MELISSA HUANG

Researcher & PhD Candidate

Graduate Researcher & Project Manager

• Design and co-lead longitudinal research projects on psychosocial stress, personality traits, and behavior in youth
• Lead complex data projects end-to-end (initial ideation, development, design, analysis, and publication)
• Utilize statistical techniques (regression, multilevel modeling, factor analysis, t-tests, moderation and mediation) and visualized data via SPSS, R, Python, Tableau and Excel for reports, posters, presentations, and publications
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, which has led to 4 publications, 2 book chapters, and 12 conferences
• Successfully carried out brain imaging pilot study on adolescent wellbeing, which secured further research grant funding ($392,500) from the National Institute of Mental Health
• Launched remote study on the psychological impact of COVID-19 in adolescents and caregivers, which was awarded a competitive research grant ($1,090) from the City University of New York

CUNY Brooklyn College - Gao Lab2017 - Present

Graduate Researcher & Project Manager

• Designed and co-led longitudinal research projects on maternal and child health, psychosocial stress, and behavior
• Oversaw case-control pilot study on gestational diabetes mellitus, which further contributed to parent study’s research grant renewal ($659,387) from the National Institutes of Health
• Developed survey materials for original research studies in maternal health and child development
• Employed statistical techniques (regression, multilevel modeling, reliability analysis, factor analysis, ANOVA, moderation and mediation) and visualized data via SPSS, R, Python and Excel for reports, posters, and publications
• Collaborated with external institutions, which led to 5 peer-reviewed publications and 3 national conferences

CUNY Queens College - Nomura Lab2017 - May 2021

Statistics Instructor

• Curated and taught course material in research methodology and statistics to undergraduate students
• Covered topics including: descriptive statistics, area under the normal curve, z-test, probability, binomial distribution, correlation, linear regression, hypothesis testing, inferential methods (e.g., sign-test, t-tests, chi-square, one-way and two-way ANOVA)
• Created in-depth tutorials for statistical analyses and visualizations in SPSS, Excel, JASP, JAMOVI, and R

CUNY Brooklyn College - Psychology Department 2016 - Present

Research Assistant

• Launched pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of a workforce preparation program across New York colleges
• Recruited alumni for focus groups to evaluate program satisfaction, student outcomes, and areas of improvement
• Transcribed audio recordings of interview sessions, identified recurring themes, and coded qualitative data
• Compiled figures, prepared progress reports, conducted statistical analyses, and supported Director of Research

Northeast Resiliency Consortium - Kingsborough Community CollegeSpring 2016

Data Analytics

I am versed in collecting, cleaning, transforming, and analyzing data. I have experience in the following analyses: t-tests, ANOVA, regression (linear, multiple, step-wise, HLM), moderation, mediation, reliability analysis, principal component analysis, and factor analysis. Tools I use include SPSS, R, Python, SQL, Excel, Google Sheets, JAMOVI, and JASP.

Project Management

I have overseen research projects from start to finish across several institutions. Projects include both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. My involvement and findings have generated multiple national conference presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, and successful grant applications/renewals. Tools I use include Google Workspace (formerly G-Suite), Dropbox, Asana, Slack, and Office365.

Data Visualization

I’ve harnessed tools such as Tableau, Excel, ggplot2, and matplotlib to graphically represent data and tell its story. I am also proficient in graphic design and presentations tools to create and present aesthetic visuals. This spring, I’m taking a course on interactive data visualization, which will utilize d3.js.

Abstract links can be found at my Google Scholar (linked at the bottom). Interested in the full-text? I'm happy to share those - e-mail me!

Refereed Journal Articles

Huang, Y., Zhang, W., Go, K., Tsuchiya, K. J., Hu, J., Skupski, D.W., ... Nomura, Y. (2020). Altered Growth Trajectory in Children Born to Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Preeclampsia. Archives of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 301, 151-159.

Lam, B. Y. H., Huang, Y., & Gao, Y. (2020). Gray Matter Asymmetry In The Orbitofrontal Cortex In Relation To Psychopathic Traits In Adolescents. Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Zhang, W., Ham, J., Li, Q., Deyssenroth, M. A., Lambertini, L., Huang, Y., ... & Nomura, Y. (2020). Moderate prenatal stress may buffer the impact of Superstorm Sandy on placental genes: Stress in Pregnancy (SIP) Study. PloS one, 15(1), e0226605.

Huang, Y., Wu, T., Luo, Y., Wu, Z., Fagan, S., Leung, S., ... & Gao, Y. (2019). The impact of callous-unemotional traits and externalizing tendencies on neural responsivity to reward and punishment in healthy adolescents. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 1319.

Hu, J., Ly, J., Zhang, W., Huang, Y., Glover, V., Peter, I., Hurd, Y., & Nomura, Y. (2019). Microbiota of newborn meconium is associated with maternal anxiety experienced during pregnancy. Developmental Psychobiology, 61(5), 640-649.

Nomura, Y., Davey, K., Pehme, P., Finik, J., Glover, V., Zhang, W., Huang, Y., ... Ham, J. (2019). Influence of in-utero exposure to maternal depression and natural disaster-related stress on infant temperament at 6 months: The children of Superstorm Sandy. Infant Mental Health Journal.

Zhang, W., Li, Q., Deyssenroth, M., Lambertini, L., Finik, J., Ham, J., Huang, Y., ... & Yoshida, S. (2018). Timing of Prenatal Exposure to Trauma and Altered Placental Expressions of HPA-Axis Genes and Genes Driving Neurodevelopment. Journal of Neuroendocrinology.

Gao, Y., Huang, Y., & Li, X. (2017). Interaction between Prenatal Maternal Stress and Autonomic Arousal in Predicting Conduct Problems and Psychopathic Traits in Children. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 39, 1-14.

Merz, E., McDonough, L., Huang, Y., Foss, S., Werner, E. & Monk, C. (2017). The Mobile Conjugate Reinforcement Paradigm in a Lab Setting. Developmental Psychobiology. DOI: 10.1002/dev.21520

Book Chapters

Schug, R. A., Gao, Y., Glenn, A. L., Peskin M., Huang, Y., & Raine, A. (2021). The Developmental Evidence Base: Neurobiological Research and Forensic Applications. In Forensic Psychology, British Psychological Society.

Gao, Y., Shug, R., Huang, Y., & Raine, A. (2021). Successful and Unsuccessful Psychopathy: An Updated Neurobiological Model. In A. Felthous & H. Hass (Eds.) International Handbook of Psychopathic Disorders and the Law. John Wiley & Sons.

Articles in Review or Preparation

Gao, Y. & Huang, Y. (under review). Selfish parents, parenting, and child psychopathic traits. Behavioral Sciences and The Law.

Zhang, W., Huang, Y., Stalias, M., & Nomura, Y. (in revision). Placental SLC6A4 Gene Expression Predicts Infant temperament at 6-12 Months: The Stress in Pregnancy (SIP) Study. Infant Behavior and Development.