Officers
Wonjoon Cha, Chair
Educational Psychology, Educational Studies
4th year, Ph.D.
After receiving his B.A. in English Language Education at Korea University, Wonjoon has worked as a nationally certified English teacher and a teacher trainer. He has been conducting classroom-based research that can benefit teachers and students in the field. Specifically, his research interests include situating motivational theories with a nuanced cultural lens and fostering a motivational climate in diverse educational contexts. He is also interested in how technology can be used to facilitate student learning and engagement. He likes jogging and swimming and enjoys any kind of cultural activities (e.g., watching movies, listening to music, traveling).
(cha.170@osu.edu | Twitter: @cha_wonjoon | Linkedin: chawonjoon)
Arianna Black
Educational Psychology, Educational Studies
5th year, Ph.D.
Arianna Black is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology program at The Ohio State University. She earned her M.A. in Educational Psychology from OSU in 2020 and her B.A. in Psychology from Colby-Sawyer College in her home state of New Hampshire in 2013. Arianna serves as a graduate teaching associate and works under advisor Dr. Shirley Yu. Arianna’s research interests include learning and academic motivation, particularly in adolescent and college student populations.
Ibrahim Almahaireh
Kinesiology, Human Sciences
4th year, Ph.D.
Ibrahim Almahaireh is a passionate and dedicated doctoral candidate at The Ohio State University, with a focus on Physical Education Teacher Education and Sports Coaching within the Kinesiology program. He holds a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from Loughborough University, UK, where he researched the effects of carbohydrate sources on half-marathon running performance, physiological parameters, and gastrointestinal distress. Ibrahim earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from the University of Jordan, where he graduated with honors. With extensive professional experience in Sports, Ibrahim is an active researcher, with publications and presentations in the field of sports science and physical education. Including his current role as a volunteer assistant coach with the swimming team at The Ohio State University. Ibrahim is also the founder and president of the Jordanian Student Organization (JSO) at Ohio State, where he is dedicated to representing and advocating for his fellow students. In addition to his academic achievements, Ibrahim has garnered numerous honors and awards, including being recognized twice as the best coach of the year and the youngest coach in the country for elite level by the minister of youth and sports in 2019 and 2020. He has been awarded funding from the Oberteuffer and Barr scholarships at The Ohio State University. Ibrahim is a skilled and motivated educator, researcher, and advocate who is committed to making a meaningful impact in the field of physical education and sports science.
Alexis Pizzulo
Human Development and Family Science, Human Sciences
4th year, Ph.D.
Alexis (She/Her) is a PhD candidate in Human Development and Family Science specializing in Couple and Family Therapy and Quantitative Research Methods. A returning Buckeye, Alexis previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science specializing in Intimacy and Sexuality, and a Master of Science in Couple and Family Therapy (#Buckeye4Life). She is licensed in Ohio as a Marriage and Family Therapist and works part-time at OSU’s Couple and Family Therapy Clinic. As a researcher, Alexis’s primary foci include systemic psychotherapy and interpersonal predictors for psychosocial wellness. She has also studied the risk and protective factors of depression and substance use among unhoused adolescent and emerging adult populations. In addition to her tenure as an EHE Graduate Student Advisory Council member, Alexis has also served as the doctoral student representative for Ohio State’s Couple and Family Therapy program, the Human Development and Family Science (Couple and Family Therapy) doctoral student representative for Ohio State’s Department of Human Sciences, and a board member for the Ohio Council on Family Relations. In her free time, Alexis enjoys cooking the Italian family recipes learned from her grandparents, spending time outdoors hiking or running, and traveling to baseball stadiums across the country.
pizzulo.2@osu.edu | Google Scholar / ResearchGate: Alexis Pizzulo | LinkedIn: alexis-pizzulo
Jiarui Xie
Learning Technologies, Educational Studies
4th year, Ph.D.
Jiarui Xie is a doctoral candidate in Learning Technologies at The Ohio State University and a Graduate Research Associate at the Center on Education and Learning for Employment, specifically the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center. She holds a B.S. and an MSc. in Educational Technology from Shaanxi Normal University (China). In 2018, she also studied at the University of California, San Diego as an exchange student. After graduation and before pursuing her Ph.D., she worked as an English lecturer at Xi’an Vocational and Technical College (China). The topics of her studies include asynchronous online discussion, teacher online training, rural education, deep learning, problem-solving, and learning analytics. Her current research interests include online teaching and learning, self-regulated learning, and artificial intelligence in education.
xie.1196@osu.edu | Twitter/X: JiaruiXie27 | LinkedIn: Jiarui Xie
Dorsin Chang
Interdisciplinary Nutrition Program (OSUN), Human Sciences
4th year, Ph.D.
Dorsin Chang is a graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Nutrition Program (OSUN) focused on studying liver dysfunction after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, she is interested in the hepatic manifestation of neurogenic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (neurogenic-MASH). The complex interaction between SCI and liver pathology highlights the need for foundational scientific advances that will integrate nutrition, neurobiology, and clinically-relevant animal models to fully understand these multidimensional factors contributing to neurogenic-MASH. This supports a foundation for comprehensive and clinically translatable approaches to parse out both metabolic and neurogenic factors that increase risk for cardiometabolic morbidities and secondary health complications poorly managed by polypharmacy.
chang.2067@.osu.edu | Research Gate | Dorsin Chang| LinkedIn: Dorsin Chang
Michelle Leao
Higher Education and Student Affairs, Educational Studies
3rd year, Ph.D.
Aula Andika Fikrullah Al Balad
InSTEAM, Teaching and Learning
1st year, Ph.D.
Aula holds a master’s degree in instructional technology from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, obtained under a U.S. government scholarship. As an LPDP (Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) scholar pursuing a doctoral degree at OSU, his research interests include curriculum development, scientific literacy,, instructional technology/design, and teacher pedagogy, with a focus on sociomaterial and science and technology studies (STS) approaches. His work explores how the use of innovative technologies (e.g., mobile augmented reality) influences student engagement, motivation, and student conceptual learning in STEM education, particularly in Ecology and Physics. Besides that, he enjoys cooking, travelling, and photography.
balad.1@osu.edu, Instagram: fa_aula,
LinkedIn/ Google Scholar: Aula Andika Fikrullah Al Balad.
Feifan Ma
Multicultural and Equity Studies in Education, Teaching and Learning
1st year, Ph.D.
Feifan is currently a Ph.D. student in Multicultural and Equity Studies in Education at The Ohio State University, where he has been pursuing his studies since 2024. He previously earned an M.A. in Translation from Wuhan University of Technology in 2024 and an M.A. in Education Studies from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in 2023. His educational journey began with a B.A. in Translation from Yan’an University in 2020. Feifan’s research interests center on multicultural perspectives in education, specifically focusing on the empowerment of international LGBTQIA+ students in higher education. He aims to apply intersectionality theory to understand the experiences of LGBTQIA+ students of color from countries where same-gender marriage is not legal. His goal is to explore their expectations in Western higher education settings and identify ways in which they can thrive both academically and mentally. He has engaged in research related to LGBT diversity and has presented his findings at various international conferences. In his free time, Feifan enjoys traveling, listening to music, and participating in cultural activities.
ma.2761@osu.edu | X: @maff980913 | Instagram: @maff0913 | LinkedIn : Feifan Ma