Graduate Students
Mikayla Tolliver | mdtolliv@uark.edu
Mikayla is a sixth-year graduate student in the Spark Lab. She earned her Bachelors from Oklahoma State University. She is interested in how hormonal contraceptives influence biobehavioral processes. She is funded by the National Science Foundation as a Graduate Research Fellow, and her Master’s thesis is funded by a grant from the Women’s Giving Circle. Outside of the lab, Mikayla likes to spend time snuggling with her fur babies (Dark-Matter and Lumiere), weight training, trying new recipes, and getting out in nature.
Ari Bloshinsky | arib@uark.edu
Ari is a fifth-year graduate student in the Spark Lab. She earned her Bachelors from the University of Florida and her Masters in Experimental Psychology at Nova Southeastern University. Ari is interested in examining the function of social relationships and their underlying biological mechanisms. She is also interested in social perceptions and prejudice. Outside of the lab, Ari loves to spend her time exploring nature, traveling, and listening to live music.
Marius Økland Unnvik | munnvik@uark.edu
Marius is a fourth-year graduate student in the Spark Lab. He earned his Bachelor’s from Central Methodist University. He is interested in the relationship between personality, pathogen avoidance, intergroup prejudice, culture, and political orientation. Outside of the lab, Marius likes to spend time on philosophy, traveling, nature, soccer, drawing, and music.
Brianna Garcia | brgarcia@uark.edu
Brianna is a second-year graduate student in the Spark Lab. She earned her Bachelors from Florida State University. She is interested in cooperation, social hierarchy, the behavioral immune system, relationships, and multicultural research. She is funded by the SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program. Outside of the lab, Brianna likes to travel, hike, and go to the beach.
Honors Thesis Students
Aashvi is a senior undergraduate student majoring in psychology and minoring in substance use disorders and medical humanities. She is currently working with Marius for her honors thesis, which is examining the link between pathogen avoidance and foreign ethnic cues. After her undergrad, she plans on pursuing a PhD in experimental psychology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, live music, scrapbooking, and long drives.
Jessica is a senior undergraduate student majoring in Biology and Psychology. She is currently completing an Honors Thesis looking at physician bias when prescribing hormonal contraceptives. She received an Honors College Research Grant to fund this project. After graduation, she plans to continue her education and attend medical school. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, riding horses, reading, and hiking.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
- Margaret Smith
- Anthony Zaffater
- Jenna Thomas
- Rachel Wilbourn
- Brooke Davis
- Jacob Ward
- Kelly Shrieve
- Abbie Brien
- Alexee Jones
- Emma Elrod
- Brandon Wilson
- Jessica Lobb
- Quan Le
- Aashvi Dahiya
- Melia Whitcomb
- Tyler Mizner
- Kathleen Tarver
- Chase Haley
- Hyatt Fox
- Isabelle Hackleman
- Elizabeth Trainor
- Lauren French
- Arshiya Neupane
- Dusty McKinnon
- Sommer Tijerina
- Glory Keas
Lab Alumni
Post-Bac Research Assistants
- Zach Buckner – currently a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi
Undergraduate Research Assistants Graduated from the Lab
- W. Allen Lambert
- Michael Moretta
- Kaylie Mahar
- Ryan Blanchard
- Preston Stone
- Kayla Thuet
- Olivia (Kelsey) Yearwood
- Aurthi Arumugam
- Abby Sibson
- Abigail Doran
- Gabrielle Harville
- Kaylee Phimmasene
- Alisa Newbold
- Emily Furlow
- Alyssa Sullins
- Sloan Teeuwen
- Noah Bogart
- Sam Brown
- Abigail Doran
- Hannah Seaton
- Charlotte Edds
- Lily Degrace
- Luke Thurlby
- Sophia Bastian
- Charles (Ethan) Coombs
- Holly Metersky
- Lauren Matthews
- Carson Chappell
- Haadiya Muhammad
- Matthew Moore
- Alyssa Childress
- Patsy Cox
- Padmasree Gudivada
- Abbie Brien
- Jenna Thomas
- Rachel Wilbourn
- Anthony Zaffater
- Brandon Wilson
- Paul “Hyatt” Fox
- Glory Coyner
- Emma Elrod
- Kathleen Tarver
- Brennan Smith
- Maryn Archer