Team

Meet the Team

Dr. Shana Adise, PhD received her bachelor’s in science in Psychology with a cognitive neuroscience emphasis, from the City College of New York, where she was also a recipient of the prestigious City College Fellowship. She then went on to earn a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Penn State University under the direction of Dr. Kathleen L. Keller. She completed two postdoctoral fellowships, under the direction of Drs. Hugh Garavan and Elizabeth Sowell to obtain additional training on skills necessary for utilizing big data (e.g., computational modeling, machine learning, prediction analyses), novel structural MRI preprocessing techniques, and neurocognitive development. She began her laboratory at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) in 2023 and has expanded to the University of Georgia (UGA). Currently, Dr. Adise holds dual appointments at both institutions. 

For more than a decade, Dr. Adise's research has focused on understanding the mechanisms that cause some children to overeat and develop obesity. Additionally, she is also interested in understanding the clinical implications of weight gain on neurocognitive development. Her work uses the combination of MRI, computational modeling, and nutrition assessments to understand the relationship between weight gain, the brain, and food intake during critical times in development, such as late childhood and early adolescence. Dr. Adise's research is currently funded by the NIH.

Dr. Adise is also a Co-Investigator on the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study at CHLA. The ABCD Study is a 21-site consortium study funded by the NIH. The focus is to understand how adolescent brain develops over time, with a particular focus on neurocognitive development. To learn more about the ABCD study, visit www.ABCDStudy.org.

Chloe Pierre-Mitchell is a first-year Ph.D. student in Nutritional Sciences with a concentration in Neuroscience at the University of Georgia and a member of the Brain Food Lab. She earned her B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Music from Wesleyan College and her M.S. in Biomedical Innovation and Development from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research interests include the intersection of neuroscience, nutrition, and stress, with a particular interest in how adversity and nutrition influence development across adolescence. Chloe hopes to pursue a career in research, with interests in both academic neuroscience and translational science. Outside of the lab, she enjoys being creative, word search puzzles, music, and exploring new places.

Ayla Zomermaand is a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia, double-majoring in Cognitive Science and Human Development and Family Science on the pre-medical track. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she came to the South for UGA's Foundation Fellowship, the university's premier merit-based scholarship program. Ayla is passionate about working with children and intends to pursue a career in pediatric neurology. She also volunteers at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital in the Heart Failure Unit. In her free time, Ayla enjoys discovering new music, thrifting, and hiking.

Steven Kesser is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia majoring in mathematics and minoring in statistics. He is a third-year Resident Assistant and a McNair Scholar. He hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Statistics and eventually make an impact through teaching. In his free time, Steven enjoys reading, playing piano, watching anime, weightlifting, and is a huge foodie.

Research fellow from January 2024 - August 2026

Dr. Victoria Goldman, MD was an Pediatric Endocrinology Fellow at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She received her bachelor's degree in Health & Societies from the University of Pennsylvania and her medical degree from Brown University. She completed her pediatric residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Goldman's research investigates how early life adversity affects hormonal and metabolic pathways that contribute to obesity risk in youth. 

Dr. Goldman has been a recipient of many awards for this work, including the 2025 Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior's New Investigator Travel Award for top scoring abstract and the Best Oral Presentation in the Postdoc Category. Additionally, in Nov 2025, Dr. Goldman was awarded the prestigious Pediatric Endocrine Society's Rising Star Award. 

Now: Physician Scientist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. 

Postdoctoral fellow from January 2023 - June 2026

Dr. Jonatan Ottino-González, PhD graduated from the University of Barcelona in 2019 and has held postdoctoral appointments at the University of Vermont (2019-2022) and Children's Hospital Los Angeles (2022-2026). He is interested in studying how gestational and early life factors affect the growth of the brain and body. Using brain imaging, he aims to understand how breast milk and ultra-processed foods influence neurocognitive development and the risk of obesity. His work seeks to inform healthier early-life practices that support the best start to life.

Now: Lecturer University of Barcelona

Research Assistant from January 2025 - June 2026

Devansh Bansal was a senior undergraduate at the University of Southern California studying Computational Neuroscience with a minor in Songwriting. He was working on project examining the cognitive and behavioral correlates of rapid weight gain in adolescents. While not conducting research, Devansh enjoys singing on an a cappella group, going to escape rooms, and discovering new coffee shops. 

Now: PhD Student at the University of Georgia. 

Postdoctoral fellow from June 2024 - July 2025

Miguel Angel Rivas Fernandez, PhD

Now: Assistant Professor, Universidad de Leon