ABOUT US
OUR TEAM
Committed. Methodical. Empathetic.
Our team is comprised of talented inter-disciplinary scientist-practitioners at every level of training. Both undergraduate and graduate research assistants collaborate and work closely with Dr. Will to contribute to this research. Reach out to Dr. Will if you are interested in joining our team. 
Dr. Will is not accepting graduate students for the 2024 – 2025 academic year.

Dr. Kimberly Hills

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Kimberly J Hills, PhD, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Hills received her Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina and worked in the public schools in the Columbia area until joining the USC faculty in 2008. Her current research interests focus on autism diagnosis, psychological assessment, prevention and intervention for at-risk youth and positive psychology.

Kali Kecskemeti 

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Kali (she/her) is a current doctoral student in the School Psychology program. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she majored in Intensive Psychology and minored in Education. From there, she worked as a research coordinator at UC Davis examining the development of autism in adolescents with varying support needs. In her time at UC Davis, she gained experience working with children and young adults with ASD, leading neurodiversity focused groups and therapies, and working with families to disseminate information and care. Her interest in working with neurodiverse populations initially came from her experiences working in public schools in San Francisco. Her current research and clinical interests include increased accessibility for those with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD), school-based anxiety for children with ASD, and communication and development in children with NDDs.

Sydney Wellner

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Sydney is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of South Carolina. She received a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. During her undergraduate experience, she assisted a graduate student on their research on childhood fluency. Sydney has experience working with children with neurological disorders as a behavior therapist and loved seeing how their ability to communicate developed over time. She is excited to see what the future of speech pathology holds for her in the future. 

Victoria Day​

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Victoria is a sophomore at the University of South Carolina; she is a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology with a minor in Social Work. She is interested in the DD Lab because she wants to further understand the development of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including Down syndrome. Since the Summer of 2025, Victoria has helped with data entry and is excited to begin assisting with behavioral coding processing!

Ava DePaola​

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Ava is a freshman at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Public Health with a minor in Psychology. She plans to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant after graduation. Ava joined the DD lab in the spring of 2026, where she assists with data entry and research support. Ava is very excited to gain hands-on reserach experience!

Mary Kate Foster​

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Mary Kate is a sophomore at the University of South Carolina. She is a Psychology major with a Neuroscience Minor. She plans to attend graduate school to earn her PhD and work as a clinical Psychologist. She hopes to work with pediatric patients in a mental-health related clinical setting. Mary Kate recently joined the lab in the Fall of 2025 and is currently working on behavioral coding processing. She is excited to learn and gain new experience in the lab!

Niki Nagarsheth

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Niki is a junior at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. She is interested in pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology, with a focus on understanding the effects of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly ASD, in children. Niki joined the DD lab in the spring of 2026 and assists with heart rate data processing.

Sonny Vasi​

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Sonny is a junior at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Public Health. He is on the pre-medical track, as he wants to become a pediatrician after attending medical school. Sonny joined the lab in the Summer of 2025 and is assisting with data entry and heart rate data processing.