Michael Rugg, ph.d. | principal investigator

Office: 972-883-3725
Email: mrugg@utdallas.edu

Michael Rugg obtained his BSc and PhD in psychology from the University of Leicester, UK. Following a postdoctoral year at the University of York, in 1979 he was appointed to a lectureship in psychology at the University of St Andrews, where he went on to become Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department. In 1998 he moved to the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London as Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow, where he remained until 2003, when he moved to the University of California, Irvine as a Professor of Neurobiology and director of The Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. In 2011 he moved to the University of Texas, Dallas as Distinguished Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences and is currently director of UTD’s Center for Vital Longevity.

Professional recognition includes Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Association for Psychological Science. He is past chair of the Cognition and Perception and the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory study sections of the Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, and current chair of the Cognitive Disorder and Brain Aging study section.

Dr Rugg’s principal research interests are in the cognitive neuroscience of human memory, and how and why memory is affected as we age and because of disease, especially diseases of old age. He uses functional neuroimaging, electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation to identify the neural regions and the patterning of their functional activity that allow memories to be acquired and retrieved. His research addresses fundamental questions about how we learn and remember, and translational issues such as identifying people most at risk of developing disorders of memory in later life. Currently funded research projects focus on the neural bases of individual differences in memory function across the lifespan, and the utility of metrics of functional brain activity as predictors of future cognitive decline in older adults.

Marianne de Chastelaine, ph.d. | research scientist

Office: 972-883-3780
Email: mdechast@utdallas.edu

Marianne received her Ph.D. in Psychology from University College London where she investigated episodic memory retrieval processes in young adults using event-related potentials (ERPs). Her post-doctoral work has mainly involved large scale studies employing functional neuroimaging techniques (fMRI and EEG), as well as structural imaging (MRI), to investigate the development and maturation of episodic memory encoding and retrieval processes across the lifespan.

Mingzhu Hou, ph.d. | postdoctoral researcher

Office: 972-883-3781
Email: mingzhu.hou@utdallas.edu

Mingzhu received her BS from Binzhou Medical University, her master’s from Capital Normal University in China, and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include memory changes in aging from both psychological and neural perspectives, and strategies to enhance cognitive performance in older adults. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and watching movies.

Amber Kidwai, MS | doctoral student

Office: 972-883-3748
Email: amber.kidwai@utdallas.edu

Amber graduated from University College London with a BS degree in Psychology, and then received a MS degree in Occupational (I/O) Psychology from Goldsmith’s College, University of London. She spent a year working at the UT Dallas Center for Brain Health in the Computational Psychiatry Unit where she investigated the effects of drug addiction on decision making in the brain, measured using fMRI. She then Joined the fNIM lab as a Research Assistant in fall 2018 and is working on projects investigating the effects of aging on memory. Her primary interests are cognitive neuropsychology, brain disease and brain disorders.

Sarah Monier | doctoral student

Office: CVL 725.02
Email: sarah.monier@utdallas.edu

Sarah earned her BS in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Following her graduation, she joined the Park Lab at UT Dallas, researching the impacts of aging and Alzheimer’s pathology on cognitive, structural, and personality factors. Sarah began her doctoral journey at UT Dallas in Fall 2021, continuing her work in the Park lab as a PhD student and receiving her MS in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience along the way. Recently, her growing interest in investigating age differences in memory encoding and retrieval processes using fMRI, led her to transition to the fNIM lab. Her research interests encompass examining age-related differences in the association between neural activity at encoding and memory performance as well as the impact of neurodegenerative diseases on the neural mechanisms underlying episodic memory and on cognition. Outside of her studies, Sarah enjoys reading novels, fitness, and hiking.

Luke Pezanko | doctoral student

Office: CVL 700.06
Email: luke.pezanko@utdallas.edu

Luke received his BA degree in Psychology from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, and MA degree at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in Experimental Psychology. He then explored different areas of research in Boston, MA studying sleep at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in their affiliated Harvard Medical Chronobiology Program (MCP). Thereafter, he found a passion studying Alzheimer’s Disease in the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Luke then began his doctoral journey at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) studying brain oscillations, memory. He then transferred to the UT Dallas Cognition and Neuroscience Ph.D. program where his primary interests are brain functional connectivity, aging, and recognition memory. In his free time Luke loves taking his dog Bruce to the park, exercising (almost too much), reading and especially maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Madelyn Rico, MS | research assistant

Office: 972-883-3718
Email: madelyn.ricco@utdallas.edu

Maddy graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from UNT, and M.S. in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience from UT Dallas. Her research interests include how brain structure and physiology contribute to psychopathology.  She loves dogs, and hiking or skiing whenever possible.

