People

Oct 2025

Co-Director: Florin Dolcos, PhD (fdolcos@illinois.edu)

 

Research interests:

1. Neural Correlates of Emotion-Cognition Interactions. My main interests concern the neural mechanisms underlying interactions between emotion and cognition. By combining the spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the excellent temporal resolution of event-related potentials (ERP), I have investigated both the enhancing and the impairing effects of emotion on the neural correlates of memory processes in healthy young human participants. More recently, I have expanded these directions by investigating the impact of cognition on emotion processing, and by investigating similar issues linked to individual differences in healthy (both young and older participants) and clinical (depressed and PTSD patients) groups. [more] 

Co-Director: Sanda Dolcos, PhD (sdolcos@illinois.edu)

   

Main Research Interests:

1. Social and Personality Neuroscience: Affect and Perspective Taking in social judgment and decision making;

2. Affective Neuroscience: Emotion Regulation - strategies and changes across adulthood;

3. Cognitive and Affective Aging: Mechanisms and Neural Correlates.

4. Emotional Wellbeing: Susceptibility and Resilience to emotional challenges. 

 

Graduate Students:

  My research interest is to use experimental methods such as EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking, and combine them with computational models to explain the complex and deep-seated mechanisms in the field of cognitive neuroscience. I am particularly interested in human attention and emotion, learning and memory, decision making, relational thinking, and causal reasoning. 
  I am primarily interested in leveraging advanced neuroimaging methodologies (e.g., fMRI, EEG/ERP) to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying emotion–memory interactions in healthy populations. In addition, I am also interested in developing neuroscience-informed training interventions to enhance well-being in populations where these processes may be compromised or dysfunctional.
  My research currently focuses on the neural basis of memory, especially autobiographical memory and the role emotion plays in shaping memory processes. I use neuroscientific tools such as fMRI and neurostimulation to study these processes, and I am excited about exploring new developments in neuroimaging that could help better understand the brain. I’m also interested in how this research applies to clinical populations and can support mental health interventions.
  My research focuses on the complex interplay between psychosocial factors and pain perception, with particular attention to how these factors modulate the effectiveness of analgesic treatments. I am also interested in examining how various medications influence emotional and cognitive processes. To investigate these questions, I employ a multi-method approach that integrates pharmacological interventions, psychophysiological measures, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

 

Post-Graduate/ Post-Bachelor's RA:

  • Daisy Zang
  • Hunter Carrick
  • Claire Schlensker

Undergraduate Students:

  • Alyssa Rae Sullivan
  • Jocelin Ramos
  • Sid Gurumurthi

Alumni / Former Affiliates:

