The Team
E. Kate Webb, PhD, Director
Dr. Kate Webb is an Assistant Professor in Duke University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the BEES Lab. Dr. Webb applies neuroscience techniques with a public health lens to study the effects of trauma at individual, neighborhood, and societal levels. The overarching focus of her work is to better understand how socioenvironmental factors, individual characteristics, and neurobiology interact to influence the course of PTSD development. Dr. Webb also works on neuroethical issues, such as how to identify racial biases embedded in neuroscience technologies and conceptualize socioenvironmental factors in psychiatric research. Dr. Webb received her PhD in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in collaboration with the Milwaukee Trauma Outcomes Project. Before joining Duke, she conducted her postdoctoral training and was subsequently an Instructor in Psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
To date, her work has resulted in over 35 manuscripts published in journals such as JAMA Psychiatry, Nature Neuroscience, and Biological Psychiatry, and coverage by major news outlets including BBC, CNN, and Discover. Dr. Webb's success has been recognized through early career awards from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Society for Biological Psychiatry, and American Psychological Foundation.
See publications from Dr. Webb: Google Scholar
Social media: @brainstorm12.bsky.social
Grace Rowland, Clinical Research Specialist, Sr.
Grace Rowland is a clinical research specialist in the BEES Lab. Previously, she worked as a clinical research assistant at McLean Hospital in the Neurobiology of Affective and Traumatic Experiences and Ressler Neurobiology of Fear Labs. Her research interests include the psychological and neurobiological effects of sexual trauma and the effects of environmental stressors and neighborhood characteristics on recent trauma survivors. She graduated from Emory University with a BA in psychology in 2021 and will graduate with a master's in counseling in 2026.
Taylor Jackson, Research Assistant
Taylor Jackson is a clinical research intern in the BEES Lab. She received her BS in psychology with a minor in human development and family sciences from the University of Georgia. Her research interests are broadly centered around how social determinants of health impact the development of psychiatric disorders in marginalized communities. In her spare time, Taylor enjoys reading, attending live music events, and running outdoors.
Hayden Shelden, Research Assistant
Hayden Shelden is pursuing an MA in Applied Ethics and Policy at Duke. She graduated from Stanford University in June 2025 with a BS in human biology, concentrating on brain and behavior with an emphasis on cognitive science and mental illness. Prior to higher education, Hayden served five years in the Marine Corps, where she developed a lasting commitment to mental health.
At Stanford, she conducted research at the Zeitzer Circadian Sleep Lab, focusing on the neuroscience of sleep. Her academic work integrated perspectives on military culture, neuroscience, trauma, and equity. Hayden’s current interests center on the mechanisms underlying PTSD, the ethics of military culture, moral injury, and veteran mental health outcomes.
Max Schermer, Research Graphic Designer
Max Schermer is a first-year Duke medical student originally from Honolulu, Hawaii. He’s been involved as a graphic designer for the BEES lab. Max hopes to explore orthopedic or plastic surgery while in medical school. His academic interests include the intersection of exercise and mental health, how the visual arts can be used to explain research and educate patients, and working with kids. Outside of school, Max enjoys CrossFit, eating, traveling, baking, anything arts-related, and going to the beach.
Milli Patel, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Milli Patel is a sophomore at Duke from Merritt Island, Florida. She is a biology major and hopes to pursue a career in medicine as a physician. Her academic interests include the connections between neuroscience and sociology, and the consequential implications in the medical field. Milli's hobbies include dancing and listening to music!
Julia Simon, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Julia Simon is an undergraduate from Sonoma County, CA, majoring in neuroscience and philosophy. Her current research interest relates to how individual and sociological factors influence the development and mitigation of trauma-related disorders following natural disasters. Long-term, Julia is interested in the differences and interplay between relational and natural disaster trauma in pediatric populations. She loves backpacking with friends, live music, and heirloom tomatoes.
Runzi Ma, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Runzi Ma is a junior majoring in psychology and economics with a minor in global health. She is from Beijing, China and is interested in mental health across cultures. During her free time, she enjoys cooking and volunteering at a local animal shelter.