Graduate Students
Ph.D. Students
Joshua Upshaw‘s interests involve investigating the neural correlates related to the constructs of mindfulness, creativity, and imagination. Specifically, how these areas can be applied to aspects within the educational, organizational, and aging population contexts. Joshua graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Business Management. In his spare time, he enjoys practicing and teaching yoga in the community, kickboxing, meditating, reading, and being outside in the garden or on a river.
Stephanie Kane‘s research interest lies in investigating the neural correlates of mind-wandering and creativity, and how these constructs vary by psychopathology. In particular, her aim is to understand the relationship between these cognitive processes, while utilizing mindfulness meditation as a well-being mechanism to point to intervention targets in individuals with mental health disorders. To investigate these interests, she uses behavioral and electrophysiological (EEG) approaches. Stephanie graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with an M.S. in Psychological Science. In her free time, she enjoys reading, practicing mindfulness meditation, going on walks, and spending time with her daughter and husband.
Kent Hubert’s interests involve investigating real-world creativity and innovation and the neural correlates related to these constructs. Specifically, how these constructs differ from creativity tested in a lab setting. Kent graduated from Drexel University with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Economics. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games, baking, and hiking.
Kim Awa’s research interests explore how we come to form preferences and aversions within the fine arts and the real-world implications of these formations. Further, Kim aims to investigate the neural mechanisms related to the creative process and how emotions dictate our decision making. Kim graduated with a B.S. in psychology and M.S. in applied cognition and neuroscience from The University of Texas at Dallas. In her time away from the lab she enjoys drawing, exploring local hiking trails, and photography.
Postdocs
Michelle Ramey, Ph.D. Michelle’s research aims to characterize the processes underlying memory, especially in the context of attention. Specifically, she primarily uses eyetracking to probe different types of episodic memory (e.g., recollection and familiarity), as well as unconscious and semantic memory, with an emphasis on how these different types of representations are formed and how they interact to support real-world goals like search. She is also interested in how different memory processes change with aging and diet, and how they contribute to episodic simulation and imagination. She received her PhD from the University of California, Davis. In her free time, she loves cooking, growing vegetables, running and lifting weights, reading, and photography.