l a b    m e m b e r s

Deanna Greene

Title: Principal Investigator | Email: deannagreene@ucsd.edu

I am an Associate Professor in the Cognitive Science Department at UCSD. I received my BA from UCSD and my PhD from UCLA in the Psychology Department with a focus on Cognitive Neuroscience. I then received postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis. The neuroimaging community at Wash U is fantastic, so I stuck around as faculty in the Psychiatry department. After 10 exciting years at WashU, I made my way back to my alma mater and home state in 2020. My lab studies brain development, network organization, and what goes awry in neurodevelopmental disorders, using a cognitive neuroscience approach. When I am not doing research, I enjoy spending time with my family, eating good food, and watching basketball.

Google scholar

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Damion Demeter

Title: Postdoctoral Scholar | Email: ddemeter@ucsd.edu

I am a postdoc at UCSD and very happy to be working with Dr. Greene and everyone in the lab. I am a west coast native, a first gen college student, and recently "ended" my extremely non-linear academic journey by earning my PhD under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Church at UT Austin. My main research interests orbit around quantifying how functional brain networks organize during development. I am especially interested in how specific aspects of functional network organization may vary in clinical populations and in relation to cognitive performance. I am also very passionate about providing resources for other first gen students and being involved in the "brain hack" community. Outside of science, I enjoy home-roasting coffee beans, overly complex board games, and medium format photography.

GitHub

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Matthew Feigelis

Title: Graduate Student | Email: mfeigelis@ucsd.edu

I grew up in Central NJ and obtained my undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Statistics nearby at Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, I worked on problems in bioinformatics (Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ) and cognitive neuroscience (Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science). Ultimately, my interest in human development and brain disorders led me to pursue a PhD at UCSD where I am currently a 5th year student working with Dr. Greene on problems related to atypical development, neurodevelopmental disorders, and machine learning. In my free time, I enjoy exploring new cultures and foods, exercising, reading books, and watching sports.

GitHub   Website

Sana Ali

Title: Graduate Student | Email: s5ali@uscd.edu

I am a third year PhD student in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at UCSD. I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology from Stony Brook University in NY. Shortly after, I had the opportunity to work as a clinical research coordinator at The Zucker Hillside Hospital where I had the primary responsibility of managing large-scale neuroimaging studies that focused on causes and treatments of major psychiatric disorders. My research objectives are to utilize neuroimaging techniques to better understand the relationship between brain organization and mental health symptoms. Specifically, I would like to use resting-state fMRI to study the interplay of functional and structural connectivity networks to neurodevelopmental disorders. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, traveling and dancing!

Google scholar

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Emily Koithan

Title: Graduate Student | Email: emkoithan@ucsd.edu

Before joining UCSD’s Cognitive Science PhD Program in 2022, I completed my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Psychology at the University of Minnesota. During and after college, I assisted with research that used fMRI to examine brain alterations in eating disorders and substance use disorders. I plan to learn more about neuroimaging and machine learning in graduate school, which I hope to use to gain insight into the functional organization of the brain, predict outcomes, and uncover the neural bases of psychiatric and neurological disorders and symptoms. In my free time, I like to read, travel, and run.

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Abigail Baim

Title: Staff Research Associate | Email: abaim@ucsd.edu

I was born near Gießen, Germany and lived in 9 different places across the US and Germany before ending up in San Diego. I graduated from UCSD in 2022 with a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. Before joining the Greene Lab I worked in two other labs on campus where I learned more about both typical and atypical development. These experiences grew my interest in learning about development through neuroimaging, and led me to the Greene Lab! In my free time I like to climb, go on walks, crochet, and read.

Salma Zreik

Title: Staff Research Associate | Email: szreik@ucsd.edu

I was born in Venezuela and grew up in Miami, Florida before moving to San Diego. I graduated from UCSD in 2023 with a B.S in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Computer Science. My research interests include using MRI data to study the neural circuits that underlie neurological disorders, as well as using machine learning to find correlations between neural features and behavioral characteristics. I am particularly interested in how we can use this information to improve treatment outcomes. I joined the Greene Lab in January 2023 as a research assistant working on a project using pose estimation software and machine learning to detect and classify various types of tics from videos. Outside of neuroscience, I enjoy painting, making pottery, and tending to my plants.

