Meet Our Team
Running a study remotely is new for us. Under non-pandemic conditions, we would have the chance to introduce ourselves, so we want to let you know who you'll be communicating with throughout the study. Below you will find brief descriptions of the researchers helping to design and carry out this study, with an emphasis on when you might encounter each of us. If you would like to learn more about our individual training and research interests, you can visit the lab web page here: http://saronlab.ucdavis.edu/people.html.

Clifford Saron, PhD

Co-Principal Investigator

Cliff Saron (he/him) is a core faculty member at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Saron Lab, and co-PI of this project. You'll be in touch with Cliff if you have questions about the study design, if you'd like to schedule an at-home FedEx pickup for your sample, and in group debriefing sessions, should you choose to participate. When not working on this or other research projects, Cliff revels in his alternate identities as an expert-amature photographer, and video production assistant for his wife Barbara, principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony, when she performs online. One of his greatest joys is marveling at the adulting of his two children.

Quinn Conklin, MA

Co-Principal Investigator

Quinn Conklin (she/her) is a Post-doctoral Scholar at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and is the co-PI of this project. She has been a member of the Saron lab since 2013. You will interact with Quinn when you have questions about the study design,  blood collection procedure or surveys, and during study debriefing sessions. Quinn will also send your payments. Outside of the lab, Quinn identifies most as a partner, sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece and friend. Her primary aspirations are to facilitate healing through her research and in her personal life.

Kamilah Majied, PhD

Co-Investigator and
​Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant

Kamilah Majied (she/her) is a Professor in the Department of Social Work at California State University at Monterey Bay. Dr. Majied is mental health therapist, clinical educator, researcher, and internationally engaged consultant on building inclusivity and equity using meditative practices. In this project, Kamilah has helped to create culturally sensitive study materials and will guide the presentation and publication of our findings. She will serve as a clinically trained and trauma-informed resource to participants. To learn more about Kamilah, click here. You can also find information about her upcoming book, Joyfully Just here.

Amber Davis, PhD

Clinical Consultant

Amber Davis (she/her) worked on the project during her tenure as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the UC Davis MIND Institute. She is now in a new position as a Postdoctoral Scholar at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Davis is a trauma-informed mental health practitioner and researcher, with a PhD in Social Work from Howard University. Amber provided clinical support to participants during study debriefing sessions, and provided insight on how to make the study materials more inclusive. She will continue to be involved in analyzing some aspects of the data collected.

Prerana Dewan

Research Assistant 

Prerana Dewan (she/her) is a 4th year undergraduate student studying Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior at UC Davis. As a research assistant, she is helping with data collection, participant communication, and data processing. When she’s not sending study reminders, Prerana likes to listen to music and learn new recipes.

Serigne Diaw

Research Assistant ​

Serigne Diaw (he/him) is a 4th year undergraduate student studying Cognitive Science with a computational emphasis. Serigne is coding qualitative questionnaire responses for this project, and enjoys watching soccer and listening to music in his free time.

Jacob Fernandez

Research Assistant ​​

Jacob Fernandez (he/him) graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's degree in nutrition in 2019. Jacob joined our team in March of 2021, where his primary responsibilities include preparing and shipping your sample collection kits and receiving and processing your blood samples throughout the 1-year follow-up. He is also helping with data processing and management. Jacob is interested in studying meditation through neuroscience and is working towards attending graduate school in the near future. ​ 

Matthew Goodman

Research Assistant ​​

Matthew Goodman (he/him) is a 2nd year undergraduate student at UC Davis studying Cognitive Science and Design. As a research assistant he assists with participant communication, data collection, and website management. In his free time, he enjoys meditation, cold therapy, and rock climbing.

Brandon King, PhD

Co-Investigator

Brandon King (he/him) is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Saron lab, and helped to envision the study. During the baseline assessment, Brandon prepared and shipped the majority of the sample collection-kits and helped to receive and process the blood samples returned. You probably won't interact with Brandon much, but he is keeping things running behind the scenes.

Jue Lin, PhD

Co-Investigator

Jue Lin (she/her) is molecular biologist and Director of the Telomere Biology Core Lab at UC San Francisco. Jue has been instrumental in developing techniques to measure telomeres and supports studies around the world. She will conduct the telomere assays for this study and has been advising us on how best to collect and store your samples. To learn more about Jue, click here. ​

​Jennifer Pokorny, PhD

Co-Investigator

Jen Pokorny (she/her) was formerly a Postdoctoral Scholar and Project Scientist in the Saron lab. She is a continuing collaborator, analyzing the qualitative and open-ended questionnaire responses, and is leading the team of research assistants working on this task. Jen is also a freelance data scientist, and in this role, is helping to set up a data processing pipeline, and will take the lead in creating interactive content for our study website as our results become available. Outside of her work in the Saron lab, she is also the chief program officer of the conservation based non-profit, Think Elephants International.
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Alex Norman, PhD

Co-Investigator

Alex Norman (he/him) was formerly a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Saron Lab and is a continuing collaborator with the lab. He is part of the qualitative and open-ended analysis team, looking at and interpreting the responses you provide to the questionnaires. He is also the Director of the Master of Research programme at Western Sydney University.

Alea Skwara, MA

Co-Investigator

Alea Skwara (she/her) is is a Post-doctoral Scholar at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and in the Saron lab. She helped to envision the study and has been helping with odds and ends while the data are collected. She will help to analyze the data once collection is complete. Most of Alea's time is dedicated to other Saron Lab projects so you probably won't interact with her, but when a big question comes up she is part of the hive-mind solving it. In addition to her identity as a scientist, Alea is a theater kid, opera and folk singer, mountain hippie, and animal-lover. She hopes that her work and life will contribute to our collective realization and enactment of our fundamental interdependence.

Savannah VandenBos, BS

Study Coordinator  

Savannah VandenBos (she/her) is a Junior Specialist in the Saron lab. Savannah keeps this machine running. You have likely interacted with Savannah if  you contact the study email account—though many others help to monitor this account as well. Savannah is also scheduling debriefing sessions, troubleshooting survey issues with Qualtrics support, and keeping track of all of the odds and ends. In addition to her responsibilities as the study coordinator, she is coding the qualitative questionnaire responses and working on the data processing pipeline.

Project Alumni
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Harleen Gill

Arielle Limberis, BA

Cavan Patterson, BS

Research Assistant

Research Assistant

​Research Assistant
Harleen Gill (she/her) is a 4th year undergraduate student at UC Davis studying Global Disease Biology. Harleen helped with data collection and participant communication for the 8-month and 1-year follow-ups. In her free time, she loves taking care of her plants and rollerskating. ​
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Arielle Limberis (she/her) was a postbaccalaureate Research Assistant in the Saron lab. She is now pursuing a master's degree at Columbia University studying the Science of Spirituality. Arielle helped to program the questionnaires and to coordinate the shipment of your sample-collection kits and your payments during the baseline assessment. Arielle is a traditional Ashtanga, Hatha, and Bhakti yoga and meditation student and instructor. She is a student of Baba Hari Dass and enjoys a daily sadhana practice following Babaji’s teachings. Her favorite form of dhyana (concentration/meditation) is japa (repetition of Om).
Cavan Patterson (she/her) is a Masters student at Dominican University of California in collaboration with the Buck Institute. She has been working with the Saron Lab since she was a UC Davis undergraduate in 2017. During the initial phases of the project, Cavan helped with data management, coordinating payments, and coding qualitative questionnaire responses. She is now working on another project in the lab examining changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor in relation to intensive meditation retreat participation.