Joshua Olivier, BS | research assistant

Office: 972-883-3753
Email: joshua.olivier@utdallas.edu

Joshua received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University, where he spent three years as a research assistant in the Nielsen Brain & Behavior Lab. There, he investigated differences in visual perception in individuals with a range of autistic and anxious traits. His current research interests include the intersection between behavior, brain structure, and psychopathology. In his free time, he enjoys songwriting, playing video games, and running.

Ayse Aktas, BA | research assistant

Office: 972-883-3704
Email: ayse.aktas@utdallas.edu

Ayse received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from SWPS University in Warsaw. Her interest in cognitive neuroscience research was sparked when she assisted in a research study examining the neural basis of the effect of video games on gaining new, complex skills. Her current research interests are the cognitive neuroscience of memory and memory training interventions. In her spare time she enjoys listening to music and doodling.

Sowmya Sambamoorthy, MS | research assistant

Office: 972-883-3746
Email: sowmya.sambamoorthy@utdallas.edu

Sowmya holds an Undergraduate (University of Madras) and a Graduate degree (Arizona State University) in Computer Science. After a couple of decades in the corporate sector developing products and managing data warehouses, she returned to academia as a lifelong learner to pursue another graduate degree in Applied Cognitive Neuroscience from UT Dallas in 2020. Her interests generally include Data Analysis and specifically Cognition & Healthy Aging. In her free time, she loves being with her family, running, reading, gardening, practicing piano, and Indian classical vocal music

Anjana Sumathy Anandan, MS | research assistant

Email: anjana.anandan@utdallas.edu

Anjana graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Child Development in 2021. She worked as a Registered Behavioral Technician for a year and decided to pursue her Master’s in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience from UT Dallas. She is currently in second year and is planning to pursue a PhD in Cognitive Neuropsychology. Anjana’s primary research interests are in Memory and Language. She is interested in mapping how bilinguals encode, recall and recognize objects/words presented in their second language and if/how it differs from their first language using fMRI and EEG. She is also interested in studying if knowing multiple languages has a positive effect on human memory in old age. In her free time, she loves playing with her birds, fostering animals, and writing. She is also a photographer and loves watching historical and true-crime documentaries.

Claire McIntyre , BS | research assistant

Email: claire.mcintyre@utdallas.edu

Claire graduated from Stanford University in 2024 with a B.S. in Human Biology. As a student, she joined the Brain Research to Understand Neurodevelopmental Outcomes (BRUNO) Lab, where she focused on cognitive and fMRI-based predictors of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome. Her research interests include the relationships between neural activity, cognitive functions, and psychopathology. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, watching documentaries, and trying new restaurants.

Samiul Alam | masters student

Email: samiul.alam@utdallas.edu

Samiul graduated from UT Dallas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience in 2022. He has worked as an EMT Supervisor for University Emergency Medical Response for 2 years and currently works as a Pharmacy Technician. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience at UT Dallas and plans to pursue a career in medicine. He enjoys weightlifting, sand volleyball, and rock climbing.”

Rishita Uppuluri | Undergraduate Student

Email: rishita.uppuluri@utdallas.edu

Rishita is currently an undergraduate student at UT Dallas. She is a Psychology major who is interested in researching aging, memory, and cognitive deterioration. Her past experiences include working at Baylor Scott and White as well as O2 Pulmonary and Sleep Group. She enjoys playing tennis and painting.

Shruti Panda | Undergraduate Student

Email: shruti.panda@utdallas.edu

Shruti is currently an undergraduate student at UT Dallas majoring in Neuroscience. Her interests include the correlation between brain structure and conditions such as epilepsy and schizophrenia. She also works as a medical assistant and loves martial arts & watching movies. 

Grace Martin | Undergraduate Student

Email: grace.martin2@utdallas.edu

Grace is an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Religion. She is interested in exploring the intersection of psychology and religion, delving into how belief systems influence human behavior and cognition over time. In the past, she worked as a Learning Fellow (similar to a Teaching Assistant) at Dartmouth, facilitating understanding among students and helping the professor with the logistics of the class/classroom. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and listening to music.