People
MEET THE TALENTED TEAM BEHIND OUR LAB’S SUCCESS
DIRECTORS

Gabriele Gratton
Job title Director, Ph.D.
Email grattong@illinois.edu
Gabriele Gratton received his M.D. from University of Rome in 1980 and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1991. He is a professor in the Psychology Department and a full-time faculty member in the Beckman Institute Cognitive Neuroscience group. His field of interest is Cognitive Neuroscience. Gabriele Gratton's interests are in cognitive neuroscience, specifically in the basic organization (spatial, temporal, and functional) of elementary cognitive processes such as those involved in sensory and working memory, attention, motor preparation, and strategy selection. Gratton has been focusing on the application of functional brain imaging methods to the study of these processes in normal adult subjects using optical, electrophysiological and hemodynamic techniques.

Monica Fabiani
Job title Director, Ph.D.
Email mfabiani@illinois.edu
Monica Fabiani received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990. She is a professor in the University of Illinois Department of Psychology and a full-time faculty member in the Beckman Institute Cognitive Neuroscience Group.
Her fields of professional interest are cognitive neuroscience, memory, and aging. Monica Fabiani's research interests are in the cognitive neuroscience of human memory and aging, as well as in the development of tools for the non-invasive mapping
of human brain function. Her research involves the integration of data from different domains, including behavioral responses, neuropsychological tests, and brain anatomy and function (event-related brain potentials, or ERPs; structural and functional
magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI; and optical imaging, including near infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS, and a new technique developed by Gabriele Gratton (CNS Group) and Fabiani, the event-related optical signals, or EROS).
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SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTISTS

Ed Maclin
Job title Senior Scientist, Ph.D.
Email edmaclin@illinois.edu
I received my Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from New York University in 1983. I have 30 years of experience applying a variety of neuroimaging modalities including MEG, EEG/ERP, MRI/fMRI and rCBF to both basic and clinical questions. My role at the CNL is primarily to implement new procedures for running cognitive experiments and for collecting and analyzing neuroimaging data using EROS, NIRS, fMRI and evoked potentials. I also provide training, troubleshooting and consultation for visitors and collaborators.
LAB MANAGERS

Jeff Gustafson
Job title Visiting Research Specialist / Lab Manager
Email jeg6@illinois.edu
I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022 with a B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Science. I am now furthering my studies here by pursuing a M.Eng in Bioengineering while working in the Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab. My responsibilities here at CNL include recruiting and scheduling participants, running optical imaging sessions, administering neuropsychological tests, and conducting MRI, EEG, and ERP recordings relating cerebrovascular health to cognitive decline throughout the lifespan.
POST DOCTORATES

Patrycja Kalamala
Job title Post-Doctoral Researcher, Ph.D.
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab. I received a PhD in Psychology from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland (2022). My dissertation focused on the dynamic interactions between language experiences and cognitive control using behavioral (e.g., SEM) and EEG techniques. At CNL, I continue my work on the mechanisms of cognitive control. My current research involves two goals: 1) to better understand how aging affects cognitive control, and 2) to improve the methodology for studying aperiodic EEG activity.
GRADUATE STUDENTS

Beth Asnakew
Job title Graduate Student
I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology (PNP) with a focus in cognitive neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. Here at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, my research revolves around investigating executive control mechanisms in the context of healthy aging through the application of behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) techniques.

Tao Chen
Job title Graduate Student
I received a bachelor degree in general psychology from East China Normal University before enrolling at University of Illinois. My research interest is about consciousness, like what is the mechanism of attention shift. I am now working on an EROS and TMS project about visual awareness.

Sydney Chism
Job title Graduate Student
I graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2020. My experiences there introduced me to research and my interest in human cognition and aging memory. Here at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign I am a member of the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab where I am looking to continue my interests in aging memory as well as expand my knowledge to learn neurological networks and cerebrovascular changes with age that effect cognition.

