People
Principal Investigator
Dr. Jessica R. Cohen (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill. She is a member of the Cognitive Psychology program and the Human Neuroimaging Group. She is also affiliated with the Biomedical Research Imaging Center, the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, the Neurobiology Curriculum, and the Center for Developmental Science. Dr. Cohen received her A.B. in Psychology from Harvard University, her Ph.D. in Psychology from UCLA, and postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at both UC Berkeley and Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Email: jrcohen@unc.edu
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Nicholas Fogleman (he/him) is a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities. He completed his B.S. in Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Louisville, and his Clinical Psychology Internship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His research focuses primarily on the emotional and social functioning of children and adolescents with ADHD.
Email: nicholas.fogleman@cidd.unc.edu 
Dr. Sikoya M. Ashburn (she/her) completed her B.S. in Neuroscience at Duke University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Georgetown University. As a post-doctoral researcher, she is a D-SPAN (Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience) fellow, an NIH award. Sikoya’s research uses neuroimaging analyses to explore the cerebellum’s role in cognition and neurodevelopmental disorders. Her interests also encompass neuroanatomy, development, and aging.
Email: s.ashburn.phd@unc.edu
Graduate Students
Arianna Cascone (she/her) is is a PhD student in the Neuroscience Curriculum in the School of Medicine. She graduated from Vassar College in May 2019 with a BA in Neuroscience and Behavior. Arianna is broadly interested in studying the neural substrates of neuropsychiatric disorders using neuroimaging techniques.
Email: acascone@live.unc.edu
Mac Woodburn (he/him) is a graduate student in the Cognitive Psychology PhD program in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. He recently completed his B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience at Brown University, and conducted his undergraduate thesis work in Brown’s Advanced Baby Imaging Lab. Mac studies the cognitive relevance of brain network development from infancy to childhood for typical and atypical development. Mac enjoys exploring the local food and music scene, and tap-dancing. Mac has completed HAVEN training.
Email: mawoodbu@live.unc.edu
Mackenzie Mitchell (she/her) is a graduate student in the Cognitive Psychology PhD program in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. She graduated with B.S. degrees in Neuroscience and Human Development from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017. After graduation, Mackenzie worked as lab manager for Jessica Church-Lang’s Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. She worked on projects investigating cognitive control engagement in both developmental populations with control disorders (i.e. ADHD, OCD, and Tourette syndrome) and bilingual students with reading difficulties. Mackenzie is interested in how brain networks support cognitive control across development, in both typical and atypical populations. Mackenzie enjoys drinking wine and listening to
Mariah Carey.
Email: memitchell@unc.edu
Marc Rudolph (he/him) is a graduate student in the Cognitive Psychology PhD program in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. He completed his B.S. in Psychology (Neuropsychology/Neuroscience) at Portland State University. After graduation, Marc was involved in neuroscience outreach at NW Noggin and Sabin Brains and worked as a research assistant in several labs at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) with Dr. Joel Nigg, Dr. Bonnie Nagel, and Dr. Damien Fair. Marc is interested in how brain networks underlying cognition and behavior evolve, organize, and reconfigure in health and disease and how this information can be used to build predictive models with translational potential. Marc enjoys hiking, motorcycles, live music, and tasting local wine and craft beer.
Email: marcr@live.unc.edu
Website: marcdrudolph@wordpress.com
Research Staff
Cleanthis Michael (he/him) is a research assistant for the ADHD Med Challenge and ADHD BrainMAP studies. He graduated from University College London with a B.Sc. in Psychology and completed his undergraduate thesis exploring children’s development of sensory integration. Cleanthis is interested in the development of neural circuitry underlying cognitive and affective processes as it connects to mental health in childhood and adolescence, and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the future.
Email: cmich95@email.unc.edu
Ellie Hadden-Ford (she/her) is the lab manager for the Cohen Lab and a research assistant for the ADHD BrainMAP study. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Neuroscience and completed her undergraduate honors thesis on biological variation within neural progenitor cell populations. Ellie is interested in the neural processes underlying cognition, and hopes to pursue a Ph.D in Neuroscience in the future.
Email: elliehf@email.unc.edu
Undergraduate Students
Ananyaa Sundar (she/her) is majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry, and is on the pre-med track. As a member of the Cohen Lab, she is interested in learning about brain development. In her free time, Ananyaa enjoys baking, watching movies, and hanging out with friends.
Email: ananyaa@live.unc.edu
Anna Covington (she/her) is majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Medicine, Literature, and Culture and Education. She is also on the pre-med track. Her hobbies include playing french horn and piano, doing triathlons, and skydiving.
Email: annacov@email.unc.edu
Aparna Sudhakar (she/her) is a Neuroscience major with a minor in medical anthropology. She is interested in learning about how different factors influence brain development. In her free time, Aparna enjoys baking, sewing, and performing with her dance team UNC Chalkaa.
Email: asudha25@live.unc.edu
Erika Fager (she/her) is majoring in Psychology and is seeking minors in both neuroscience and cognitive science. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, doing photography, spending time with friends, and exploring new places.
Email: enfager@live.unc.edu
Jordan Roberts (he/him) is double majoring in Psychology and Media and Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations curriculum. He enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, his Lhasa, volunteering, and consuming sports. Jordan is interested in attaining experience in psychological research, and deepening his knowledge in the field of neuroscience.
Email: acuraaa@live.unc.edu
Katie Holt (she/her) is a biology BS major with a chemistry and philosophy minor. She spends her free time as a volunteer horse trainer for Helping Horse Therapeutic Riding Center and performs as a member of the Marching Tar Heels.
Email: holt33@live.unc.edu
Maya Arora (she/her) is majoring in Neuroscience and Health Policy and Management and pursuing a minor in Spanish for the Professions. Outside of school, she enjoys learning about politics, cooking, and reading.
Email: mkarora@email.unc.edu
Shreya Ramineni (she/her) is double majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience, and is on the pre-med track. She is interested in learning about neural flexibility and brain development. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, crisis counseling, volunteering, and videography.
Email: shreyar@live.unc.edu
Lab Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
Teague R. Henry, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
Shana A. Hall, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
Research Staff
Alexa D. Monachino, Research Associate, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University
Cheyenne L. Bricken, Medical Student, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kelly A. Duffy, Ph.D. Student in Quantitative/Psychometric Methods, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
Kelly H. Eom, Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Caroline Hoch, Statistical and Research Analyst, Medical University of South Carolina. B.S. in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
Deepak Melwani, Orthopedic Medical Assistant/Research Associate. B.S. in Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
Kaeley Jenkins, Youth Advocate, Youth Advocate Programs. B.A. in Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
Chunni (Zoe) Ji, B.S. in Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
Darius Johnson, B.S.P.H. in Health Policy and Management, B.S. in Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
Mauli Saini, B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2017
Mikaela Bauer, B.S. in Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2022
Niveditha Jagadesh, B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2018
Rachel Slover, B.A. in Mathematics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021
Safiyyah Nawaz, B.A. in Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2018
Shruti Gopalswamy, B.S. in Statistics and Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021
