Lab Alumni
Zhengsi Chang
PhD Student — Psychological Sciences Program — UT Dallas
Zhengsi Chang was a psychological sciences doctoral student in Dr. Daniel Krawczyk’s lab. She is currently exploring the possibility of incorporating technologies (e.g., serious games, virtual reality) into research to study human reasoning and the impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on daily functioning. Prior to joining the Center for Brain Health, she received a bachelor of science in biological sciences from China Agriculture University and a master degree in education from The University of Texas at Arlington.
Richard Cole
MS Student — Psychological Sciences Program — UT Dallas
Email: Richard.cole@usuhs.edu
Richard Cole received his BA in psychology from the University of Arizona and his MS in applied psychology from Walden University in 2013, and MS in psychological sciences from UT Dallas May 2018.
Richard joined the Krawczyk Lab in 2016, with an interest in TBI/rehabilitative techniques, decision-making, and therapeutic methods. His master’s project at UT Dallas used facial recognition technology to determine if there was a visible, emotional aspect of decision-making. As an RA, Richard helped coordinate many aspects of Expedition — a remotely-delivered, cognitive intervention for Veterans with TBI — and outlined procedures for recruiting, the participant experience, and tour-guiding.
In August 2018, he began a PhD program in clinical psychology (military track) at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, where he is currently serving on Active Duty in the Army. His research aspirations include suicide in the military, improving suicide training packages, and stigma in seeking treatment—with an emphasis on the Special Operations Forces community.
Kihwan Han, PhD
Dr. Kihwan Han worked in Dr. Daniel Krawczyk’s lab where he analyzed MRI-based neuroimaging data of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and individuals receiving rehabilitative interventions for TBI. Dr. Han integrated these neuroimaging variables with their neuro-psychological measures.
Prior to joining the Center for BrainHealth, he was a postdoctoral research associate at Washington University in St. Louis for two years after he received his PhD in electrical engineering from Purdue University in 2011. Dr. Han’s research interests include characterizing the brain networks of individuals with TBI and other diseases and disorders as well as utilizing advanced MRI techniques to develop novel methodologies for MRI analysis.
Mehmet Gunal
PhD Student — Cognition and Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
Email: mehmet.gunal@utdallas.edu
Before joining the cognition and neuroscience program, Mehmet Günal received his BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University, with a specific focus on Digital Signal Processing. His prior brain imaging research experience involved characterization and removal of respiratory artifacts for fMRI, investigating fiber connectivity between Broca’s and Wernicke’s area among stuttering children using DTI, and developing a brain-computer interface using a wheelchair and an EEG cap.
His prior behavioral research experience involved an evolutionary approach to adaptive memory and learning, and exploring the survival processing of face recognition and context information. His current research in Dr. Krawczyk’s Reasoning Lab investigates the attention control by measuring lateral versus medial frontopolar cortex (BA 10) and LC-NE network activity using simultaneously acquired fNIRS and pupillometry response.
Mikalea Juarez
BS Student — Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
I am a third-year student at The University of Texas at Dallas. I am working on getting my bachelor of science degree in neuroscience and I plan to attend graduate school after graduating from UT Dallas, May of 2020. I plan to get my PhD in clinical psychology, with a concentration in neuropsychology. I joined the Center for BrainHealth during the summer of 2018 and I am currently working on the Expedition project.
Margarita Khachaturyan
BS Student — Psychology Program — UT Dallas
Margarita is a fourth-year student at The University of Texas at Dallas. She is working on getting her bachelor of science in psychology degree with a pre-med track and planning to go to medical school two years after she graduates from college in May 2019. Margarita joined Dr. Krawczyk’s lab at the Center for BrainHealth in Summer 2018 and is currently helping with the Expedition project.
Lauren Mina Kim
Lauren Mina Kim is currently a research assistant working in Dr. Daniel Krawczyk’s lab at The University of Texas at Dallas. Her responsibilities range from recruitment coordinating, neuropsychological testing, data analyses, and applications involving fMRI, EEG, tDCS, and more. Following her undergraduate education, she recently completed a master of science degree in applied cognition & neuroscience. Currently, her research interests include relational and analogical reasoning, maladaptive neuroplasticity as they relate to pain states, and improving executive functioning skills in cases of mild-to-moderate TBI.
Michael Lundie
PhD Student — Cognition and Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
Michael Lundie started his academic career at Southern Methodist University, where he received a BA degree in philosophy with a minor in history. Shortly thereafter, he completed an MA in neurophilosophy at Georgia State University, where he engaged in interdisciplinary work on cognitive architecture and domain-general cognition.
Now a first-year PhD student in the cognition and neuroscience program, Michael works in Dr. Krawczyk’s Reasoning Lab at the Center for Brainhealth. His current research interests include using neuroimaging techniques, such as fMRI, to investigate the neural correlates of relational and analogical reasoning, the effects of biases (e.g., the Framing Effect) on judgment and decision-making, and the impact of traumatic brain injury on executive function.
Don Kretz, PhD
UT Dallas Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
ARA Principal Scientist/Director, Intel Group (Dallas Office)
Matt Kmiecik, PhD
Cognition and Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
Matt completed his graduate training under the mentorship of Dr. Krawczyk where he studied executive dysfunction in chronic-phase traumatic brain injury, human thinking and reasoning, and volitional control of semantic processing. After earning his PhD in cognition and neuroscience from UT Dallas, he began a postdoctoral research fellowship at Northshore University HealthSystem’s Evanston Hospital (Evanston, IL) studying mechanisms of chronic pelvic pain.
