Merced Experimental Social and Health (MESH) Psychology Laboratory

We aim to understand health decision making and behavior through a social psychological lens. Most of our work occurs at the intersection of health decision making and behavior (e.g., screening, sunscreen use) and the self (e.g., self-perception), and typically focuses on understanding how people prepare for and respond to bad news.

 

People in the MESH lab

Principal Investigator: Jennifer L. Howell, PhD

Dr. Jennifer Howell is an associate professor of health psychology at the University of California, Merced. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, and her MS and PhD with a focus in Social Psychology from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.

Her research focuses on the intersection of social psychology and health. She is particularly interested in how processes surrounding the self (e.g., defensiveness, social comparison) influence health decision-making and behavior.

More about Dr. Howell and her vita are available here.

PhD Students

William Meese

Will started the PhD program in Health Psychology at University of California, Merced in 2020. He earned a B.A. in Psychology from Reed College in 2013 where he conducted independent research on stereotype threat. Will worked with an interdisciplinary team studying mindfulness-based relapse prevention for alcohol dependence. As a mental health practitioner at UCLA Health Semel Institute, Will worked with patients struggling with anorexia nervosa. Will is interested in understanding health disparities by conducting research that asks how psychological threats to the self influence self-regulation of health behavior.

Visit Will's Website: willmeesearch.com
Email Will

Charlie Coward

Charlie started the Ph.D. program in Health Psychology at the University of California, Merced in 2023. He earned his B.S. in Psychology from Kent State University in 2023 where he researched interactions between personality characteristics and health information avoidance. Broadly, he is interested in intersections of the self and identity in the way individuals think about their own health and approach health-care systems.

Email Charlie

Undergraduate Students

Current Lab Members
Angela Quiroz-Cruz, Ava Smith, Blue Cuenco, Catleen Casinto, Lam-Anh Nguyen, Nanveet Kaur, Anthony Chen, Navroop Saini, Noshin Farhin, Rachel Pagaduan, Christopher Chiang, Dennis Wang, Dylan Jong, Edwin Gomez Linares, Kristofer Martin, Minnie Phumiwasana, Nicholas Acosta

Dr. Howell's MESH Lab, Spring 2023

From top to bottom & left to right:
Top Row: David Mejia, Jesus Palomares, Francisco 'Sal' Salazar, Angela Johnson (PhD Student), Angel Mariscal, Esmeralda Chaidez
Second Row: William Meese (PhD Student), Vivian Vera, Eliana Tovar, Fatima Rizvi, Zilay Ziliayi
Bottom Row: Dr. Jennifer Howell, Barbara Lopez, Navroop Saini, Audrey Goonetilleke, Alexa Corrales

Not pictured: Avia Gray (PhD Student), Bianca Hinojosa (PhD Student)
 

Former "MESHlings"

PhD Students: 
​Jacqueline Hua, PhD, MPH ​(Postdoctoral Fellow, National Cancer Institute)
Bianca Hinojosa, PhD (Assistant Professor, San Jose State University)
Angela Johnson, PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
​Avia Gray, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellows: 
Maryam Hussain, PhD (Biostatistician, UCSD, Microgen Laboratories)  

Undergraduates: 
5-6 Semesters
Allan Contreras, Michael Vang, Tea Pusey, Emely Cruz
 
3-4 Semesters
Bernice Nguyen, Brendan Bedolla, David Olson, David Parker, Evelyn Rodarte, Jacob Feitelberg, Jesus Palomares, Jose Olivo, Lacye Lawson, Larissa Shashte, Rosario Aguilar, Sheemrun Ranjan, Shreya Desai, Tony Nguyen, Vanessa Maldonado, Angel Mariscal, Angelica Castillo, Arthur Tung, Barbara Lopez, Cassie Lopes, Esmeralda Chaidez, Eva Schaffer, Giovanni Alvarado, Graciela Segura, Hannah Dillon, Jennifer Duran, Jessica Rodriguez, Kelly Le, Lizbeth Correa Mendoza, Madison Reyna, Mirna Cardenas Diaz, Navroop Saini, Nhi Le, Raven Burton, Sofia Pino, Yadira Solache Sanchez, Zilay Ziliayi
 
1-2 Semesters
Alexa Corrales, Alexys Lavis, Alison Tuoyo, Andres Nunez, Angel Mariscal, Angelina Rodriguez, Audrey Goonetilleke, Blanca Madrigal, Brianna Chavez, Chris Martens, David Mejia, Edith Vasquez, Eliana Tovar, Emily Juarez, Esther Jin, Fatima Rizvi, Sal Salazar, Haley Rogina, Jackelyn Ordaz, Katie Ticas, Khadijat Alli, Kyndra Kiser, Layla Rivers, Leslie Camarena, Linh-Chi Nguyen, Lorena Estrella, Makayla Souza, Malaikah Holland, Pardeep Singh, Rachel Bryan, Vivian Vera, Zaida Escamilla, Anna Carr, Anysleydi Ramos Sandoval, Ellie Robledo, Kasia Holland, Maya Wong, Seyeon Park, Silvia Vargas

 

Join the MESH lab

Graduate Students


I am currently accepting graduate students (to begin in the 2025-2026 school year).

Details for those wishing to start Fall 2025: Applicants interested in joining the lab should submit their materials to the UCM graduate program http://graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/prospective-students/how-apply.
Visit: http://psychology.ucmerced.edu/graduate-program for more information on applying.


Undergraduate Students


I recruit new students to work in my lab each semester. Research assistants are responsible for running participants in studies, helping with the development of study materials, piloting study materials, and entering and proofing data. As students advance, there can also be opportunities for lab management positions and individual or small-group research.

Undergraduates interested in working in my lab should send me and and Charlie Coward an email with their application form (link below) attached. The earlier the better!

I have four criteria in selecting undergraduate research assistants:

1. I require a two-semester commitment (Fall and Spring, or Spring and Fall; We may have opportunities for volunteers over the summer, but it does not count toward the two-semester commitment).
2. Must be outgoing and extraverted.
3. Must be willing to work in the lab up to 8 hours per week (actual hours will vary throughout the semester) and attend a 1-hour weekly lab meeting (The lab meeting is at 9:30am on Fridays).
4. Must have completed introductory psychology with a B or better


Please note that we make decisions at the end of each semester for the next semester. So, if you apply early in the semester, it may be a little while before we make our decisions. To check on the status of your application, you can email Charlie Coward