People
Principal Investigators
Dr. Jessica R. Cohen (she/her) is an Associate 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
Dr. Nicholas Fogleman (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC School of Medicine and Director of the UNC ADHD Program. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and has an appointment at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Fogleman completed his B.S. in Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at University of Louisville, Clinical Psychology Internship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities.
Email: nicholas.fogleman@med.unc.edu 
Postdoctoral Fellows
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
Dr. Tehila Nugiel (she/her) is a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities. She completed a B.A. in Psychology at Ramapo College of New Jersey and her Ph.D. in Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. Her research examines relations between brain development and cognitive control in children and adolescents with a focus on developmental difficulties, like ADHD and learning disabilities.
Email: tehila_nugiel@med.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. At UNC, Mackenzie has focused her research on how functional brain network organization shifts across contexts (e.g., resting vs. exerting self-control) in children. She is also interested in how brain network development between childhood and adolescence relates to changes in executive function and psychopathology. Mackenzie received her M.A. in Cognitive Psychology at UNC in 2022.
Email: memitchell@unc.edu
Monica Lyons (she/her) is a graduate student in the Developmental Psychology PhD Program in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and MD/PhD candidate in the MD/PhD Program. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Biology, with a minor in Computer Science. After graduation, she worked as a research assistant in the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Monica is interested in how applications of neuroimaging methods like graph theory can help us better understand psychopathology, particularly in pediatric populations. She enjoys running, biking, and playing with her cat Kiki.
Email: monica_lyons@med.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
Ellie Birdsong (she/her) is the lab manager for the Cohen Lab and lead project coordinator for the 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.
Email: elliehf@email.unc.edu
Tehya Drummond (she/her) is a project coordinator for the BrainMAP study and the Decision Making and Motor Control study. She completed a B.S. in Behavioral and Social Sciences from North Carolina Central University. Prior to joining the Cohen Lab, she worked in a variety of research settings throughout UNC including the department of Psychiatry and the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Her research interests include social cognition and psychophysiology. In her free time, Tehya enjoys making quilts, playing pickleball, and hanging out with her two pet guinea pigs.
Email: tehya.drummond@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
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
Charlotte Seymour (she/her/hers) is double majoring in Neuroscience and Economics with a minor in chemistry. She is interested in studying the factors that influence brain development. In her free time, she enjoys sailing, playing field hockey, and reading.
Email: cesces@live.unc.edu
Jennifer Martinez-Mejia is a Sophomore majoring in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience and Women and Gender Studies. She enjoys baking, spending time with family and friends, and watching soap operas.
Email:
jennym12@email.unc.edu
Shriya Pokala (she/her) is majoring in Neuroscience and on the pre-med track. She is interested in learning about childhood brain development. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, playing the piano, traveling, and hiking.
Email: shriya.pokala@unc.edu
Samuel Hendrix (he/him) is majoring in Neuroscience with a double minor in chemistry and biology on a pre-med track. He is interested in learning about how mental disorders impact child brain development. Outside of school he enjoys hiking, board games, visiting national parks, and cooking.
Email: samuel.hendrix@unc.edu
Foluwa Agbebi (he/him) is a Neuroscience major with a minor in computer science. He is interested in learning about how glial cells influence neuronal activity. In his free time, Foluwa enjoys reading, playing Wordle, and playing in the UNC marching and pep bands.
Email: magbebi@unc.edu
Jeremy Chen (he/him) is double majoring in Neuroscience and Computer Science and is on the pre-med track. He is interested in learning about human cognition and brain development. Outside of school, Jeremy enjoys playing sports and games, and currently plays table tennis, chess, and Smash Ultimate competitively for UNC’s club teams.
Email: ziang1@email.unc.edu
Brenna Curtis (she/her) is a psychology major with a minor in neuroscience. She is interested in the influence of environment on brain development. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing the double bass.
Email: bcurtis@unc.edu
Dana Chau (she/her) is double majoring in Biology and Psychology with a Chemistry minor and is on the pre-med track. She is interested in learning about children’s brain networks during different stages of development. In her free time, she enjoys playing games, reading, watching movies, and spending time with her friends and family.
Email: danami@email.unc.edu
Gracie Tharin (she/her) is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Health and Society. She is interested in learning about the differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent brain development and how these developmental patterns coincide with mental health. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, going to the gym, and spending time with friends.
Email: gtharin@unc.edu
Andrea Myer (she/her) is a Sophomore Neuroscience major with minors in Chemistry and Statistics & Analytics. She is interested in studying brain development and degeneration, as well as the factors that contribute to both. In her free time, she enjoys running, playing the flute, and spending time with friends.
Email: andfaith@email.unc.edu
Mariana Chavez (she/her) is a sophomore double majoring in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Education. She is interested in social and cognitive changes in child development and how they influence school performance. In her free time, Mariana loves playing piano, watching movies, and building escape rooms through UNC’s Chapel Thrill Escapes.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
Cleanthis Michael, Ph.D. Student in Clinical Science, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
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
Sammie Kim, Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2022
Kattia Mata, B.S. in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2022
Aparna Sudhakar, B.S. in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2022
Erica Fager, B.A. in Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2022
Maya Arora, B.S. in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2024
Katie Holt, B.S. in Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021
Jordan Roberts, B.S. in Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2023
Anna Covington, B.S. in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021
Caroline Hoch, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
Deepak Melwani, B.S. in Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
Kaeley Jenkins, 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
