AMANDA TA
undergraduate researcher & psychology @SDSU
Biography
I have always aspired to be a clinical scientist. I am both a second-generation Vietnamese American and a current Psychology B.A. student at San Diego State University. My specific quantitative research interests include clinical psychology/neuroscience*, personality (Big 5/HEXAGO) facets and environmental factors, human relationships, education systems, early life development, and language acquisition.*Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Complex PTSD (CPTSD), Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Female), Socialization and Human Development, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)I am currently spending the next year volunteering in neuroscience research labs at SDSU to build technical skill and a more biological foundation in order to supplement my current theoretical knowledge of the field. I plan to apply to a mix of US/UK social psychology Ph.D. programs in my first cycle during my last year of university after recent NSF budget cuts. In terms of experience, I have about a year in public health environmental tobacco research focusing on policy in indoor environments, as well as several months running eeg sessions on healthy adult participants, both at SDSU. In the long term, I aim to stay in academia. I additionally presented my research at the the SDSU Student Symposium, and the 3rd Annual Research Symposium on Tobacco and the Environment. The former won as one of the top two poster presentations for 2026 in the College of Sciences at my university. The website’s theme is dedicated to two of my favorite things in the world; clinical psychology, and the classic board game Othello.
Curriculum Vitae
Academic Presentations
• Ta, A., Matt, G. E., Wooldridge, G., & Greiner, L. (2026). Smoking and vaping policies in newly constructed, state-funded multiunit housing in California. [Poster presentation]. Third Annual Research Symposium on Tobacco and the Environment, Southeast Live Well Center, San Diego, CA• Ta, A., Matt, G. E., Wooldridge, G., & Greiner, L. (2026). Smoking and vaping policies in newly constructed, state-funded multiunit housing in California [Poster presentation]. SDSU Student Symposium (S3), San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Research
• 02/2026 SAN DIEGO: Present Neural Correlates of Cognitive Control in Healthy Adults (ongoing)Cognitive Affective Psychopathology & Psychophysiology Lab at Kappenman Laboratory, San Diego State UniversityMentor: Dr. Emily Kappenman, PhD
I prepared and documented raw EEG datasets for preprocessing and analysis, collected and managed EEG datasets from healthy adult participants during a cognitive control task, and monitored task performance and ensured high-quality EEG signal acquisition during experimental sessions.
• 09/2025 - 05/2026 KEARNY MESA: Tobacco smoke remediation practices in San Diego County (ongoing)Policy Center for Tobacco and the Environment (CTE), San Diego State UniversityMentors: Dr. Georg Matt, PhD, Dr. Lydia Greiner, DrPH, and in collaboration with Samantha Yurek.
I prepared a full report of background and methods sections for a mixed-methods study investigating residential tobacco smoke remediation practices and thirdhand smoke contamination, after developing a database of 100 remediation and cleaning businesses and certified professionals using IICRC records, business directories, and public databases.
• I also contributed to recruitment protocol design and implemented purposive and snowball sampling strategies to recruit professionals with tobacco smoke remediation experience.
• Smoking and vaping policies in newly constructed, state-funded multiunit housing in CaliforniaPolicy Research Center For Tobacco and the Environment, San Diego State UniversityMentors: Dr. Georg Matt, PhD, Dr. Lydia Greiner, DrPH, and in collaboration with Gunnar Wooldridge.
I integrated administrative and survey data from 281 newly constructed state-subsidized housing developments to evaluate implementation of smoking and vaping policies, and conducted structured qualitative coding of interview and survey data to operationalize smoking and vaping lease policies and enforcement procedures into thematic categories. I also synthesized survey responses from 57 California affordable housing properties to identify patterns in lease policy inclusion and enforcement and Interpreted findings to identify inconsistencies, ambiguous enforcement mechanisms, and gaps in lease disclosure.
• I was awarded for top poster presentation in the College of Sciences at the 2026 SDSU Student Symposium (S3), and additionally presented at the Third Annual Research Symposium on Tobacco and the Environment, where I presented my findings on smoke and vape policies in multiunit, state-subsidized housing in California.
Honors
• Certificate of Recognition, Third Annual Research Symposium on Tobacco and the Environment (2026)
Recognition of poster presentation at the 3rd Annual Research Symposium on Tobacco and the Environment• Dean’s Award for Top Poster Presentation, SDSU College of Sciences (2026)
Awarded for one of the top two poster presentations at the 2026 SDSU Student Symposium (S³)• SDSU Merit Scholarship, San Diego State University (2024)
4-year full tuition scholarship for outstanding local incoming students
Skills
• Software: PyCorder, SPSS, Overleaf, Excel• Statistics: Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, linear regression (SPSS)• Methodology: EEG, Qualitative coding (thematic analysis), Survey & Interview design, Database Development• Clinical Theory: Public Health & Policy Factors, PTSD & Complex PTSD (CPTSD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) & ADHD (Female), Socialization & Early Development, Intergenerational Trauma, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)