UofI  

  • Dylan Riemen (Master's Student, 2025)
  • April Meng
  • Autumn Seaton
  • James Cho
  • Ivy Chen
  • Daisy Zang (Master's Student, 2023-2025)
  • Kelly Hohl (PhD Student, XXXX-2025)
  • Paul Bogdan (Phd Student, 2018-2023)
  • Yifan Hu (PhD Student, XXXX)
  • Ariana Castro (PhD student - Visiting student from the Clinical/Community Division)
  • Haley West (Master's Student, 2020-2023)
  • Autumn Franco (PSYC 290; 2021-2023)
  • Yagna Reddy (PSYC 290 & PSYC 490; 2020-2023)
  • Zoe Tsokolas (PSYC 290; 2021-2023)
  • Matthew Moore (Post Doc, 2018-2021)
  • Julia Radu (PSYC 290 & Beckman summer undergraduate fellow; 2019-2021)
  • Gillian Ho (research assistant, 2020-2021)
  • Justin Frank (research assistant, 2018-2020)
  • Chen (Amanda) Shen (PSYC 290 student, 2017-2019)
  • Joel Thomas (PhD student - Visiting student from the Clinical/Community Division, 2017-2019)
  • Aidan Healy (PSYC 290 student, 2017-2018)
  • Yuta Katsumi (PhD Student - Psychology Department: Cognitive Neuroscience Division, 2013-2019)
  • Matthew Moore (PhD Student - Psychology Department: Cognitive Neuroscience Division, 2012-2018)
  • Margaret O'Brien (Master's Student, 2015-2018)
  • JulieAnn Scherer (PSYC 290/494 student, 2017-2018)
  • Danah Bakir (MCB 290 student, 2017-2018)
  • Michael Budianto, Lavania Nair, Luke Campbell, Qingying Zheng, Junning Liang, Matthew Kim (PSYC 290 students/undergraduate volunteers, 2017-2018)
  • Yiling Yang, Alejandro Torres, Yijun Wang, Stephanie Kern (PSYC 290 students, 2016-2017)
  • Audra Chavez (MCB 290 student, 2015-2017)
  • Juyoen Hur (Visiting PhD student - Psychology Department: Clinical/Community Division)
  • Zachariah Bertels (Psyc 290/494 student, 2013-2016)
  • Cameron Sunkel, Christine Richards (Psyc 290 students, 2014-2015)
  • Alexandru D. Iordan (PhD Student - Neuroscience Program, 2010-2016)
  • Jake Carpenter-Thompson (MD/PhD student - Neuroscience Program: Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab)
  • James Norton (PhD student - Neuroscience Program: RMS Lab)
  • Suhkyung Kim (Master's Student, 2012-2014)
  • Hao (Hannah) Chen, Gina Giase (Psyc 494 students, 2013-2014)
  • Ian Kahrilas, Hailey Mulliner, Joseph Procopio (Psyc 290 students, 2013-2014)
  • Weiqi Zhao (Psyc 492 Student; RA Volunteer)
  • Judy Chiu (PhD Student - Memory Systems Lab: Memory Systems Lab, 2011-2012)
  • Nikki Llewellyn (PhD Student - Developmental Psychology: Family Studies Lab)
  • Allison Letkiewicz (PhD student - Visiting student from the Clinical/Community Division)
  • Daniel Bowie (PhD student - Visiting student from the Cognitive Neuroscience DIvision)
  • Rasheed Ansari, Hyun (Henry) Choi, Sagar Desai (Psyc 290 students, 2012-2013)
  • Jason Coronel (Post-Doc: Beckman Institute)
  • Zachary Horne (PhD student - Philosophy)
  • Sarah Woo (Post-Graduate Volunteer)
  • Yu Takioka (UG Student Volunteer)
  • Dylan O'Hearn (Psyc 290 student, 2011-2012)
  • Kaitlyn Wilson (post-graduate volunteer, 2011-2012)
  • Esther Kim, Jatin Pandey (Tech RAs, Electrical Engineering students, Spring 2012)
  • Yifan Hu (volunteer/summer intern, Spring-Summer 2012)
  • Timothy Nyckowski, HeeJun Yoon, Ya Zhang (volunteers, 2011)
  • Aminda O'Hare (visiting Post-Doctoral T32 NIH Fellow, 2010-2011)
  • Robert Molitor (Psyc290 student, Summer Research Assistant, 2011)
  • Elizabeth Abushevitz, Bianca Doherty, Belema Obomanu (Psyc 290 students, 2011)
  • Shawn Akridge, Sheena Eettickal, Julie Novak, Ruth Sandescu (Psyc 290 students, 2010-2011)

Visiting Students and Faculty

  • Illia Kuznietsov, PhD (Assistant Professor: Human and Animal Physiology Dept., Eastern European National University, Lutsk, Ukraine)
  • Isabella Zsoldos (PhD Student - Laboratory of Psychology and NeuroCognition: University Savoie Mont Blanc)
  • Yuta Katsumi (Summer 2012) 
  • Mica Winchester (SROP student, Summer 2011)

UofA 

  • Andrea Shafer (PhD Student, Centre for Neuroscience, 2008-2014)
  • Ekaterina Denkova (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Wyeth-CIHR Fellow, 2008-2010)
  • Rick Osborne (Visiting MSc Student, Centre for Neuroscience, 2010)
  • Kristina Suen (RA, Engineering CO-OP Student, 2010)
  • Jessica Li (Honor/Independent Study Student, 2009-2010)
  • Sophie Flor-Henry (Honor/Independent Study Student, 2009-2010)
  • Claudia Gasior (Honor/Independent Study Student, 2009-2010)
  • Keen Sung (UG Volunteer, Summer Student (CSJ/AHFMR), 2007-2010)
  • Trisha Chakrabarty (MD Student, Summer Student (AHFMR), 2009)
  • Crystal Zhou (UG Volunteer, Summer student (CSJ), 2007-2010)
  • Gloria Wong (UG Volunteer, Summer/Honor/Independent Study Student, 2007-2010)
  • Hansen Zhou (UG Volunteer, 2009-2010)
  • Todd Penney (Graduate RA - MSc Student, Biomedical Engineering, 2008)
  • Graeme Armstong (Reading Course Student, 2008)
  • Nicole Dalmer (UG Volunteer, RA, 2008)
  • Ryan Campbell & Kristen Sabourin (RA, Engineering CO-OP Summer Students, 2007/2008)