People
John Serences
John is a UCSD alum and worked with Prof. Hal Pashler as an undergraduate. He moved to Johns Hopkins for grad school and worked with Prof. Steve Yantis, and then moved to the Salk Institute to do a postdoc with Dr. Geoff Boynton.
Kirsten Adam - Postdoc
Kirsten is a postdoc in the lab. She earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame, and she did undergraduate research with Dr. Bradley Gibson. She earned her Ph.D. while working with Dr. Edward Vogel and Dr. Edward Awh at the University of Oregon and at the University of Chicago. During her Ph.D., Kirsten used EEG, behavioral, and modeling methods to understand the limitations of visual working memory, and how working memory interacts with fluctuations of attention. At UCSD, Kirsten is using SSVEPs and fMRI to examine how we flexibly pay attention to relevant visual information while discarding irrelevant information. Here is Kirsten's website, where you'll find her CV and publications.
Angus Chapman - Psych Grad Student
Angus is a Ph.D. student in the Psychology department. Originally from New Zealand, he received a BSc and BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Statistics from Victoria University of Wellington. There he worked with Dr. Gina Grimshaw studying how attention and cognitive control interact with emotion, and with Tirta Susilo studying how we perceive and recognize faces. At UCSD, he hopes to learn more about the neural mechanisms that underlie perception, attention, and working memory, and how these processes are involved in constructing our perceptual experience. Outside the lab, Angus listens to too many podcasts about TV and politics, occasionally swing dances, and tries to learn how to speak like an American.
Tim Sheehan - Neuro Grad Student
Tim is a Ph.D. student in the Neurosciences Graduate Program. He earned his B.A. in Bioengineering at Union College (NY) where he did research with Dr. Takashi Buma developing optical imaging techniques. To transition into neuroscience, Tim worked at the NIH as a post-bac under Dr. Kareem Zaghloul studying individual differences in learning and memory. At UCSD, Tim is currently studying the role of sensory cortex in the encoding and storage of memories. When he’s not staring at a computer, Tim enjoys rock climbing, making eggplant parm, and a good riddle.
Sunyoung Park - Psych Grad Student
Sunyoung earned her B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in Cognitive Sciences at Yonsei University, where she worked with Dr. Do-Joon Yi, on the effects of familiarity on memory. She also worked as a lab manager in Dr. Won Mok Shim’s lab, studying various effects of feedback on visual perception and how they are reflected in the brain using fMRI. At UCSD, she is excited to continue her research on neural mechanisms underlying top-down influences, such as attention or expectation, on perception. In her spare time, she enjoys watching horror movies and weightlifting.
Janna Wennberg - Psych Grad Student
Janna is a third year PhD student in Psychology. She earned her B.A. in Mathematics from Carleton College, where she also did speech perception research with Dr. Julia Strand. Her eyes were opened (ha) to visual cognition while working with Dr. Shinsuke Shimojo at Caltech for a summer and with Dr. Klaus Oberauer during a semester abroad in Zürich, Switzerland. She subsequently spent a summer working with Dr. Edward Awh and Dr. Edward Vogel at University of Chicago. Janna is interested in how flexible neural codes support complex visual behaviors. She is also an open science enthusiast. When she's not in the lab, Janna enjoys running, reading novels, and cooking.
Holly Kular - Psych Grad Student
Holly is a Ph.D. student in the Psychology Department. She earned her B.S. in Neuroscience at UCLA, where she worked in a concussion research lab led by Dr. Chris Giza. Next, she worked as a lab manager at the Stanford Vision and Perception Neuroscience Lab led by Dr. Kalanit Grill-Spector measuring how the brain and visual perception change across development. At UCSD, Holly is excited to continue exploring the visual system and its neural mechanisms, especially attention and perception. Outside of the lab, she enjoys all things outdoors including running, skiing, and nature photography.
Leah Ettensohn - Psych Grad Student
Leah is a 1st year PhD student in the lab. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Cognitive Psychology. While at Carnegie, Leah worked in the lab of Dr. Marlene Behrmann where she studied plasticity in the visual system. Leah then completed her post-bac at the NIH under Drs. Leslie Ungerleider and Chris Baker exploring action perception. At UCSD, Leah is excited to continue investigating the neural substrates and cognitive mechanisms supporting perception, particularly within the context of attention and working memory. In her free time, Leah enjoys taking her cat Cece on walks, playing tennis, and embroidering.
Daniella Carey - Lab Manager
Daniella is a fourth year undergraduate student at UCSD studying Psychology with a specialization in Sensation and Perception. Having been a student of Dr. John Serences, she’s excited to have the opportunity to work for his lab. Dani strives to gain research experience and learn from the lab’s Ph.D students. She hopes to pursue graduate school and is especially interested in studying how visual attention intersects with perception. In Dani’s free time she enjoys watching movies, playing board games, and cooking.