Meet the Lab!

Principal Investigator: Vanessa Brown, PhD

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Emory University since January 2024. Previously, I was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. I completed my PhD in clinical psychology with Pearl Chiu in the Department of Psychology and at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech, my clinical internship at Western Psychiatric Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh with Alex Dombrovski and Rebecca Price.

I study how psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression are related to maladaptive decision making. My research examines how such disorders are related to problems learning from and choosing actions based on positive and negative information in the environment. To do so, I use computational models of behavior (primarily reinforcement learning) and neuroimaging (primarily fMRI). My long term goal is to better define these disorders and develop and refine treatment approaches.

In my free time, I enjoy running, gardening, reading, and exploring new places.

Graduate Student: Natalya Slepneva

Natalya graduated from McGill University with a bachelor in cognitive science.

Lab Manager: Julia Borthwick

Julia graduated from Emory University with a bachelor in psychology.

Research Specialist: Jayati Maram

Jayati graduated from UVA in 2024 with a bachelor in biomedical engineering. Her research interests include using computational modeling to understand the neural mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders. Her long-term research goals are to improve translational medicine for clinical populations.

If Jayati could live in any cinematic universe, she would want to be in the SpongeBob SquarePants world. Jayati would be a regular at the Krusty Krab!

Undergraduate RA: Janvi Choksi

Janvi is a senior studying psychology and visual arts. In terms of research, Janvi is interested in clinical and developmental psychology, specifically how clinical disorders evolve as children develop cognitively.

If Janvi could be in any cinematic universe, she would like to be in the How to Train Your Dragon world.

Undergraduate RA: Joeli Luong

Joeli is a pre-PhD senior studying quantitative sciences on the psychology track and economics. She is interested in computational and game theoretical modeling, particularly in decision-making to understand how people navigate uncertainty. Specifically, Joeli aims to bridge cognitive and clinical psychology with health and international urban economics to explore the structural and behavioral factors shaping economic mobility and well-being.

If Joeli could live in any cinematic universe, she thinks she would either be in the Harry Potter or How to Train Your Dragon world.

Undergraduate RA: Srija Potluri

Srija is a premed senior studying neuroscience and behavioral biology. She is interested in neuroplasticity and how behavior is affected by both biological and environmental mechanisms, specifically how our emotions can be “wired” into our neural networks. In terms of neuroplasticity, Srija is intrigued by the concept in general but also its role in traumatic brain injury and rehabilitative medicine as well as a biological determinant for psychopathology.

If Srija could live in one cinematic universe, she would choose the DC comics because she used to read a lot of Batman comics and was really into the bat family superheroes!

Undergraduate RA: Sunny Xie

Sunny is sophomore studying psychology. Sunny is primarily interested in mental health research, especially the role of biological mechanisms in psychiatric disorders.

If Sunny could exist in any cinematic universe, she would jump into the Inside Out world because she would love to find out which emotions work together when she is making decisions and which emotions typically dominate her mind. Her favorite character from Inside Out is Embarrassment because of his warmth and eagerness to help his friends.

Undergraduate RA: Amy Lu