Shanna Mliner, MEd
Program Director
Shanna Mliner joined the CNS Lab in 2026 as Program Director, after conducting research in the Institute of Child Development for more than 27 years. She earned a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education/Special Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Shanna also holds dual state teaching licenses in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education, bringing together a knowledge base in child development and early education/intervention with extensive experience in research protocol design and study oversight in a variety of laboratory, community, and clinical settings, including large-scale and multi-site projects. Outside of work, Shanna enjoys attending hockey, football, and baseball games with her husband and two teenage sons, gardening, and traveling with her friends and family.
Kris Gorman, PhD
Program Manager
Kris completed her Bachelor of Arts at Pomona College in Claremont, CA where she majored in Linguistics and Cognitive Science, before earning her Master of Arts and PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. Since 2013, Kris has worked in varying staff leadership roles in education and research settings at the University of Minnesota, including managing a large-scale clinical trial in the School of Nursing. She joined the CNS Lab as Program Manager in 2025 where she provides operational leadership and oversight for studies in the lab. Outside of work, Kris enjoys getting outside her family, building community in her South Minneapolis neighborhood, and obsessing then moving on from various crafting projects.
Desirae Rambeck, MA
Research Project Specialist
Desirae Rambeck, MA, is a Research Project Specialist in the CNS Lab and a part of the Measurement and Human Phenotyping Core (MAP Core) at MIDB. In addition, Desirae is the Fragile X Clinic Coordinator; the Fragile X Clinic at the University of MN participates in collaborative research and clinical efforts on fragile X across the US through the Fragile X Clinical and Research Consortium. Desirae received her Bachelor of Arts at Hamline University where she studied psychology and sociology, before receiving her Master of Arts in Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Desirae has 14 years of experience working with children and adults in clinic and research settings, where she specialized in autism assessment and evaluation of patients with fragile X associated disorders. When Desirae is not working, she enjoys traveling with her family, playing with her two dogs and going to concerts.
Bao Moua
Recruitment Manager
Bao Moua joined the CNS Lab in 2026 as Recruitment Manager. She completed her Bachelors of Science degree in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Prior to her current role, Bao spent 17 years at the Institute of Child Development where she provided administrative and project management support for longitudinal adoption research studies, including the International Adoption Project and many other studies examining stress and development in children conducted in community and clinic settings. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, attending concerts, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. Bao is also a parent to a young adult non-verbal autistic son.
Lana Hantzsch
Project Coordinator
Lana completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where she studied Neurobiology, Psychology, and Music Performance. Lana joined the CNS Lab as in 2021, and has worked on the Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum Infant Study, Early Academic Skills Development study, and Infant Brain Imaging Study. She is also currently pursing a Masters in Public Health in Health Data Science. Previously, she has worked as a research assistant at UW-Madison's Center for Healthy Minds and as the lab manager for the Waisman Center's Speech Motor Neuroscience Group. Outside of her work, Lana loves to make music, play volleyball, and plan her next hiking trip.
Samantha Smalley
Project Coordinator
Sam recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology and a minor in Integrative Neuroscience. Sam joined the CNS Lab in 2022 as a project coordinator for the Population Phenoscreening study, and now coordinates the IBIS LENA language project. She is particularly interested in social and emotional development, as well as co-regulation in infants and toddlers. She is currently pursuing her Master in Social Work at UMN. Outside of her work, Sam loves to cook, watch nature documentaries, and plan her next road trip.
Hannah Lundblad
Project Coordinator
Hannah graduated from Macalester College in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and minors in Biology, Psychology, and French. Hannah joined the CNS Lab in February 2023 and works closely with Dr. Catherine Burrows. Hannah is the Research Coordinator for the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic Database project and for the Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Females project in collaboration with Children’s Minnesota. Additionally, Hannah assists with research tasks for the Early Development in Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum project. Outside of her work, Hannah loves to play pickleball, explore coffee shops in the Twin Cities, and travel to new places.
Charlie Nazarian
Data Manager
Charlie graduated from University of Minnesota in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Economics. Charlie joined the CNS Lab's data and software team in 2023 as a student, and moved into full time position in the summer of 2024 as a data manager. His research interests lie in medical informatics and bioinformatics. Outside of work, Charlie spends his time playing and coaching soccer, skiing, and staying active. He also enjoys all types of music and does photography around the Twin Cities.
Maya Dosembet
Project Coordinator
Maya joined the CNS Lab in 2025 as the Project Coordinator for the Infant Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Study. In 2022, she earned her Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Iowa, where she also worked in the Boes Lab on neuroimaging and noninvasive brain stimulation research. She later served as the fNIRS coordinator at the Center of Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa, focusing on early brain development and the emergence of reading and language disorders in infants born with oral clefts. Outside the lab, Maya loves learning new languages, scaling rock walls, experimenting in the kitchen, traveling, and capturing moments through her camera. On quieter days, she unwinds with reruns of The Office or Monk.
Lexy Miles
Research Coordinator
Lexy recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in Developmental Psychology and Spanish Studies and a minor in Psychology. She joined the CNS Lab in 2025 as a research coordinator for the Infant Brain Imaging Study. Lexy also works as a research professional in the Minnesota Investigators of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Group studying childhood adrenoleukodystrophy. She previously worked as a research assistant in the Cognitive Development and Neuroimaging Lab at the UMN Institute of Child Development, where she wrote her honors thesis on the impact of bilingualism on executive function measures for young adults. In her free time, Lexy enjoys reading, playing board games, and exploring the Twin Cities with friends.
Ricardo Vazquez Montero
Research Staff
Ricardo graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Psychology. He joined the CNS Lab in 2026 as a research professional in the Infant Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Study. He also works in the Center for Developmental NeuroImaging’s Precision Imaging of Plasticity (PIP) Study. He previously worked as an undergrad research assistant at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research, primarily in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Ricardo plans to attend graduate school in the future and is interested in studying the development of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Outside of work, Ricardo enjoys going to live music events, doing puzzles, playing board games, and video editing.