Saghar Babaeian, B.S.

Saghar Babaeian joined the NIAAA Clinical Neuroimaging Research Core (CNIRC) in January 2025 shortly after earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from George Mason University. During her undergraduate years, she conducted research under Dr. Tara Chaplin in the Youth Emotional Lab, a project funded by the NIH. In this lab, she collaborated with adolescents and parent dyads, focusing on the development and testing of a parenting-centered mindfulness intervention aimed at reducing parent stress, enhancing parenting skills, and preventing adolescent substance use and risky behaviors. Seti has also contributed to a publication examining emotional regulation in adolescents using whole-brain MRI analysis. She has volunteered and worked at George Mason’s Center for Community Mental Health, gaining experience in psychological assessment and collaborating with Dr. Robin Mehlenbeck to enhance the services provided to both the GMU Center and its patients. In CNIRC, Seti is conducting research to enhance the understanding of alcohol use disorder and assess the effectiveness of its treatments through the use of MRI, EEG, fNIRS, and other clinical techniques. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and ultimately establish her own practice working with individuals with PTSD, addiction, and other psychological disorders.