🦚 Principal Investigator

Dr. Jarrod Lewis-Peacock

🦚 Associate Professor  🎓 C.V. 

Department of Psychology

Cognitition, Brain & Behavior (Area Head)

Institute for Neuroscience (Graduate Advisor)

The University of Texas at Austin

📩 jalewpea@utexas.edu   

I'm interested in how the brain forgets things, both accidentally and on purpose. In my lab, we use behavioral tests, neuroscience tools and computational techniques to study how human memory works.

🦚 Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Hyojeong Kim

🦚 Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

📩 hyojeongkim@utexas.edu

My research centers on how the brain manipulates information to serve goal-directed behaviors. My projects explore: (1) how different cognitive strategies for removing thoughts from mind lead to changes in their memory representations; (2) if fMRI neurofeedback can help people to remove unwanted thoughts from mind; and (3) how manipulation of information in working memory impacts long-term memory.

Dr. Laura Werner

🦚 Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas

📩 laura.werner@utexas.edu

My overall research goal is to understand how working memory functions. I am particularly interested in understanding forgetting mechanisms in working memory, such as removal. My current research focuses on how emotional memories are removed from working memory.

🦚 Doctoral Students

Zachary Bretton

🦚 Ph.D. student, Neuroscience (Year 5)

B.A., Boston University

📩 zbretton@utexas.edu

I am intrigued by how we control and manipulate information in mind to navigate the complex worlds around us. My research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms and behavioral impacts of removing information from working memory. By merging computational and cognitive neuroscience techniques, I explore the intricacies of our cognitive control systems and their impacts on our memory.

Ziyao Zhang

🦚 Ph.D. student, Psychology (Year 3)

M.S., Lehigh University

📩 ziyaoz@utexas.edu

My main interest lies in the interaction between memory and attention. Specifically, I am interested in how attentional control shapes memory representations and how internal representations influence ongoing processes. My research combines cognitive neuroscience and computational techniques to explore these questions.

Caleb Jerinic-Brodeur

🦚 Ph.D. student, Psychology (Year 2)

B.S., Arizona State University

📩 cjerinic@utexas.edu

My main research interests revolve around the ability to control what we remember. More specifically, I’m curious as to how removal processes influence forgetting in the context of emotional information. I’m also interested in how these working memory mechanisms influence long-term memory outcomes.

Edward Leung

🦚 Ph.D. student, Neuroscience (Year 2)

B.S., B.A., University of Washington

📩 edjoeleung@utexas.edu

I am interested in understanding the factors behind retrieval of long-term memories into working memory and how that affects behavior and decision making. Additionally, I want to explore retrieval in the context of psychological disorders such as PTSD or addiction, when maladaptive information dominates working memory processing.

Yanni Jiang

🦚 CBB practicum (Spring 2024)

Ph.D. student (Dr. Beer), Psychology (Year 1)

M.A., Columbia University

📩 yanni.jiang@utexas.edu

My main research interest centers on people’s social interactions and outcomes. Specifically, I am greatly interested in exploring people’s individual differences in disposition and real-world social behaviors using brain imaging methods.

🦚 Staff

Neerul Gupta

🦚 Lab Manager

Senior, Psychology and Rhetoric & Writing

2022 URF Awardee

Joined Fall 2021

Rebeka Papanikolaou

🦚 Assistant Lab Manager

Junior, Psychology

Lab mentor: Ziyao

Joined Fall 2022


🦚 Undergraduate Students

Aisha Analil

Junior, Neuroscience

Lab mentor: Caleb

Joined Fall 2022

Sannidhi Koganti

Senior, Neuroscience and Human Development and Family Sciences

2023 URF Awardee

Lab mentor: Ziyao

Joined Summer 2023

Isabella Smillie

Senior, Neuroscience

Lab mentor: Zachary

Joined Fall 2023

Swetha Ayinala

Junior, Psychology

2024 URF Awardee

Lab mentor: Laura

Joined Fall 2023

Nikafareed Papari

Senior, Neuroscience

2024 URF Awardee

Lab mentor: Caleb

Joined Fall 2023

Emily Kolach

Sophomore, Neuroscience

Lab mentor: Ziyao

Joined Fall 2023

Amelia Canright

Sophomore, Neuroscience

Lab mentor: Caleb

Joined Fall 2023

Claire Chiang

Junior, Neuroscience and Piano Performance

Lab mentor: Edward

Joined Fall 2023

Nico Sanchez

Junior, Psychology

Lab mentor: Hyojeong

Joined Spring 2024

Alan Shaji

Freshman, Neuroscience and Plan II

Lab mentor: Hyojeong

Joined Spring 2024

Jeanie Fan

Sophomore, Psychology

Lab mentor: Ziyao

Joining Summer 2024

Annika Hesse

Sophomore, Biochemistry and Business

Lab mentor: Caleb

Joining Summer 2024

Nicole Kowalchuk

Sophomore, Human Biology

Lab mentor: Edward

Joining Fall 2024

🦚 Lab Photos Through the Years

🦚 Alumni: Postdoctoral Researchers

Elizabeth Lorenc, Ph.D.

Staff Scientist, Behavior and Neuroimaging CoreBrown University

Tracy Wang, Ph.D.

Research Program ManagerMicrosoft Azure Engineering

🦚 Alumni: Doctoral Students

Justin Kilmarx, Ph.D.  '23

Research ScientistInfoscitex Corporation

Augustin Hennings, Ph.D.  '22

PostdocPrinceton University

Remington Mallett, Ph.D.  '21

PostdocUniversity of Montreal

Seth Koslov, Ph.D.  '20

PostdocUniversity of Pennsylvania

Hyojeong Kim, Ph.D.  '20

PostdocUniversity of Texas at Austin

Ethan Oblak, Ph.D.  '19

PostdocRIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan

🦚 Alumni: Masters Students

Allison Bruning, M.A.  '21

LecturerTexas State University

Allison Berman, M.S. '18

Scientific Software EngineerGoogle

Mark Hollenbeck, M.S.  '16

Director of Data ScienceBlackfynn

🦚 Selected Alumni: Research Assistants

Zoe Duan

Ph.D. StudentNew York Univeristy

Brandon Torio

M.S. StudentJohns Hopkins University

Anu Mummaneni

Undergraduate StudentUniversity of Chicago

Katlyn Hedgpeth  '17

Technical AnalystIndeed

Rochelle Stewart  '15

Ph.D. StudentFlorida State University

Song Liu

Ph.D. StudentUniversity of Texas at Dallas

Arjun Mukerji, Ph.D.

Data ScientistTactogen

🦚 Selected Alumni: Undergraduate Students

Sabrina Zheng  '23

Medical AssistantAustin Neurological Clinic

Paige Stetson  '23

Imaging Support ScientistBrain Imaging Center at UT Austin

Amaris Mendoza  '23

Study CoordinatorUT Austin

Ashley Humphries  '23

Lab ManagerUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln

Brandon Bruce  '23

M.D. StudentUT Southwestern

Reece Walter  '22

Law StudentColumbia University

Meghan Mallya  '21

M.D. StudentUniversity of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Landry Bulls  '20

Ph.D. StudentDartmouth College

Robaa Al-Najar  '19

M.D. StudentLong School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio

Stephanie Jeanneret  '19

M.D. Student
McGovern Medical School

Bettina Bustos  '18

Ph.D. StudentUniversity of IowaPI: Jiefeng Jiang

Ellen Crowe  '17

M.D. StudentMcGovern Medical School