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Collaboration is our engine.
Leadership sets the vision and mentors across projects.
Graduate researchers power the day-to-day discovery. Alumni carry our work into clinics, schools, and industry. Together, we co-design studies, share methods, and turn results into practical tools that advance equity in counseling
Leadership
Leadership
Jungnam Kim, Ph.D
Jungnam Kim, Ph.D
Lab Director
Jungnam Kim is an associate professor of counselor education and joined the College of Education in 2020. She received a Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Maryland-College Park and was formerly an assistant professor in the school counseling program at Ball State University. Before coming to the U.S., she had 11 years of experience as an elementary school teacher in South Korea.
Kim's scholarship and service work focus on promoting education access and opportunity through college-going culture, and reducing educational barriers for marginalized groups (e.g., Asian ethnic subgroups). Her work has been published in various scholarly journals and books including Journal of Counseling and Development and Professional School Counseling Journal, the flagship research journals for the American Counseling Association (ACA) and American School Counselor Association (ASCA), and in numerous professional journals such as Counseling and Development, Professional School Counseling Journal and Korean Journal of Parents and Guardians.
Ching-Chen Chen, Ed.D
Ching-Chen Chen, Ed.D
Lead Researcher
Ching-Chen Chen earned her doctoral degree in counselor education, with an emphasis in measurement and assessment, from University of Cincinnati. She also holds a M.S. in counseling psychology and a B.Ed. in instructional psychology and counseling education from National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan.
Dr. Chen began her career as a licensed elementary school teacher and school counselor in Taiwan. As an international scholar, she has worked with diverse populations, including Black Americans, Latinx, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, Asians, and international students.
Her interdisciplinary scholarship includes research on cross-cultural measurement and evaluation, parent-child relationships, substance abuse counseling, multicultural counseling, mind-body connection, and stem response theory (SRT). She focuses particularly on enhancing cross-cultural validity of psychological measures across racially and ethnically diverse groups.
Dr. Chen served as President of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) during 2024-2025, and continues to bring an international, culturally-grounded perspective to her teaching, research, and service.
Mingon Kang, Ph.D
Mingon Kang, Ph.D
Lead Researcher
Mingon Kang’s research interests include Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Data Science, and Bioinformatics. Specifically, Kang has been focusing on developing novel computational methodologies for sparse learning, subspace learning, and integrative and interpretable deep learning. He has published more than 50 research papers in prestigious journals and conferences, including Bioinformatics, BMC Bioinformatics, Nature Methods, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Methods, Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB). His research has been supported from Oracle, The Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), General Electric, and KNOWCK lnc, and collaborated with medical research centers such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Gyeongsang National University, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He currently serves as an organizing member in IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics & Biomedicine (IEEE BIBM), International Symposium on Bioinformatics Research and Applications (ISBRA), and Korean Computer Scientists and Engineers Association in America (KOCSEA). Dr. Kang obtained his Ph.D. and master degrees from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2015 and 2010 respectively, and he has a B.E. in Computer Engineering from Hanyang University in South Korea in 2006.
mingon.kang@unlv.edu
Tam Villar, Ph.D, LCADC, NCC
Tam Villar, Ph.D, LCADC, NCC
Lead Researcher
Tam Villar holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in health psychology. She has been a licensed counselor specializing in treating co-occurring disorders for many years in the state of Nevada. In her 15 years plus of clinical work, she provided direct counseling services to individuals affected by trauma and addiction issues and served as a clinical supervisor for counselor interns. In addition to her current role as human services program coordinator at UNLV, she also helps manage the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Addiction Studies program. Her scholarly interests include self-compassion, positive psychology, mindfulness, treatment of addictions, and mental wellness.
