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Hannah Aaron

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2018-2019

Hannah is a member of the class of 2019, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. She is interested in how memory can be enhanced via reinforcement and how certain stimuli can affect a person's quality of memory. She plans to apply to medical school post graduation.

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Devon Alperin

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Devon Alperin is a member of the class of 2025 with a major in Biology and a minor in Psychological & Brain Sciences. She is interested in studying temporal order memory and event segmentation. She is also fascinated by collective memory, methods to enhance learning and memory, and neurodegenerative diseases. In her free time, Devon enjoys being outdoors, cooking, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family.

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Jodi Backalar

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2015-2019

Jodi BackalarJodi is a member of the class of 2019, with majors in PNP and Biology. She is interested in studying ways that memory can be improved for everyday events. Post-graduation plans include medical school applications, rescuing a dog, and taking that dog on a lot of walks.

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Heather Bailey

Postdoctoral Fellow, Assistant Professor, Kansas State University

Heather BaileyPh.D. Experimental Psychology
- Kent State University, 2009
M.A. Experimental Psychology
- Wake Forest University, 2005B.S. Psychology
- Southern Illinois University, 2002

Heather is a postdoctoral fellow in Jeff Zacks’ lab. She is currently working on a study examining event knowledge among people with varying degrees of dementia.

Heather has recently accepted a position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS where she directs the Memory and Aging Lab.

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Taylor Beck

Lab Manager: 2010-2011

Taylor BeckB.A. Princeton University ’07

Taylor was the lab manager and research assistant in Dr. Zacks’ Lab from 2010 to 2011.

Taylor has decided to “sell out to the pen”: he will begin MIT’s masters in Science Writing in fall 2011, followed by NYU’s in Literary Reportage.

夢 “yume” means dream in Japanese.

You can read some of his works on his website.

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Matt Bezdek, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Ph.D. Cognitive Psychology, Stony Brook University (2012)

M.A. Cognitive Psychology, Stony Brook University (2010)

B.A. Psychology, Kalamazoo College (2007)

Matt is a senior scientist in the lab. He is using computational modeling, behavioral and neuroimaging experiments to study the mechanisms of how humans segment dynamic naturalistic events.

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Charlie Brenner

Graduate Student: 2010-2012

Charlie Brenner

B.A. Psychology
- Macalester University, 2010

Charlie was a second year graduate student. His research interests included reading comprehension, event cognition, and speech perception. Charlie has caught the programming bug and has since moved to Seattle.

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Stephanie Brewer

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2006-2008

Stephanie Brewer

Stephanie worked on event segmentation studies in the lab.

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Cindy Bu

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Cindy Bu is a member of the class of 2025 with a major in Communication Design, a second major in Psychology, and a minor in Marketing. She is interested in studying cognitive processes of people and examine how they perceive and interact with the outside world on a daily basis. Cindy enjoys arts and Kendo (martial art of Japanese fencing) in her spare time.

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Nora Cahill

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2017-2018

Nora CahillNora is a member of the class of 2021 with prospective majors in Psychology and Music. They are interested in the link between music and memory(e.g. how certain songs associated with personal events can trigger those experiences, specific types of music can aid the retention of notes for class, etc.), and are excited to further explore the subject area.

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Avis Chan

Research Assistant: 2005

Avis Chan

M.A. University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004
B.A. Hong Kong Baptist University, 2003

Avis is a part-time research assistant, and began working in the lab in January 2005. She is working with Pascale to study spatial transformations, and with Khena to study event sequencing

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William Chee

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2001-2002

William Chee William worked on a research project that investigated event conception and memory.

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Jiny Cho

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Jiny is a member of the class of 2023, majoring in Cognitive Neuroscience and minoring in Architecture. She is interested in age-related patterns in memory and how that impacts perception and quality of life. Outside of lab, Jiny enjoys cooking, drawing, and playing the ukulele.

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Kara Christopher

Research Assistant: 2004-2005

Kara Christopher

M.S. Western Illinois University, 2003
B.S. Southeast Missouri State, 1997

Kara worked in the lab from the fall of 2004 to the summer of 2005. She studied how age affects visuo-spatial reasoning with Pascale Michelon.

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Nick Cloney

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Nick Cloney is a member of the class of 2024 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Applied Linguistics. He is interested in studying the ways that event segmentation strategies impact recollection of material at a later time. In his free time, he enjoys reading, watching sports, and procrastinating heavily.

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Jade Cohen

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2019

Jade is a member of the class of 2021, with expected majors in Biology and Neuroscience. She is interested in how memory guides the processing of naturalistic everyday activities and how humans segment dynamic events. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school following a year of post-grad research.

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Jeremy Cohn

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Jeremy is a member of the class of 2026 with an intended major in Cognitive Neuroscience with a Spanish minor. He is interested in investigating the relationship between our actions during events and the strength of our memory associated with those events. Outside of work and study, Jeremy enjoys singing with his a capella group, going out to eat with friends, and running.

