People
Meet our lab members
Jennifer Merrill
Principal Investigator and Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University
Jen Merrill has primarily focused on investigating the drinking experiences of young adults. She is particularly interested in drinking patterns, alcohol-related consequences, and blackouts. She has current interests in qualitative methods, ecological momentary assessment, alcohol biosensors, advanced data analysis, and intervention development. When she’s not working, Dr. Merrill enjoys traveling, hiking, the beach, crafting, shopping, and her two cats.
Benjamin Berey
Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University’s School of Public Health
Benjamin Berey is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University’s School of Public Health. He received his PhD in 2020 from the University of Florida. His work focuses on self-control difficulties and the etiology of alcohol and cannabis use disorders using experimental and observational methods. His work has been supported by the American Psychological Association to understand whether more impulsive young adults experience specific subjective effects following drinking. Ben enjoys hockey, cooking, and spending time with his wife, young daughter, and two cats.
Neo Gebru
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW IN THE DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AT BROWN UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Neo Gebru is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University’s School of Public Health. He received his PhD from the University of Florida in 2022. His research explores behavioral mechanisms related to addictive and risky behaviors, specifically unhealthy substance use and sexual risk-taking. His research applies (1) behavioral economic concepts and (2) technology-based approaches to better understand, and intervene upon, substance misuse, and related negative consequences, particularly among young adults. Outside of work, Neo enjoys traveling, biking, and tennis.
Gabriela López
Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University’s school of public health
Gabriela López is an Investigator at the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University’s School of Public Health. She received her PhD in 2020 from the University of New Mexico. Her work focuses on the intersection of alcohol use and sexual violence among sexual and racial/ethnic minority women. Currently, she is aiming to understand heavy drinking antecedents among bisexual+ and heterosexual women with histories of sexual assault. She is particularly interested in reasons why women drink, their psychological distress, and their experiences of discrimination and how these factors impact their decision to drink. Gaby loves hiking, traveling, reading, and most importantly playing with her dog, Macarena.
Holly Boyle
doctoral student at Brown University School of Public Health who has a master in science in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences
Holly Boyle was a doctoral student in Dr. Merrill’s lab at the Brown University School of Public Health. She now has a PhD in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences. Her research focuses on exploring simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use among young adults. She completed an F31 Fellowship from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for her research on “Examining person and event-level predictors of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use via mixed methods”. When she is not working Holly loves hiking, camping, and going to the beach.
Isaiah Foley
Senior Research Assistant
Isaiah Foley has been working as a senior research assistant for Project ARC for the last year and a half. He has a bachelor’s degree from URI in psychology and although his future plans are not exactly set in stone, he is confident that he wants to work with people. His position is something he remains proud of and the research the lab conducts is something he believes will make a difference in the lives of young adults in the near future.
Olivia Belitsos
Research Assistant
Olivia Belitsos works as a research assistant on Projects ARC, POST, and A-FRAME. She graduated with two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Rhode Island in May 2023. For her undergraduate honors thesis, Olivia examined the correlations between child abuse, mental illness, and opioid use disorder. Her research interests include sexual violence, substance use, trauma, and adolescent risk behavior. In the future, Olivia plans to apply to PhD programs in clinical psychology. Ultimately, she wants to work as a forensic psychologist and use her background in psychology, criminology, and philosophy to address issues such as criminal justice reform.