Meet our current team!
Ryan Hill, PhD - Lab Director
Ryan Hill is a professor in the Department of Psychology at LSU and a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology, then received his masters and doctoral degrees in clinical science of child and adolescent psychology from Florida International University. He is the head and founder of the Research for Suicide Prevention Lab. His research interests are focused on suicide preventions among child, adolescent, and emerging adult populations. This includes more specific areas of interest such as examining interpersonal processes as they relate to the development of suicidal thoughts, developing web-briefed interventions to reduce suicidal risk and enhance resilience, and studies to prevent suicide among underrepresented and underserved populations. For more information on his recent publications, click here or visit his faculty page here.
Austin Starkey, B.S., Graduate Student Researcher
Austin Starkey is a first-year graduate student at LSU working with the SPRL Lab. He was born in Lima, OH and graduated from Florida State University with a B.S in Psychology and Sociology. After graduating, he worked in Dr. Pamela Keel’s Eating Behaviors Research Clinic at Florida State where he managed an R01 examining the biobehavioral indicators of binge eating disorder among adult women. Following this, he took a position as a research associate with the Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative for VEterans (STRIVE) where he worked with Dr’s. Craig Bryan, Justin Baker, and Lauren Khazem on clinical trials specifically aimed at treating suicidality. His research interests include suicide prevention among transition age youth, namely those from minoritized and underserved populations. Additionally, he is interested the development of treatments for non-suicidal self-injurious behavior among adolescents. In his free time, he likes to spend time with his girlfriend Emily and their three cats, Dr. Wilson, Dwight, and Angela.
You can contact Austin through his email: astar32@lsu.edu
Tyler Hendley, B.S., Graduate Student Researcher
Tyler Hendley is a first-year graduate student on Dr. Ryan Hill’s Suicide Prevention Research Team. Tyler is from Kannapolis, NC, and graduated from Clemson University’s Honors College with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in life sciences. While at Clemson, he worked in Dr. Robin Kowalski’s Social Psychology Lab where he researched K-12, college/university, and mass shootings. After graduation, Tyler was accepted into McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School’s Post-Baccalaureate Clinical Fellowship in the Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. While at McLean Hospital, he served as a Community Residence Counselor, Clinical Educator Specialist, and research assistant at the 3East DBT Adolescent Residential Program. As a research assistant, under the supervision of Dr. Alan Fruzzetti, he tracked treatment progress and outcomes of adolescent patients receiving treatment at the 3East DBT Program. After graduating the fellowship, Tyler rejoined Dr. Kowalski’s research endeavors to investigate suicidality and mass shootings. His research interests include suicide prevention in child and adolescent populations, examining interpersonal processes as they relate to suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and gun violence on a mass and individual level. In his free time, he likes to fish, attend sporting events, and listen to live music.
You can contact Tyler through his email: thendl1@lsu.edu
Brityn Strickland, Honors Student
Brityn is a third year undergraduate student majoring in psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience. A fun fact about Brityn is that she has an orange cat named Crowbar. In her free time she enjoys watching RuPaul's Drag Race with her roommates!
Caleb Yaccarino, Lab Assistant
Caleb is a fourth-year undergraduate at Louisiana State University majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology. His goal is to help figure out ways to improve the mental health of individuals and to learn the ins and outs of psychology studies. A fun fact about Caleb is that he is from New Jersey, but he knew he was going to go to LSU since the age of ten.
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Isabel Crumley, Lab Assistant
Isabel is a third-year student at Louisiana State University majoring in psychology with a concentration in forensics. She would like to go to graduate school for clinical psychology and is interested in psychological disorders. In her free time, she enjoys getting involved in her sorority, playing with her dog and cat, traveling, and going to the beach.
Herman Davis, Lab Assistant
Herman is a fourth-year undergraduate student at LSU. He is majoring in psychology and has plans to attend a clinical psychology graduate program after graduation. In his free time, Herman enjoys shopping and spending time with friends.
Lillian Sims, Lab Assistant
Lilli is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience and minoring in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. In addition to her studies, she serves as the president of Feminists in Action, a student organization on campus. She is also a participant in the Louisiana Service and Leadership (LASAL) Program with the Ogden Honors College. Through these activities, Lilli aims to use her knowledge to advocate for and destigmatize mental health in underrepresented communities.
Ky Trahan, Lab Assistant
Ky is a senior undergraduate student pursuing a dual major in psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience, as well as sociology with a concentration in criminology. A fun fact about Ky is that he has an 2 year old cat named Cheese.​
Former Lab Members
Zain Hussain, BA
Sophia Abbahou
Carter McCray, BA
Blake Vieyra, BA
Kaylee Perkins, BA
Arya Menon
Janie Morgan, BA
Amelia Todd, BA
Jaidyn Procell, BA
Ava Wood
Jackson Bolner​
Alyson Rivers
Madison Williams
Ruth Nolen
Aaron Gotte
Elizabeth (Beth) Frait
Shania Winchester
Alena Knieper
Frequent Collaborators
Mitigation of Suicidal Behavior (MOSB) Lab, Dr. Raymond Tucker
Anxiety and Trauma Research Program, Dr. Daniel Capron
SPRL often collaborates alongside the MOSB lab, led by Dr. Raymond Tucker and the Anxiety and Trauma Research Program, led by Dr. Daniel Capron. Both labs are interested in suicide prevention, with MOSB focusing on the testing and adaptation of theoretical models of suicide, the creation of new suicide risk assessment tools, and the identification of unique suicide risk and resilience factors in diverse populations. Dr. Tucker is an associate professor of psychology at Louisiana State University and a licensed clinical psychologist. For more about the MOSB Lab, visit their lab site.
Dr. Capron is an associate professor of psychology at Louisiana State University. For more about the Anxiety and Trauma Research Program, visit their lab site.