Prior to graduate school, Matt received his BS in psychology: natural sciences from Loyola University Chicago. He enjoys visualizing and analyzing data, teaching others how to program in R, and watching Chicago sports, especially the Blackhawks.
Ehsan Shokri-Kojori, PhD
PhD Student 2008-2014
Currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institutes of Health
Katelyn Lee
MS Student — Applied Cognition and Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
Katelyn received her BA in psychology from the University of Mississippi before entering the MS in applied cognition and neuroscience program at UT Dallas where she had joined the Krawczyk lab. Under Dr. Krawczyk, Katelyn’s research aims include work with iMotions on framing effects.
David Martinez, PhD
Bass Center at UTSW
David Martinez worked in Dr. Krawczyk’s lab where he assisted research on cognitive performance, behavioral reports, clinical assessments, and neuroimaging data on healthy individuals and those with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). David has also co-designed an analogical reasoning task to better assess reasoning performance in both healthy and clinical populations. David received his PhD in May 2019.
Before joining the Center for BrainHealth, David worked in clinical neuropsychology and neuroimaging research at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. David has a master of science in applied cognition and neuroscience from The University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor of arts in psychology with a minor in history from Baylor University. David’s research interests include the exploration of brain structure, cognitive changes, and improvements following cognitive intervention in mild-to-moderate TBI, along with finding better techniques to identify neuropsychological deficits in clinical populations.
Jameson Miller
Research Coordinator: Center for BrainHealth
Jameson Miller had been with Dr. Krawczyk’s research team since 2014, with primary focus on TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) within our military and veteran population. His current project is Expedition, a virtual reality game-based TBI intervention. The Expedition project is remotely deployable, meaning that our current and former service members are able to participate from home, and set their own activity schedule to a large degree.
Jameson applies his unique background and experience to be of continued service to our nation’s wounded warriors. His career with the U.S. Army began in the field artillery, later transitioning to medic and laboratory scientist. As a civilian, Jameson continued his work in clinical and forensic pathology and biochemical genetics before attending UT Dallas and later joining the Center for BrainHealth’s commitment to serving our current and former military service members.
Kevin Murch, PhD
PhD Student 2007-2010
Currently a Forensic Neuropsychologist
Marielle Nagele
MS Student — Psychological Sciences Program — UT Dallas
Marielle received her BS in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, she is an MS student in the psychological sciences program. Marielle assists in Dr. Krawczyk’s lab on neuropsychological testing and fMRI scanning with populations who have suffered from mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury and healthy adults. Her research interests include investigation of neurobiological etiology, executive functioning deficiency, assessment, and rehabilitation of cognitive deficits due to traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases related to aging.
Linda Nguyen
PhD Student — Cognition and Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
Linda is a second-year PhD student in the cognition and neuroscience program. She is interested in social neuroscience, specifically the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and genetics and how it informs implicit and explicit behavior and personality. She is also interested in the role of culture in behavior and personality. To study the intersection of these areas, she uses a variety of techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging, implicit and explicit behavioral measures, and multivariate statistics. She earned her master’s degree in applied cognition and neuroscience at UT Dallas, and her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a minor in journalism at Baylor University.
Jelena Rakic
PhD Student — Cognition and Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
Prior to joining Dr. Krawczyk’s lab, Jelena received her bachelor of arts in political science and psychology from The University of Texas at Arlington. As a research coordinator in Dr. Krawczyk’s lab, her responsibilities include neuropsychological testing, MRI scanning, and fMRI data analyses. In 2017, she graduated with a master of science in applied cognition and neuroscience from The University of Texas at Dallas. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in cognition and neuroscience. Her research interests include traumatic brain injury, reasoning, social cognition, neural networks, emotion, and hormones.
Adam Teed, PhD
PhD Student 2010-2017 — Cognition and Neuroscience Program — UT Dallas
Adam has recently earned his PhD in cognition and neuroscience at The University of Texas at Dallas. During his graduate career, he has employed non-invasive neuropharmacological and non-invasive neuroimaging techniques to examine the effects of oxytocin and vasopressin on social perception and on preferences relating to social values. His research interests include using these methods to understand the biological bases of prosocial and antisocial behavior, individual differences in moral character, the role of interoception in social emotions, and social deficits in psychopathology.
Leanne Young, PhD
PhD Student 2013-2016
After more than 20 years in engineering, Leanne Young took a sabbatical to obtain a doctoral degree in cognitive neuroscience. While studying under Dr. Daniel Krawczyk, Leanne had a dual focus on social neuroscience and virtual reality-based characterization and treatment of functional impairment associated with traumatic brain injury. Immediately upon completing her degree, Leanne joined the Center for BrainHealth to lead its Brain Performance Institute. While there, she led a team of scientists and clinicians in bringing to the public scientifically validated approaches for improving brain health and performance.
Prior to joining the Brain Performance Institute, Leanne ran a division of Applied Research Associates, as a defense contractor, and helped establish human vulnerability as a core business area for that company. Leanne is a nationally recognized expert in blast injury research and worked with the Department of Defense’s Combatting Terrorism Technology Support Office to obtain the first histological evidence of primary blast-induced brain injuries. She worked with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to lead the first clinical trials of blast-induced brain injuries and, working with the Office of Naval Research, she led the development of a computer model for planning the medical response to a blast attack on a ship.
After almost three years leading the Brain Performance Institute, Dr. Young has recently returned to Applied Research Associates, where she is initiating research for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security in areas related to brain health and resilience, cognitive performance and neuromodulation, and social cognition in human-agent teams.
- Reasoning Lab •
- Daniel Krawczyk, PhD •
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