DEMA ABDELKARIM (2016 – 2018)

Dema joined the lab as an undergraduate research intern to assist with the aging and MS projects and received a BS in neuroscience from UT Dallas in 2016. She has moved on to be a Carle-Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She was a graduate student in the cognition and neuroscience program and had primarily used neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI to better understand how neural, glial, and vascular health can affect cognition.

JAIME FERNANDEZ ARIAS (2017 – 2019)

Jaime defended his thesis in 2019 and moved to Dr. Rosa-Neto’s lab at McGill University, Canada.

He has a background in psychology (BSc, but equivalent to MSc) from the University of Oviedo, Spain. He also studied cognitive neuropsychology at the VU Amsterdam (MSc or research master’s). His master’s thesis work in Amsterdam, at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, involved validating fMRI procedures in awake behaving monkeys. Jaime’s has pursued a career in the clinical neuropsychology of dementias and neurodegenerative disorders.

DR. ILANA J. BENNETT (2009 – 2013)

She was a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Rypma’s lab at the Center for BrainHealth and The University of Texas at Dallas. She received a PhD in psychology with a concentration in lifespan cognitive neuroscience from Georgetown University in 2009.  After her tenure in the NPR lab, she moved on to Craig Stark’s lab at UC-Irvine and is now an assistant professor at the University of California at Riverside.

RYAN BRIGANTE (2011 – 2018)

Ryan defended his doctoral thesis in May of 2018 and moved on to pursue a career as a user-experience researcher.

Ryan doctoral work focused on the human conceptual system (semantic memory) and its interface with perception, action, and other memory systems, otherwise known as “embodied cognition. metaphors. Ryan was also interested in the neural representation of abstract concepts and how they can be altered with experience. 

KRISTY DEUPREE

Kristy was a graduate student in applied cognition and neuroscience at UT Dallas. She received her BS in neuroscience from UT Dallas in Fall of 2013. Kristy studied auditory cognition with an emphasis on music cognition. She conducted behavioral experiments using musical stimuli.

CARL HEINRICH (2016 – 2018)

Carl was a post-baccalaureate student in the BioMed program at UT Dallas. He graduated with a BS in neuroscience in 2016 and studied neurodegenerative and white matter disease pathology.  He assisted with the Multiple Sclerosis and healthy aging projects. 

NICHOLAS HUBBARD (2011 – 2016)

Nick was a PhD student and researcher working with Dr. Rypma that successfully defended his dissertation in 2016. He received his BS with high honors from Michigan State University, where he studied experimental psychology. Nick’s research in the NPR lab focused on alterations in neural systems and cognition in psychiatric and neurologic populations. He moved from the NPR lab to a post-doctoral position in John Gabrieli’s Lab at MIT. He is now the Director of the NeuroCognitive Translation Lab and Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

DIANA MUNGALL

Diana was the NPR lab coordinator working with Dr. Rypma and a medical student at Texas A&M. She moved on to be an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center.  She received her bachelor of science from Emory University, where she studied neuroscience and behavioral biology. While at Emory, her work was on chaperone protein folding in Alzheimer’s disease. Next, at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she worked on clinical studies of labor and delivery anesthesia and post-operative pain control. During medical school, she worked on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and anti-epileptic drug efficacy and pharmacokinetics.

SHEEVA JASMIN SHAHINFAR

Sheeva was a pre-med post-baccalaureate student at UT Dallas. She moved on to be a medical student at Texas A&M School of Medicine.

She graduated with a bachelor of science & arts in biology at The University of Texas at Austin in 2017. During her time at UT Dallas, she has been increasingly involved in the neuroscience department, focusing particularly on neuroanatomy and neuropathology, while critically evaluating the underlying processes of neural disease. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with friends & family.

DINESH SIVAKOLUNDU, MD, PHD (2016 – 2020)

Dinesh joined the NPR Lab in 2016 as a doctoral student in cell and molecular biology at UT Dallas. He completed his medical degree from Govt. Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai in India. Dinesh’s work in the lab focused on pathophysiological basis of various autoimmune and degenerative neurological disorders and how they contribute to disease progression and cognitive decline using fMRI.  