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Jessie Colston

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Jessie was an undergraduate working with Michelle Eisenberg on a project investigating the mechanisms of prediction.

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Rohini Coorg

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2000-2003

Rohini Coorg

B.A. Washington University in St. Louis, 2003

Rohini worked in the lab throughout her undergraduate career on several experiments that investigated the application of mental spatial transformations to organic chemistry. She successfully completed and presented her senior honors thesis on the project in Spring of 2003.

After graduation, Rohini moved south and began medical school in July of 2003 at University of Texas, San Antonio.

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Garrett Cunningham, A.B.

Lab Manager

A.B. Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis (2019)

Before becoming the lab manager, Garrett was an undergraduate research assistant from 2016 to 2019. He was interested in understanding memory through a probabilistic lens and making graphs easier for people to interpret. In Fall 2021, he began attending the University of Chicago Law School.

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Chanise Cyrus

STARS Student: Summer 2007

Chanise Cyrus

Senior, Wentzville Holt High School

Chanise worked with Alfred on spatial reasoning experiments, including mental rotation.

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Albert Deng

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2010-2011

Albert  Deng

Washington University in St. Louis, Undergraduate

Albert is an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Zacks’s lab. He is currently working on an event segmentation study with Chris Kurby.

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Yining Ding, B.S.

Graduate Student

B.S. Cognitive Studies, Vanderbilt University (2022)

Yining is a first-year Ph.D student in the lab. She is interested in how people perceive fleeting moments in their lives and represent them in the brain, as well as how these processes change with age and experience. In her free time, Yining enjoys singing, reading, watching musicals, creating new recipes, and learning German and Japanese for fun.

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Risa Eilbaum

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2010-2011

Risa Eilbaum

Washington University in St. Louis, Undergraduate

Risa is an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Zacks’s lab. She is currently working with Alfred Yu on studies of handle-compatibility effects.

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Michelle Eisenberg, Ph.D.

Graduate Student: 2012-2017

Michelle EisenbergPh.D.
- Washington University in St. Louis, 2017

M.A. Psychology
- Washington University in St. Louis, 2012

B.A. Psychology
- Washington University in St. Louis, 2010

Michelle was a graduate student in the lab, successfully defending her dissertation in 2017. She worked on studies investigating the relationship between PTSD and event segmentation, and the role of prediction in understanding everyday events.

Michelle is currently a postdoc in the VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at the Sierra Pacific MIRECC and Stanford University.

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Ty Fagan

Part-time Research Assistant: 2005

Ty Fagan

Ty was a member of the lab during the spring of 2005. He worked with Jeff on a meta-analysis examining the quantitative results of neuroimaging studies of mental rotation and specific brain sites that are reliably involved in mental rotation.

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Stephanie Fei

STARS Student: Summer 2012

Stephanie Fei

Senior, Charles Linbergh High School

Stephanie worked with Heather Bailey and Charlie Brenner in the summer of 2012 on a project looking at working memory updating for narrative comprehension in younger adults.

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Madeleine Fish

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2015-2016

Madeleine FishMadeleine was a sophomore undergraduate majoring in Psychology with a minor in Classics. She worked with Chris Wahlheim on studies examining change detection in everyday events. After college, she plans on attending graduate school for clinical psychology.

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Shaney Flores

Lab Manager: 2011-2016

Shaney FloresB.S. Psychology
- University of Texas-Pan American, 2011

Shaney was the lab manager and research assistant in Dr. Zacks’ Lab from 2011-2016. He worked on studies related to event perception, aging and memory, and spatial memory. He now currently works as a Research Assistant at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine.

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Mobolaji Fowose

DBBS-Amgen Summer Researcher: 2013

Mobolaji Fowose

Mobolaji Fowose
DBBS-Amgen 2013 Summer Intern

Senior, University of Maryland-Baltimore County

Mobolaji “Mo” Fowose was a DBBS-Amgen Biotechnologies summer research intern during the summer of 2013. She is currently a rising senior at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County pursuing a B.S. in Pre-Med Biology with plans to attend medical school after graduation. 

During her time with the lab, she worked with Michelle Eisenberg on a project examining event perception in PTSD populations using optical imaging.

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Cory Fox

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Cory is a member of the class of 2022 with a major in Biology: Neuroscience and a minor in Astrophysics. He is interested in the intersection between psychology, neuroscience, and physics, and the way in which an observer creates a subjective experience of the physical world. He plans on applying to MD—PhD programs after graduation. He enjoys running, reading, coffee, and good BBQ.

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Amy Garcia

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2011-2014

Amy Garcia

B.A. in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology
- Washington University in St. Louis, 2014

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Brian Glass

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2005

Brian Glass

Brian joined the lab in January 2005. He is worked with Khena on a study on eye-tracking and event segmentation.

