Research Assistants - Alex Foundation

The Alex Foundation support team consists of many individuals who volunteer their time and service. From students at Harvard University and other Boston-area institutions to the countless supporters from all walks of life who give time, energy, and materials to the Foundation, our behind-the-scenes crew makes it possible to keep the research ongoing. Alex Sidare – Senior manager (2023-2025) Alex graduated from Canisius University and has been the senior lab manager at the lab since 2023. In the fall, Alex will be heading to Missouri State University to start a PhD program with ornithological fieldwork and research. Alex loves bird watching and bird banding. Aria Ma – Assistant manager (2025-) Aria is a 5th year undergraduate in the BS/BFA program at Tufts University studying biopsychology and studio art. She has worked in labs at The Jackson Laboratory, Washington University at St Louis, and Tufts University on neuroinflammation, neuromechanics, and neuromuscular degeneration. She’s interested in cognition and non-traditional therapies in treating treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions. Lena Ashooh – Assistant manager (2024-2025), research assistant (2022-2024) Lena graduated from Harvard University in 2025 with a unique degree in Animal Studies. She is interested in philosophy and animal welfare, and has also served as assistant lab manager during her final undergraduate years. In the fall, she will be heading to Oxford University in the UK to study legal philosophy, under a prestigious Rhodes Trust Scholarship. Francesca Cornero – Post-doctoral researcher (2025-), PhD student (2022-2025), Research assistant (2016-2019) Francesca first started at the lab as an RA while in undergraduate school at Harvard University. She then pursued a Master’s degree in psychology from the University of Cambridge (UK) based on research with Eurasian jays, then recently submitted a PhD thesis to the same university, based on research with both rooks (from the lab of Prof. Nicola Clayton, FRS) and African grey parrots (from the lab of Dr. Irene Pepperberg). She will continue at the lab as a post-doctoral researcher, and is interested in concepts of logical reasoning, mirror perception, metacognition, and information seeking, among others. In her free time, she is Griffin’s emotional support person, as well as an amateur bird photographer and horse rider. Anaya Zachery – Research assistant (2022-) Anaya is a rising senior at Harvard University, where she is pursuing a joint concentration in neuroscience and women’s studies. At the lab, she is conducting research with th

e parrots on visual optical illusions. Anaya enjoys hiking and running in her free time. Chelsie Wei – Research assistant and Master’s student (2024-) Chelsie (Ying Ying) Wei is currently pursuing an M.S. in Computer Science at Tufts University. She is interested in animal cognition broadly. At the bird lab, she develops software for parrot studies on match-to-sample and delayed match-to-sample tasks. She also sometimes does Griffin’s physical therapy treatments and very often introduces the birds to her favorite music. Outside the lab, Chelsie can be found updating her Slack profile picture with her latest Griffin & Athena photography. Becky Scheff – Research assistant (2024-) Rebecca (Becky) Scheff is a current research assistant at the Alex Foundation. She holds an Associates Degree from Landmark College and a Bachelors of Science from the University of Vermont, and is working on finding a Master’s program to continue furthering her career. She was a codesign intern at EdGE @ TERC, helping to create the virtual reality game Europa Prime, and spoke about her codesign experience as a youth panelist at the CIRCLS’23 Shaping AI and Emerging Technologies to Empower Learning Communities NSF conference. At UVM, she was an undergraduate researcher in the Barlow Lab where she created a proposal for a student-run dairy goat program. Becky originally set out to pursue a career in robotics and mechanical engineering, and despite switching paths to ethology, she used her experience in a supervisor role at the UVM CEMS FabLab. Becky is also a painter, with some of her work displayed at the Wellesley Public Library Fells Branch children’s garden, loves to sing, read, play Scrabble, and debate various STEM subjects with her friends, as well as spoil her very adorable gerbil, Fred. She is currently pursuing a research career in ethology, and is mainly interested in theory of mind and communication, but finds herself infatuated with almost every topic she discovers. In the lab, Becky enjoys singing with Athena and Griffin, where they mainly sing “Moondance”, “Try Everything”, and various Disney princess songs. Andrea Ventura – Research assistant and Master’s student (2025-) Andrea is studying for a Master’s degree in psychology at Tufts University. She is interested in developmental psychology. Angela Zhang – Research assistant (2025-) Angela is a biology pre-med student at Boston College, and she is interested in object permanence. She likes going to the gym, reading, trying out new restaurants and listening to music in her free time. Winter Lynn – Research assistant

(2025-) Winter is interested in criminology and criminal behavior, and will be starting George Washington University in the fall to study those subjects. Her father worked for Irene in the lab about 30 years ago with Alex and Griffin, so Winter is definitely following in his “behavior” footsteps! Nellie Fitzpatrick – Research assistant (2025-) Nellie is a rising junior at Harvard University, studying neuroscience. She is interested in various languages, is in ROTC, and is part of the women’s rugby team. Site Map RESEARCH THE BIRDS DONATE BLOG GIFT SHOP Follow Us The Alex Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization. Tax information available on request. Donate