Melisa Shafiee
Melisa is a third-year undergraduate student in the Psychology Honors Program. As a child, she endlessly asked questions about the world, and later found the psychology field to perfectly suit her curious nature.
Through experiences working directly with adults with neurodevelopmental disorders, Melisa cultivated a passion for improving intervention efficacy for adult populations. In Autumn 2024, Melisa joined Dr. Margaret Sibley’s lab at Seattle Children’s to pursue an honors thesis on adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Melisa is analyzing qualitative data to understand whether adult lived experiences align with a fluctuating ADHD trajectory, in order to construct one of the first theories on factors influencing diagnostic fluctuations across the lifespan.
Through the support of the Mary Gates Research Scholarship and Thomas Sedlock Icon Scholarship, Melisa will be able to finalize qualitative results ahead of a poster presentation at the 2026 American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) conference, and a future oral presentation at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium. After completion of her honors thesis, she will be able to work with her mentor to design and lead semi-structured interviews to enhance generalizability of findings. Melisa holds immense gratitude towards Dr. Sibley for her mentorship, as well as towards the support of these scholarships for helping her embark on a path to pursuing clinical psychology.
Beyond research, Melisa co-leads Persian Circle at the UW to host events for the Persian community. She recharges by curating playlists with friends or adding to her vision board.
Goals
Upon graduating in Spring 2026, Melisa aims to continue her project with Dr. Sibley while also pursuing a full-time role in a research lab, in order to prepare for graduate school. Melisa aspires to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology, studying methods to tailor mental health interventions to patients’ unique developmental experiences.
Tips
Always keep your core ambitions with your project in mind! I suggest dedicating ample time towards outlining short-term and long-term project goals to help hone your purpose and create a compelling application.