Jennie Gardner
Job title Graduate Student
I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Psychology in May 2018. Previously, I have studied the underlying mechanisms of exercise-induced adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mice. Currently, I am expanding upon my previous research by studying the effects of aging and fitness on memory and the hippocampus in humans.

Samia Islam
Job title Graduate Student
I graduated from Boston University in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in biology. As an undergraduate, I worked in labs studying the behavioral and neurological underpinnings of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Broadly, my research interests are in understanding the mechanisms of both healthy and diseased aging. At the CNL, I am particularly interested in understanding how different risk factors contribute to arterial stiffening and cognitive aging, using different neuroimaging techniques and neuropsychiatric tests.

Xiang Quan
Job title Graduate Student
I graduated from Wuhan University in 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology before joining the Ph.D. program at UIUC. I am interested in integrating different neuroimaging methods including optical imaging, magnetic resonance, and electroencephalography to investigate the dynamics of cognitive control and decision-making.

Samantha Rubenstein
Job title Graduate Sudent
Email sammi911@illinois.edu
I graduated from Salisbury University in Maryland with a B.A. in Psychology in May 2018. Previously, I worked in Salisbury's Neuroscience Lab and Cognitive Aging Lab. Before I became a graduate student, I was a lab manager for the CNL's Cognitive Control grant. My current research interests explore the relationship between fitness, stress, and cognition throughout the lifespan with a focus on data collected via MRI.
COLLABORATORS

Babu Adhimoolam, M.D.
Job title Visiting Research Associate, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Diane Beck, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Website https://psychology.illinois.edu/directory/profile/dmbeck

Antonio Belli, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University of Birmingham

Antonio Chiarelli, Ph.D.
Job title Assistant Professor, Universita’ di Chieti, Italy
Website https://www.dnisc.unich.it/home-chiarelli-antonio-maria-4252

Neal Cohen, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Website https://psychology.illinois.edu/directory/profile/njc

Florin Dolcos, Ph.D.
Job title Associate Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Email https://psychology.illinois.edu/directory/profile/fdolcos

Neha Gothe, Ph.D.
Job title Assistant Professor, University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Website http://www.epl.illinois.edu/

Máté Gyurkovics, Ph.D.
Job title Research Associate, University of Glasgow

Dick Jennings, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Frini Karayanidis, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University of Newcastle, Australia
Website https://www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/frini-karayanidis

Catarina Rendeiro, Ph.D.
Job title Lecturer, University of Birmingham

Brad Sutton, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Website http://mrfil.bioen.illinois.edu/

Fabrice Wallois, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University of Picardie Jules Verne
ALUMNI

Pauline Baniqued, Ph.D.
Job title Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of California-Berkeley

Bruce Bartholow, Ph.D.
Job title Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia

Daniel Bowie, Ph.D.
Job title Postdoctoral Fellow, McGill University

Grace Clements, Ph.D.
Job title Research Psychologist, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Paul Corballis, Ph.D.
Job title Associate Professor, University of Auckland
Website http://www.science.auckland.ac.nz/people/profile/p-corballis

Mark Fletcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Job title Psychiatry Resident, The Ohio State University

Brian Gordon, Ph.D.
Job title Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis

Mehmet Günal, Ph.D.
Job title Staff, ISS Inc.

Tania Kong, Ph.D.
Job title Data Scientist, SFL Scientific

Echo Leaver, Ph.D.
Job title Assistant Professor, Salisbury University

Kyle Mathewson, Ph.D.
Job title Assistant Professor, University of Alberta

Brian Metzger, Ph.D.
Job title Post-Doctoral Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine

Matthew Moore, Ph.D.
Job title Associated Health Fellow, Palo Alto VA Medical Center

Chin Hong Tan, Ph.D.
Job title Assistant Professor, Nanyang Technological University

John Walker, Ph.D.
Job title Data Scientist, CVS Health

Ben Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Job title Research Investigator, National University of Natural Medicine