Sapir Soker-Elimaliah

Sapir Soker-Elimaliah is a Research Fellow at the University of Southern California (USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy). She earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology (2022) and MSc in Developmental Psychology (2021) from the City University of New York, and a BA in Psychology and Education (2015) from Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.

Her research focuses on neurophysiological and psychophysiological mechanisms underlying sensory reactivity and restricted/repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders. Key methodologies include EEG/ERP, cardiac and electrodermal activity, and pupillometry. She is affiliated with the Innovations in Neurodevelopmental Sensory Processing Research (insp!re) lab under the mentorship of Grace Baranek, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA.

Research Trends: Recent work examines autonomic nervous system functioning (e.g., pupil light reflex, heart rate variability) as biomarkers for sensory and behavioral challenges in autism. Studies explore developmental differences in autonomic control and its interaction with social-emotional processing across neurotypical and autistic populations. Future directions emphasize neural pathway mapping to inform sensory processing interventions.

Her email contact is sapir.soker@chan.usc.edu.