Shaikh M. Arifuzzaman, Ph.D
Shaikh M. Arifuzzaman, Ph.D
Lead Researcher
Shaikh M. Arifuzzaman is an assistant professor in Computer Science at UNLV. Previously, he was an assistant professor at the University of New Orleans (UNO). Arifuzzaman received his Ph.D. in computer science from Virginia Tech in 2016. Arifuzzaman's research interests are in algorithmic foundations of large-scale, data-intensive computing using high-performance computing (HPC) techniques, especially for data science, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML), and security problems. At UNLV, Arifuzzaman leads the DiSC Lab that aims for discovery through Data-intensive Scalable Computing and Algorithms. Further, as a visiting faculty at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab), he collaborates on large-scale computing problems in multidisciplinary areas. Arifuzzaman previously held positions with Sandia National Lab (SNL) and Biocomplexity Institute at Virginia Tech. Arifuzzaman is the recipient of 2023 and 2019 US DoE SRP-HPC Fellowship. He also won first place in Big Data Cup Challenges competition held with 2019 IEEE Big Data Conference. Arifuzzaman's research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), among others.
shaikh.arifuzzaman@unlv.edu
Grace Park, Ph.D
Grace Park, Ph.D
Lead Researcher
Dr. Grace Park is an Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication. Dr. Park’s research examines the role of strategic communication skills in science related crisis cases, such as health and environmental issues, within a social media setting.
She has published peer-reviewed articles in journals including Public Relations Review, Disasters, and Health Communication Research. She has presented conference papers at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference (AEJMC), International Communication Association (ICA), and International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC).
Dr. Park has taught Principles of PR, Branding for Advertising and Public Relations, Media Theory and Research method, Account Management, Strategic Writing, and Media Law and Ethics at Ball State University.
epark@bsu.edu
Tamekia Bell, Ph.D
Tamekia Bell, Ph.D
Lead Researcher
Tamekia Bell completed her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at Old Dominion University and her M.A. in marriage and family therapy from East Tennessee State University. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in Illinois, clinical professional counselor (CPC) in Nevada, an approved clinical supervisor (ACS), a board certified telemental health provider (BC-TMH) and a national certified counselor (NCC). In 2024, one of her publications, "Recognizing Ableism and Practicing Disability Humility: Conceptualizing Disability Across the Lifespan" was selected as Outstanding Article of the Year in the Adultspan journal. She also has served in several leadership roles such as president of the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE), a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA).
tamekia.bell@unlv.edu
Shengtian Wu, Ph.D
Shengtian Wu, Ph.D
Lead Researcher
Shengtian Wu has been working with children with and without disabilities across various settings for several years. He graduated from Yanbian University in China, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Wu completed a doctoral degree in school psychology at Mississippi State University, in 2019. He obtained the BCBA-D, NCSP, and licensed psychology credentials and started an assistant professor job in the School Psychology programs at Illinois State University in 2020. Wu’s professional and research interests include behavioral intervention and consultation for parents and teachers, and academic support for students.
shengtian.wu@unlv.edu
Graduate Students
Graduate Students
Zhixuan “Selena” Zeng
Zhixuan “Selena” Zeng
Doctoral Student
Zhixuan “Selena” Zeng is a bilingual doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Her research centers on school counselor burnout, turnover, professional identity, and international school counseling. An active member of the UNLV School Counseling Research Lab, she has presented at state and regional conferences and is dedicated to preparing future counselors to promote equity and well-being in schools.
Zhixuan “Selena” Zeng is a bilingual doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Her research centers on school counselor burnout, turnover, professional identity, and international school counseling. An active member of the UNLV School Counseling Research Lab, she has presented at state and regional conferences and is dedicated to preparing future counselors to promote equity and well-being in schools.
Angelica Medel
Angelica Medel
Doctoral Student
Angelica Medel is a current doctoral student at UNLV, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. Her research focuses on culturally responsive counseling, technology-assisted interventions, and parent engagement among Latinx and Spanish speaking families. She is part of the CSCiLab where she contributes to projects promoting inclusive, family-centered approaches to school counseling and technology-enhanced community outreach in Spanish speaking communities.
Angelica Medel is a current doctoral student at UNLV, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. Her research focuses on culturally responsive counseling, technology-assisted interventions, and parent engagement among Latinx and Spanish speaking families. She is part of the CSCiLab where she contributes to projects promoting inclusive, family-centered approaches to school counseling and technology-enhanced community outreach in Spanish speaking communities.
Partnerships
Partnerships
Partners
Partners
School districts, companies, agencies, industry, schools
We partner with local school districts, companies, and industry organizations to co-design tools, conduct research, secure grants, and ensure our innovations meet the real needs of counselors, students, and families.
Counselors
Counselors
Expert Advisors
Practicing counselors advise and collaborate throughout our research process, bringing frontline expertise that keeps our work grounded in real school and clinical realities.
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