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.

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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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Sarah Chang

Title: Postdoctoral Scholar

I am a postdoctoral scholar in the Greene Lab. After I graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Psychobiology, I worked as a neuroimaging research coordinator in Dr. Leanne Williams’ clinical neuroscience lab at Stanford University. Afterwards, I returned to UCLA to pursue my PhD in Neuroscience, where I investigated neural, behavioral, and genetic markers of attention lapses in adolescence, under the primary mentorship of Dr. Carrie Bearden. As a postdoc, I'm excited to use precision functional mapping to delineate highly precise and reliable networks in the developing brain, with the ultimate goal of improving treatment outcomes and aiding early intervention. Outside of lab, I enjoy dancing, trying new snacks from Trader Joe’s, and watching a moderate amount of reality TV.

Sana Ali

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

I am a fourth 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!

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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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Sujin Park

Title: Graduate Student | Email: sup031@ucsd.edu

I am a first year Ph.D. student in Cognitive Science department. Before joining Greene Lab, I did my master in psychology at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea. The overarching goal of my research is to find biomarkers of neuropsychiatric disorders during development. I am particularly interested in using precision functional mapping and diverse prediction models. Outside of lab, you can find me reading, watching sunsets, and craving for good ice cream.

Google Scholar   Website

Jonathan Ahern

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

I am a first-year PhD student in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at UCSD. Before beginning my PhD, I completed a BS in Cognitive Science at UCSD followed by 2 years of post-baccalaureate research at the Population Neuroscience and Genetics (PNG) Center centered at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research. At PNG my research focused on using large population-based datasets, such as the UK Biobank and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, to understand the genetic, imaging, and environmental differences involved in neuropsychiatric outcomes ranging from Depression to Parkinson’s Disease. During my PhD, I hope to build upon those skills to increase our understanding of functional organization patterns' role in developmental disorders. Outside work, I enjoy hiking, listening to podcasts, and cooking.

Google Scholar

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.

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!

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.