SARANYA SUNDARAM (2013 – 2015)

Saranya was a research assistant and NPR lab coordinator. She was enrolled in the rehabilitation counseling program at UT Southwestern Medical Center and graduated in 2015. She completed clinical internships in neuropsychology (giving neuropsychological assessments to adult outpatients with various brain-related disorders) and personal and social adjustment training (group psychotherapy for individuals with mixed psychiatric abilities looking for employment) at Palo Alto University. Her master’s thesis investigated developmental expectations and adolescent type 1 diabetes management in a diverse population. Her prior research also included memory in eyewitness testimony. 

MONROE TURNER, PHD (2013 – 2020)

Monroe received his PhD in cognition and neuroscience in the spring of 2020. He moved on to be a computational neuroscientist at UT Dallas.

Prior to coming to UT Dallas, Monroe received his bachelor of arts degree in linguistics from The University of Texas at Austin. While at UT Austin, his research focused on the developmental and comparative linguistics of signed languages. His in the NPR lab focused on the analysis of the hemodynamic response function, the temporal signature of brain blood-flow changes, the physiological components of the BOLD signal in aging adults. 

KATHRYN WEST, PHD (2017 – 2020)

Kathryn was a post-doctoral research fellow in the NPR lab from 2017-2020. She received her PhD in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University in December 2016. She was interested in understanding how non-invasive MRI metrics can better inform us about physiological changes during aging and disease. Specifically, she was studying how structural and functional brain changes result in a cognitive decline in Multiple Sclerosis.  Kathryn is now pursuing MRI-related device technology development at Abbott Laboratories.

YUGUANG ‘IRENE’ ZHAO

Irene was a PhD student in cognition and neuroscience. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance at Shandong University of Finance and Economics, and a master’s degree in applied cognition and neuroscience at The University of Texas at Dallas. She has moved on to be a post-doctoral fellow in Michael Yassa’s Lab at the University of California in Irvine. She had primarily been interested in using imaging techniques such as fMRI and EEG as well as advanced statistical methods to investigate the neuroscience of human cognition. She also was interested in how aging and neurodegenerative diseases affect brain function and cognition.

MARK ZUPPICHINI

Mark Zuppichini received his BS in neuroscience from the University of Delaware, his master of arts in psychology from Montclair State University, and his PhD in cognition and neuroscience at UT Dallas. He moved on to be a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan in Dr. Thad Polk’s Lab. Mark primarily been interested in using neuroimaging techniques to elucidate the neural underpinnings associated with healthy and impaired cognitive functioning; his master’s thesis was one of the first studies to use neuroimaging techniques to assess pattern separation abilities in multiple sclerosis.

CHRISTINA ATKINSON (2018 – 2019)

Christina received a bachelor’s in psychology in 2017 and a master’s in applied cognition and neuroscience in 2019 from UT Dallas.  As a research assistant in the lab, she helped conduct fMRI scans for the study on Multiple Sclerosis and the NPR lab mindfulness studies.  

MARJORIE BALAGUER (2019 – 2020)

Marjorie received her bachelor of science in 2020 from UT Dallas and moved on to be a founder of her own company. While in the lab she assisted in several projects.

HANNAH CABRERA (2020)

Hannah joined the Neuropsychometric Research Lab in spring 2020, helping with recruitment for the aging labs and grading neuropsychological tests. She graduated from UT Dallas with her bachelor of science in psychology and neuroscience in December 2020. She graduated with a master of applied cognition and neuroscience at UT Dallas, specializing in neurological diagnosis and monitoring. She moved on to be a research coordinator for the Brain Aging, Injury, and Modulation Lab at UT Southwestern. Her work in the lab consisted of data analysis for the aging lab and MS lab. She was a campus ambassador for the APA and a member of APAGS (American Psychological Association for Graduate Students). She was also a founder of Volunteer Proofreaders for Project Gutenberg at UT.

FERNANDA COSSIO (2018 – 2020)

Fernanda received her master’s in applied cognition and neuroscience in 2021 from UT Dallas. Fernanda’s interests included healthy structural age-related changes in the brain as well as those brought on by neurodegenerative diseases and TBIs and how those changes manifest functionally and behaviorally.

LEIGH DUBCAK (2018 – 2019)

Leigh received her bachelor of science in both biochemistry and neuroscience in 2019 from UT Dallas. She moved on to become an industry scientist. She was a senior undergraduate at The University of Texas at Dallas studying neuroscience and biochemistry when she had joined the lab. Her central focus was the integration and combination of various neuroimaging methods such as magnetic resonance for clinical populations of various ages in the hopes to better understand the roles of neurodegenerative disorders and to provide insight to their prevention and treatment.