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David Gold

Postdoctoral Fellow, Clinical Neuropsychologist, University of Toronto Hospital

David A. Gold

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology (neuropsychology stream)
- York University, 2012

M.A. Clinical Psychology
- York University, 2006

B.S. Psychology & Life Sciences
- University of Western Ontario, 2003

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Andrea Golloher

Undergraduate Researcher: 1999-2002

Andrea Golloher

B.A. Washington University in St. Louis, 2002

Andrea ran experiments investigating the effects of mental rotation of objects and the effects of novelty items on memory.

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Shelly Gupta

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Shelly GuptaShelly was a senior undergraduate majoring in Biology and Anthropology and minoring in Communication Design during her time in the lab. She worked with Chris Wahlheim on a study examining event recollection to determine memory facilitation. Shelly had plans to attend medical school after a year of post-grad research upon her departure from the lab.

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Sarah Hale, B.S.

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher: 2018-2019

B.S. Biology-Premed, Xavier University of Louisiana 2018

Sarah is a first year post-baccalaureate student enhancing her GPA and MCAT score to increase the competitive edge of her medical school application. She is enjoying the opportunity to participate in research outside of the medical field to expand her personal knowledge and become a more well-rounded applicant on her journey to medical school.
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Christopher Hall, B.A.

Research Assistant

B.A. Cognitive Science and Statistics, University of Virginia (2020)

Chris is a research assistant in the lab. He is currently refining his research interests while studying the effects of event segmentation on memory in older adults. In a couple years, he plans on attending graduate school for cognitive psychology or neuroscience. In his free time, he enjoys solving puzzles, experimenting with food, and seeking out different ways of thinking.

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Nayiri Haroutunian

Lab Manager: 2008-2010

Nayiri Haroutunian

B.S. Psychology - University of Iowa, 2008

Nayiri was the Research Assistant/Lab Manager in Dr. Zacks’ Lab from 2008 to 2010. She is now a graduate student at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor studying Environmental Education.

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Alexander Haubold

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2014-2015

Alexander Haubold

Alex Haubold is a former architecture student who is now pursuing a degree in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology. He previously assisted Lauren Richmond with projects investigating event segmentation and spatial navigation. He is now working with Michelle Eisenberg on project investigating the mechanisms of prediction.

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Mary Hawkins

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2012-2013

Mary Jessica Hawkins

Jessica is a freshman student with an undeclared first major (will be either Biology: Neuroscience or Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology in the future) with a second major in Spanish. Her research interests include spatial cognition, brain-machine interfaces (i.e. neuroprosthetics), microexpressions, and multi-tasking. Jessica hopes to pursue a graduate education in either engineering or biology. Currently, she is working with Jesse Sargent on studies examining the role of event segmentation on spatial navigation.

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Becky Hedden

Lab Manager: 2004-2005

Becky Hedden

B.A. Kenyon College, 2003

Becky was the lab manager, and a research assistant.

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Mary Hermann, M.A.

Graduate Student: 2017-2019

Mary Hermann

B.A. Psychology, University of Notre Dame 2017

M.A. Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis 2019

Mary is a graduate student studying the effects of event boundaries and event segmentation on memory.

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Becca Heyman

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2009

Becca HeymanWashington University in St. Louis, Undergraduate

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Ryan Kahle, B.S.

Lab Manager: 2017-2019

B.S. Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2016

Ryan is the lab manager, and is working towards figuring out what they'd like to study in graduate school. They are interested in how people use information, either processed in real time or retrieved from memory, to make decisions and guide behavior.

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Sam Kanterman

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Sam is a member of the class of 2025. His major is Biology-Neuroscience and he has a double minor in mathematics and film & media studies. Sam is interested in the recalling of memory, and how the mind warps experiences based on various factors. In his free time, Sam likes to cook, hike, travel, and try new foods.

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Devin Kellis

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2015

Devin Kellis

Senior, Francis Marion University

Devin is an undergraduate from Francis Marion University in South Carolina majoring in Biology & Psychology (minor in Chemistry). He spent the summer of 2015 in St. Louis assisting Lauren Richmond with projects investigating event segmentation and spatial memory. He is most interested in the MSTP (Medical Scientist Training Program) including research involving memory, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Sarah Kloepper

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2011-2013

Sarah Kloepper

Washington University in St. Louis, Undergraduate

Sarah is an undergraduate researcher in the lab. She is currently assisting Charlie Brenner on projects investigating reading comprehension and event segmentation.

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Claudia Landazabal

Undergraduate Research Assistant: 2011-2014

Claudia Landazabal

B.A. Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology
- Washington University in St. Louis, 2014

Claudia was an undergraduate Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology (PNP) student working in the lab. Her research interests include memory, attention, multi-tasking, and social psychology (particularly actor-observer bias and the bystander effect). She hopes to pursue a career in psychology/neuroscience or medicine. Claudia graduated from Washington University in Spring 2014 and is currently working as a resesearch associate at John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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Emma Lavetter-Keiden

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Emma is a member of the class of 2022 with majors in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and Spanish. She is interested in how internal biases influence perception and processing of ongoing experience. She plans on attending graduate school after graduation. Outside of the lab, she enjoys long walks on the beach, reading, and the Internet.