Current Members

Principal Investigator

Luiz Pessoa

Luiz Pessoa

Professor

I am a professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park. My research focuses on understanding how emotion and cognition interact with each other both in terms of the brain and behavior.

pessoa@umd.edu

Postdoctoral Fellows

Murty V. P. S. Dinavahi

Murty V. P. S. Dinavahi

Post-doctoral associate

I am a doctor-turned neuroscientist and a post-doctoral researcher at LCE. I obtained PhD degree from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. There I had worked on understanding gamma oscillations in brain’s electrical rhythms in humans as well as non-human primates. My work led to the discovery of ‘slow’ gamma oscillations in primate visual cortex and suggested that these could be used as biomarkers for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. At LCE, I am studying how sustained threat is processed in the human brain (using functional MRI). I am also learning threat-avoidance and reward-seeking mechanisms in predator-prey games simulated in the lab. I am a nature lover and an amateur photographer. At leisure, the best place to search for me is in the mountains or near water!

Xiaoyu Zhou

Post-doctoral associate

My current research uses switching linear dynamical system to study spatial temporal structure in task and rest fMRI. One goal is to go beyond computation/optimization and towards principled statistical inference, especially hypothesis testing in this context, to draw robust scientific conclusions.
I had my PhD training in mathematical statistics, these neuroscience data and problems are ideal grounds for developing modern statistical theory and methodology, such as mixture models, variational Bayes, resampling, and post-clustering inference.

Graduate Students

Srinivas Govinda Surampudi

Srinivas Govinda Surampudi

Graduate Student

Hello, I am interested in understanding spatiotemporal dynamics of the brain, how it changes with stimulus, etc. Being a graduate student in the ECE department, I use techniques from machine learning and network science to build models that explain the dynamics. Outside the lab, I practice yoga daily, read books and play badminton.

Joyneel Misra

Joyneel Misra

Grad Student

I am a second year PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. I work on developing data analysis methods that can help us study the brain as a complex system. I am interested in using deep learning, Bayesian models and network science to explain the organization and dynamics of neural activity. Besides research, I enjoy playing a variety of racquet sports, going on bike trips and cooking!

Faculty Research Assistants

Sydni Sobers

Sydni Sobers

Lab Manager

I do most of the administrative task for the lab as well as scanning participants. I graduated from UMBC with a Bachelors in Science in Biological Sciences. I’m interested in learning more about how emotions are intertwined with cognition and how that would affect artificial intelligence and unconscious bias. I have two cats, love drawing, reading comics, and horror movies.

Songtao Song

Songtao Song

Faculty Specialist: Data Analysis

My major is to apply Bayesian multilevel modeling, diagnosis, visualization and analysis on FMRI data; investigating brain-behavior relationship with statistical thinking; writing scentific manuscripts; and trying my efforts to manage machine learning and neural network. Love video games and delicious food 🙂

Trang Nguyen

Trang Nguyen

Faculty Specialist: Lab Manager

My role is assisting with all aspects of behavioral and fMRI studies including: recruitment, data collection, analysis and coordination of other regular lab activities. My general research interest is in Developmental and Behavioral Psychology. I would love to see how different brain functions throughout the course of development. I like to read novels in my free time!

Giselle Maya

Giselle Maya

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Hi, my name is Giselle and I’m an undergraduate research assistant! I’m a senior psychology major who’s currently assisting with behavioral and fMRI data collection. My research interests include the effects of parent-child interactions and the effects of cultural and socioeconomic differences on youth’s cognitive development. I’m also a research assistant in the Growth and Resilience across Development Lab on campus and the Behavioral Diabetes Lab at Children’s National Hospital. In my free time I enjoy reading, traveling, and spending time with friends!

Michelle Yu

Michelle Yu

Undergrad Research Assistant

Hi, my name is Michelle and I’m an undergraduate research assistant in the LCE lab. I am a sophomore biochemistry and neuroscience major on the pre-medical track. I assist with fMRI data collection and behavioral data collection and recruitment. I am a volunteer at a mental health hotline and text-line, an EMT, and a hospital volunteer. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing volleyball, running, traveling, and playing guitar.

Miles Sasha Goya

Miles Sasha Goya

Undergrad Research Assistant

I am Miles and I am a research assistant! I am doing my undergraduate degree in psychology with a neuroscience minor. I am responsible for collecting data and running the sessions. Outside of the lab, I am a administrative intern at a psychotherapy clinic and a counselor at a mental health hotline. I also sing in the Gamer Symphony Orchestra!

Aliya Faisal

Aliya Faisal

Undergrad Research Assistant

I’m Aliya Faisal, a 3rd-year Neuroscience student and Research Assistant with an interest in exploring the behavioral and cognitive aspects of the brain. My role involves aiding in all areas of behavioral and fMRI studies, from recruitment to data analysis. I’m intrigued by human responses to threat and reward, as well as the neurological and psychiatric dimensions of the brain. Outside of academia, I prioritize self-care and enjoy continuing on that ongoing journey.

Former Members

Biomedical Engineers

  • Eswar Damaraju
  • Mithra SathishKumar
  • Durai Arasan

Data Scientist

  • Chirag Limbachia

Postdoctoral Fellows

  • Sandra Langeslag
    Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, St. Louis
  • Kesong Hu
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, Cornell University
  • Shen-Mou Hsu
    Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology National Cheng-Chi University, Taiwan
  • Remigiusz Szczepanowski
    Assistant Professor, Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wroclaw, Poland
  • Axel Thielscher
    Associate Professor, Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
  • Yang-Ming Huang
    Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Fu Jen University, Taiwan
  • Livia Tomova
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Graduate Students

    • Jan Benjamin Engelmann
      Radboud Excellence Fellow, Donders Institute, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
    • Seung Lark Lim
      Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri – Kansas City
    • Zohar Raz Zephrani
    • Jong Moon Choi
    • Philip Yang
    • Leo Claudino
    • Mahshid Najafi
      Data Scientist at FaceBook
    • Srikanth Padmala
    • Hayoing Dai
    • Aya Ismail
    • Kelly Morrow
    • Bin Chen
    • Nitin Balachandran
    • Hadi Vafaii

    Visiting Scholars

      • Takemasa Yokoyama
      • Xuiling Zhang
      • Nicola Sambuco
      • Alessia Celeghin
      • Ana Paqui Palenciano
      • Agar Marin Morales
      Loading...