ALAN DUNN (2015 – 2017)

Alan received his master of science in applied cognition and neuroscience in 2017 from UT Dallas. His Master’s thesis focused on age-related changes in the hemodynamic response function.

MIRANDA DUNN (2019 – 2021)

Miranda was an undergraduate that majored in neuroscience and psychology. She had been in the fast-track program and had received her master’s in applied cognitive and neuroscience at UT Dallas. She moved on to be a research assistant at UT Southwestern in the Department of Neurology. She was a member of the Chi Alpha Iota diaternity and has many hobbies, such as playing the violin and acting.

CHELSEA ELLISON (2014 – 2016)

Chelsea was an undergraduate majoring in cognitive science with a concentration in neuroscience. She transferred to UT Dallas in Fall 2013 from Collin College, where she attained an associate degree. Chelsea was interested in research that studies the understanding of cognitive phenomena in close relation to the underlying neurobiological processes in the brain — specifically looking at neural plasticity when learning, the neurobiological differences in people with psychiatric illnesses compared to the normal brain, and the study of cognition and memory.

SHAWHEEN FAGHIHAHMADABADI (2014)

Shawheen began attending UT Dallas in the fall of 2011. He majored in neuroscience with a pre-health track. He joined the NPR lab in Spring 2014 as a research assistant. He was interested in all research of the NPR Lab, from neuroplastic changes related to Multiple Sclerosis and age to understanding the underlying cognitive processes behind depression’s memory effects and auditory cognition. Shawheen moved on to medical school at UT-Health Sciences Center in Galveston.

ASTRID FOAMKOM

Astrid was a psychological sciences master’s student at UT Dallas with a concentration in both psychology and neuroscience. She received her master’s in psychological sciences from UT Dallas in 2021. She was primarily interested in cognitive and functional changes following aging, with a focus on the interactions between health, age, and cognition.

JUDITH GALLAGHER (2014 – 2016)

Judith was the NPR lab coordinator. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and neuroscience from UT Dallas in December 2016. Her interests had included Multiple Sclerosis, mental imagery, and mood disorders. She moved on to be a registered nurse specialized in the neuro progressive care unit.

LYNDAHL HIMES

Lyndahl was a doctoral student in the cognition and neuroscience PhD program who successfully defended her dissertation in 2021. She graduated with a master of science in applied cognition and neuroscience and bachelor of science in neuroscience at UT Dallas, where she graduated with High Honors. Lyndahl worked on understanding the neural relationship between mindfulness training and depressed mood by looking at structural and functional brain changes that occur as a result of mindfulness training. Lyndahl had also been interested in functional brain network differences between individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder and healthy individuals and how these network differences are related to behavioral differences. She moved on to be a senior clinical research scientist at Abbott Laboratories.

YASAMAN HOOSHMANDI

Yasaman was an undergraduate pre-med student at The University of Texas at Dallas studying neuroscience. 

She had assisted the lab with Multiple Sclerosis and Aging projects at UT Dallas. She was highly interested in research about stroke and imaging diagnosis of acute stroke. She had worked at the Neuro/spine floor at Texas Health hospital to see different types of neurological issues closely and to understand how the brain deals with neurological deficits. She has a black belt in Taekwondo and had been preparing for international competitions and championships. She enjoys classical music and plays guitar in her free time.

SASHIA KING (2017)

Sashia transferred to UT Dallas in the summer of 2016 to complete her undergraduate studies in psychology, with a minor focus in neuroscience. She has moved on to be a senior price analyst. 

She completed an associate of arts degree while on active duty in Naval Service overseas, focusing her research on the effects of technology on neurocognitive deficits and associated structural brain changes. She had joined the NPR Lab as a research assistant in the Spring of 2017 and had assisted with studies exploring the neural mechanisms of mindfulness and depression.

KRUTIN KUMAR

Krutin was an incoming sophomore undergraduate majoring in neuroscience and minoring in finance as a pre-medical student. He has moved on to be a business development analyst.