Skyler Xijin Zheng

Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant

I joined the Greene Lab as an undergraduate research assistant in March of 2022, during my second year pursuing a B.S in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at UC San Diego. I am especially interested in exploring more about neuroimaging methodologies within the scope of cognitive functioning to examine developmental disorders of the brain. My recent research project focuses on investigating the anatomical differences in pediatric and adult Tourette syndrome. Besides studying the brain, I enjoy dancing, hiking, landscape and portrait photography, and trying out new post-processing techniques.

Hyoser Jo

Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am an international student from Korea and am currently a senior majoring in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience. I first joined in Greene lab as a summer research scholar in 2022 and now I pursure as RA. Right now, I am on the New Tics project. I am also working as a RA in a cognitive development lab. In my free time, I love taking photos and learning photoshop.

Aditya Datta

Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant

I was born in Toronto, Canada, and moved to the Bay Area before coming to UC San Diego to pursue a B.S in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in General Biology. Throughout my studies I was very interested in connecting biological and structural aspects of the brain to behavioral anomalies and disorders. I joined Greene Lab during the Summer of 2022, and I am currently working on processing and analyzing MRI data from children with Tourette's syndrome to better understand and visualize the functional connectivity of their brains! I hope to pursue a PhD in either Psychology or Neuroscience, and apply it to research and development. Outside of my studies, I work as an ABA therapist, and my hobbies include watching Movies/TV Shows, traveling, gaming, following basketball, and watching hockey.

Jared Stearns

Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am a San Diego native and currently a senior pursuing a B.S. in General Biology. I first joined the Greene Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience lab as an undergraduate research assistant through a summer fellowship program called Colors of the Brain in 2023. I am interested in exploring neurodevelopmental disorders, and acquiring insight about the structural differences in the brain visualized through neuroimaging techniques. My current project in the lab examined the correlation between subcortical volumes and tic severity in patients with Tourette Syndrome. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, and attending concerts.

Sarita Raghunath

Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am a fourth-year Cognitive Science major specializing in Machine Learning and Neural Computation. I am interested in how neurological disorders might present structurally in the brain. I am originally from New Jersey!

Abby Harmatz

Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant

I grew up in Long Beach, California before moving to San Diego for my undergrad. I am currently a senior working towards earning a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. I am interested in both cognitive neuroscience and developmental neuroscience, and hope to further explore cognitive functioning in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders across different age groups. My future goals include earning my PhD and finding a career in research with a focus on cognitive science, neuroscience, or psychology. Outside of the Greene Lab, I sing in an a capella group on campus and I often watch movies with my roommates.

Julia Wang

Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am a freshman at UCSD studying Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, planning to minor in Health Care - Social Issues. Before joining the Greene Lab in the Fall Quarter of 2023, I was an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of North Texas Kristin Farmer Autism Center (UNT KFAC), where I helped with a project on Noun-Verb Tacts and evaluated the efficacy of a podcast program that teaches positive reinforcement skills to caregivers of children with autism. Since I mainly had experience looking at the Applied Behavior Analysis side of neurodevelopmental disorders, I wanted to learn more about the computational aspect, which is what led me to join the Greene Lab! I am currently working on score analysis for the Precision Tics study. In addition to research, I love dancing, traveling, and composing music!

Brenda Meza

Title: Summer Research Assistant

I grew up in Baja California, Mexico, and moved to the L.A. area seven years ago. I am an undergraduate student at California State University Northridge where I also hold a position as a research assistant at their Adapted Physical Activity Lab. I was able to collaborate with the Greene Lab during the summer of 2023 thanks to my acceptance to the UCSD Summer Training Academy for Research Success (STARS). I knew I wanted to take this opportunity to work in the Greene Lab because as a psychology major I was eager to have a deeper understanding of neurological disorders and brain functioning. In my free time, I like to train my dog, travel, and go on walks.

Joel Wilkinson

Title: Summer Research Assistant

I completed my B.S. in Psychology at Howard University in Washington D.C. and shortly after got accepted into UCSD STARS program where I joined Greene Lab for summer research. Since my research interests connect between cognitive functioning and child development I was able to build on that while working on a Tourette Syndrome project. Ultimately, I want to pursue my PhD in Clinical Psychology with a focus on children and adolescents. In my free time I love to workout, read, go to the movies and take pictures.

