second-year Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience major also pursuing a dual degree in philosophy and minors in classics and statistics. He joined the Life Story Lab to gain experience in qualitative methods, as he is hugely interested in transformative experience literature (peak experiences, near-death experiences, awe experiences, mystical experiences, etc.). He says: “Ancient Greek philosophy, which is the core foundation of our western worldview, was oriented toward death since its inception, so I think it is incredibly important to see how we continue to grapple with death. It seems to be the only guarantee, that our life will end.” He plans on going to graduate school in social psychology, as he believes it is our best science of “why.” He also loves watching horror movies and playing in rock bands outside of lab.
Dan Topaj, Research Assistant
Dan is a fourth-year international student from Germany pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in History. He joined the lab because of his interest in autobiographical memory, which developed while interviewing relatives as part of a family history and genealogy project. He is especially interested in how memories shift perceptions of the past and future. After graduating in Spring 2027, Dan plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Outside of the lab, Dan serves as an Ambassador for the Center for Undergraduate Research and as a Luminary for the Honors Program. He has also previously volunteered as a phone counselor at the Alachua County Crisis Center. His hobbies include a variety of outdoor activities, such as walking in nature, jogging, hiking, camping, and stargazing, as well as playing soccer, watching movies, enjoying tea, and reading.