His extensive volunteer work with patients affiliated with neurological diseases at the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential along with his academic interest in the relationship between the neurobiological mechanisms of human memory and aging and disease is what motivated him to join Dr. Rypma’s lab. Outside of the lab, Krutin’s hobbies included sports, music and playing the guitar.

HONG NGUYEN (2019 – 2020)

Hong was a senior on the premed track majoring in biology and minoring in business administration. She moved on to attend Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine.

LARRY OASAY (2013 – 2014)

Larry was a research assistant in the NPR lab.  His work focused on imaging and MS. He received his BA in psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH Manoa) in 2011 and his master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling at UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2014.

SHALIKA PADHI

Shalika was a sophomore majoring in neuroscience at UT Dallas. She was primarily interested in researching neuro-cognitive aging and the underlying processes of deteriorating cognitive function. She was also fascinated by studies conducted in the lab concerning Multiple Sclerosis.

IMAN POPAL (2019 – 2021)

Iman was a junior undergraduate neuroscience major with growing interests in neuroimaging, neural plasticity, and cognitive neuroscience. Iman joined the NPR lab to learn more about the effects of neurocognitive aging and working-memory, and cognitive neuroscience methods.

NOOR UN NEHAR QURESHI (2013)

Noor was an undergraduate majoring in neuroscience with an emphasis on pre-health. She moved on to attend Eastern Mennonite University.  She joined the NPR lab in Fall 2013 as a research assistant and was researching interference effects in working memory.

BHARGAVI RAO

Bhargavi was a sophomore undergraduate majoring in health care studies under the pre-medical track. She completed a research internship in Middlesborough, England that assessed neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in newborns and its relation to jaundice prior to joining the NPR Lab. Her interest in Multiple Sclerosis studies, as well as the use of fMRI imaging to study neurocognitive aging, sparked her interest in conducting research in the NPR lab.

Rachael Romero

Rachael was an undergraduate pre-med student at UT Dallas studying neuroscience. She moved on to be the NPR lab research coordinator. She was most interested in how disease-related structural changes in the brain result in loss of function and behavioral symptoms. She assisted with the lab’s Multiple Sclerosis and aging projects.

SHANE SIBLEY (2016 – 2017)

Shane Sibley completed his bachelor of science in psychology and attended UT Dallas in the applied cognition and neuroscience graduate program. He moved on to be a neurodiagnostic technologist.  He assisted with the multiple sclerosis and aging research projects for the lab.

RYANN HANES-SLOAN

After receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma, Ryann had spent seven years studying and teaching a culmination of meditation and mindfulness techniques.  She had moved on to be yoga and mindfulness teacher and studies mindfulness and meditation under UCLA’s 10-month Mindfulness Research Program.  A notable area of Ryann’s study included her work with the Integrative Restoration Institute studying the iRest technique for meditation. Ryann assisted with the mindfulness research in the lab and her research interests included emotion regulation and brain training, neural activity and how it influences consciousness and recovery from emotional trauma.

KEERTHI STANLEY

Keerthi was a sophomore undergraduate majoring in neuroscience, with a minor in music. She moved on to be a postdoctoral student at UT Austin in Dr. Jun Wang’s Lab. She had been especially interested in learning more about interdisciplinary applications of cognition/neuroscience, such as the applications of developmental neuroscience in studying education systems and learning methods. She had assisted with the NPR lab’s Multiple Sclerosis project.

VICTORIA ROSE SUNDERMAN (2018 – 2020)

Victoria was an undergraduate neuroscience major with a psychology minor. She moved on to be a research technician at UT Southwestern in Dr. Marc Diamond’s Lab. She was primarily interested in both neurodegenerative diseases and research since a young age and hopes to study the functional and physiological changes that accompany such diseases.

SHREYA VAKIL

Shreya Vakil was an undergraduate neuroscience major. She was interested in learning about neurodegenerative diseases and neuroimaging techniques. Shreya was especially interested in understanding how these diseases impacted cognitive functions. She assisted with the lab’s aging projects.

FAYHA ZIA (2018 – 2020)

Fayha Zia was a sophomore undergraduate majoring in neuroscience and minoring in psychology. She moved on to be a medical student at Texas Tech University – School of Health Sciences Center at El Paso.  She assisted in the neurocognitive aging and memory projects and numerous other esearch projects in the NPR lab. Fayha had volunteered as an EMT and tutors’ kids in her free time.