Mia Flores

Title: Summer Research Assistant

I am a recent graduate from UCSD and my academic journey was a dynamic blend of dual majors: Cognitive Science with a specialized focus on the clinical aspects of cognition, and International Business. I currently work at the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research where I perform administrative tasks as well as wet-lab procedures. I often use microscopes, handle diverse sample types and work closely with my supervisors as they advance in new technologies. This summer I have been working in a Cognitive Science Fellowship that allowed me to spend time at the Greene Lab. There I have been able to complete a Cognitive Science Fellowship where I have learned to convert raw fMRI data into usable formats, analyze structural and functional data done for precision functional mapping, and gained an understanding of how it all works for research. I plan to discover the area I'm most passionate about in cognitive neuroscience and go to graduate school to focus on it. In my free time I enjoy playing soccer, watching movies and painting.

Ishika Rathi

Title: Summer Research Assistant

I recently graduated from UC San Diego with a BS in Cognitive Science - Neuroscience and a BA in Literature/Writing. While I came into UCSD intending to pursue literature, my academic experience in Cognitive Science and my practical experience as research assistant in various cognitive science labs gave me a new appreciation for neuroscience, linguistics, and research. Now, I have the ultimate goal of pursuing a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience. I joined the Greene Lab as a Cognitive Science Summer Fellow, as I was hoping to learn more about clinical research, gain experience with neuroimaging techniques (fMRI), and answer personal questions about my career path and growth-timeline. I’m incredibly grateful for the Greene Lab and everyone here for helping me achieve these goals. Outside of my professional life, I am a cross-genre writer, and enjoy reading, crocheting, taking walks, and planning everyday adventures.

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Emily Bihun

Title: Clinical Research Coordinator

I grew up in Clayton, Missouri, blocks from Forest Park, with ample opportunity to explore its amazing museums and bounteous gardens. I graduated from Clayton High School and studied psychology as an undergrad at UW-Madison. Several years and a lot of real-world experience later, I attended UM-SL to obtain a graduate degree in counseling. At Washington University, I am a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Greene and Black Labs. I am especially interested in movement disorders, somatic awareness approaches, and maximizing quality of life for people of all ages. Outside of work, I am thoroughly entertained by my three kids and their crested gecko, Mordecai.

Kristen Scheidter

Title: Clinical Research Assistant

I grew up in O’Fallon, Missouri and graduated in 2017 from the University of Missouri – St. Louis with a BA in Psychology, minor in social work, and certificates in neuroscience and trauma studies. As a student, I had the opportunity to assist in two labs at UMSL, and through this discovered my interest in research and brain imaging methodologies. I have experience in the mental health and social service fields, and in 2019 came to Washington University to work in the Dosenbach lab as a Clinical Research Assistant. I have the honor of working together with our study participants, running the MRI scanner, and supporting lab and research functions. Outside of lab I enjoy singing, playing around on my guitar, and community.

Jaridd Albert

Title: Clinical Research Study Assistant

In mid-October of 2021, I joined the Greene, Black, and Hershey Labs at Washington University School of Medicine as a Clinical Research Study Assistant. I received my BS in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and my MS in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Applied Research from Capella University. I plan to pursue a PhD to focus on research exploring the effects of integrative psychotherapy methods, mostly derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Positive Psychotherapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, on symptoms of depression in adolescents and young adults. Additionally, I am passionate about providing mental health outreach and education to the general population to promote mental wellness and investigating methods of increasing accessibility to mental health services. In my free time I enjoy going on hikes, playing tennis, writing, and traveling.

Amanda Arbuckle

Title: Clinical Research Study Assistant | Email: amanda.arbuckle@wustl.edu

I joined the Greene Lab as a Clinical Research Study Assistant in June 2021. I received a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2021, graduating with a double major in Cognitive Neuroscience and English and a minor in Religious Studies. Currently, I help to recruit participants and conduct clinical and fMRI scan visits for our Longitudinal Tourettes Study (LoTS). In addition, I work as a clinical research study assistant in the Black Lab, led by Dr. Kevin Black, at Washington University in St. Louis, recruiting participants and conducting visits for our Median Nerve Stimulation and New Tics studies, and aiding in data collection and analysis. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, drawing, walking my Black lab, Brock, and attending local opera and plays.