Freya Whittaker (she/her/hers)

Bio

I am a graduate student in the BEAVERS Lab. I grew up between New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and I received my Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College with honors in Psychology and French & Francophone Studies in 2021.

As an undergraduate I assisted in two psychology labs, one evaluating a program designed to reduce the impacts of caregivers’ Substance Use Disorders on children, and the other studying the physical and mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young adults. While studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, I conducted research on the relationship between food insecurity and mental health outcomes in the Danish welfare state. I also independently conducted a study on the relationship between stress, social support, and substance use behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After graduating from Dickinson, I worked as a clinical research assistant in Shannon Wiltsey Stirman’s FAST Lab at Stanford University and the National Center for PTSD studying PTSD treatment implementation and dissemination before joining the BEAVERS Lab.

My research interests lie in investigating the factors that shape physiological stress, attention, and other factors relevant to human performance. I have explored the impacts of darkness, alcohol, sugar and—most recently—brain injury and auditory processing on these critical human factors.

Education

Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR

Ph.D. in Health Psychology | Expected June 2026
M.S. in Experimental Psychology | June 2024

Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA

B.A. in Experimental Psychology | May 2021
B.A. in French & Francophone Studies | May 2021

Interests

  • Psychophysiology research
  • Neuroimaging
  • Programming
  • Statistics
  • Food (researching, cooking, and consuming)
  • Talking about New England

Freya Whittaker (she/her/hers)

Bio

I am a graduate student in the BEAVERS Lab. I grew up between New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and I received my Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College with honors in Psychology and French & Francophone Studies in 2021.

As an undergraduate I assisted in two psychology labs, one evaluating a program designed to reduce the impacts of caregivers’ Substance Use Disorders on children, and the other studying the physical and mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young adults. While studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, I conducted research on the relationship between food insecurity and mental health outcomes in the Danish welfare state. I also independently conducted a study on the relationship between stress, social support, and substance use behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After graduating from Dickinson, I worked as a clinical research assistant in Shannon Wiltsey Stirman’s FAST Lab at Stanford University and the National Center for PTSD studying PTSD treatment implementation and dissemination before joining the BEAVERS Lab.

My research interests lie in investigating the factors that shape physiological stress, attention, and other factors relevant to human performance. I have explored the impacts of darkness, alcohol, sugar and—most recently—brain injury and auditory processing on these critical human factors.

Education

Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR

Ph.D. in Health Psychology | Expected June 2026
M.S. in Experimental Psychology | June 2024

Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA

B.A. in Experimental Psychology | May 2021
B.A. in French & Francophone Studies | May 2021

Interests

  • Psychophysiology research
  • Neuroimaging
  • Programming
  • Statistics
  • Food (researching, cooking, and consuming)
  • Talking about New England