Emily Gelerian

Emily M. Gelerian is a project coordinator working in the Laboratory of Affective Sensory Research (LASR) at the University of Kansas. She earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies from California State University, Long Beach. Prior to joining KU, she spent four years as a research assistant at the University of California, Davis, where she contributed to projects examining impressions of Autistic people across race and gender, the experiences of Autistic children and their caregivers, the experiences of disabled individuals in relationships, and the impact of sexism and Islamophobia on perceptions of Middle Eastern people. Building on this work, she is particularly interested in the neurobiological mechanisms of sensory processing—such as interoceptive and exteroceptive signaling pathways—and how atypicalities in these systems may shape social cognition, communication, and well-being in Autistic populations. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology, where she can further investigate the intersection of sensory processing, perception, and identity to inform more inclusive and equitable research practices.