Lia Aldea-Lustig
lpa27@cornell.edu
www.linkedin.com/in/lia-aldea-lustig-32a87b359
Education
Cornell University, College of Human Ecology, Ithaca, NY
Bachelor of Science in Human Development, Minors in Moral Psychology and Education -- Expected May 2026—
GPA: 3.89—Dean’s list
Research Experience
Research Assistant, Cornell University NY – August 2024 to Current
Research Assistant to Dr. Laura Niemi in the Applied Moral Psychology Lab. Conducted literature reviews, coded data, and provided feedback to PhD students in the lab. Working on an honors thesis examining if anthropomorphizing AI companies makes people more forgiving of their harms and more likely to see them as moral agents (study 1) and as individuals rather than industries, companies, or products (study 2).
Research Assistant, Cornell University NY -- March 2024 to January 2025
Research Assistant to Dr. Michael Toglia in the Innocence Research Lab. I was the lead research assistant and founder of the Life After Exoneration Project, where we worked with exonerees to better understand their experience with discrimination after being found innocent.
Research Assistant, SUNY Westchester -- March 2023 to August 2023
Research Assistant to Dr. Stalias-Mantzikos. Responsible for gathering and organizing data and reviewing research for an ongoing inter-collegiate collaborative study examining factors relating to chronic illness that affect adaptation or burnout, including locus of control, spirituality, sense of coherence, and cognitive attentional syndrome.
Lenox Hill Hospital Neurosurgery Internship -- Summer 2023
Shadowed neurosurgeons at top New York hospital and observed surgeries via Zoom, attended seminars and lectures led by surgeons, PAs, NPs, and administrative staff.
Academic Honors
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society – May 2023 - Present
Active member: Honor society recognizing academic achievement, accepting only the top 10% of GPAs.
Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology – October 2023 - Present
Honor Society promoting excellence in psychology.
Social Chair (2025-2026): Responsible for planning and hosting the e-board and chapter-wide meetings, social events, and networking opportunities for the chapter.
Recruitment Chair and New Member Educator (2024-2025): Responsible for selecting the new member class, planning events to foster a sense of community for new members, and running the big-little program.
Alice Cook House Dean’s Council – August 2024 - Present
Active member: Works to foster community building and improvement in the west campus housing system and broader Ithaca area, including planning events around arts and culture, working with non-profits, and facilitating housing improvements.
Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society in Human Ecology– August 2024 - Present
Active Member: Honor Society focused on community building in the Cornell College of Human Ecology, hosts events and fundraisers in collaboration with non-profit organizations, lectures with notable professors, and social events for members.
Flora Rose Scholars Program – August 2024 – May 2025
Active member: Honor society that works to foster community building in the West Campus housing system and educates Cornell students about the broader Ithaca community.
Elsie Van Buren Rice Award – March 2025
Second Place: Award in Public Speaking, honoring the best student speeches addressing how research in Human Ecology makes a difference in society
Employment
Tjaden Hall Photo Monitor, Cornell University, NY – August 2024 – Current
Employed part-time in the Tjaden Hall darkroom. Responsible for mixing chemistry and helping students develop film photographs in both black and white and color darkrooms.
Byram Hills Speech and Debate Judge and Coach, Armonk, NY -- September 2022 – Current
Employed part-time by the Byram Hills School District to judge, rank, and provide written feedback and critique of competitors’ performance during state and national tournaments and to assist students in improving oratory skills.
Undergraduate Resident Fellow at Alice Cook House, Cornell University, NY – Position begins August 2025
Acts as a mentor and RA-like figure for students in the Alice Cook house. Responsible for planning events, settling roommate and other disputes, handling maintenance, and other requests.
Society for Philosophy and Psychology 2025 Conference Staff, Ithaca, NY – June 2025
Staffed and helped organize the 51st annual SPP conference.
Teacher’s Assistant, Bell Sherman Elementary School, Ithaca, NY -- September 2023 – December 2023
Conducted Fieldwork. Served as Teacher’s Assistant and helped first and fifth graders with class and homework. Worked with several international students who were not native English speakers.
Teacher’s Aide, Wampus Elementary School, Armonk, NY – April - June 2022
Acted as Teacher’s Assistant and helped teach on-level and special education classes for 5th-grade children with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences.
Campus Activities and Organizations
Cornell Undergraduate Research Board – October 2023 - Present
Mentor: organization promoting and enriching undergraduate research on campus. Serves as a mentor, working with other undergraduate students to help them find research opportunities
Already Friendz – May 2024 – Present
Mentor: An organization that works to foster connections between Cornell’s transfer student population. Mentors advise incoming transfers on how to best succeed at Cornell.
Outdoor Adventure Club – October 2023 - Present
Active member: a club that plans and participates in various extreme sports and nature-based excursions.
Her Campus Feminist Magazine– January 2024 – May 2025
Events Director: Work to plan and budget events and work with high-profile brands such as Keihl’s, Rare Beauty, and Function of Beauty Hair Care to receive sponsorships, serving as chapter ambassador.
Spiral Giving Intern, Westchester, NY -- September 2022 - August 2023
Board Member: Served as an undergraduate Intern and Board Member for a philanthropic organization providing grants to local non-profits. Responsible for organizing meetings and fundraising events and reviewing grant applications.
Skills
Computer Skills: R, Qualtrics, Adobe Photoshop, Photopia, Adobe Illustrator, Box, Excel, Canva
Arts: film (darkroom) and digital photography, creative writing, fine and decorative arts, graphic design
Public Speaking: won nearly 100 individual awards at international, national, and local tournaments in multiple oratory and dramatic events. See itemized list: https://tinyurl.com/yzahk7yd
Event Organization and Leadership: Held leadership roles in over 15 different organizations in the past 7 years and has organized many large and small-scale events at the community, state, and national levels.
Miscellaneous: American Sign Language (ASL), CPR certified by the American Red Cross