People

Principal Investigator

Marc N. Coutanche (he/him; pronunciation) is an Associate Professor in Psychology, a Research Scientist in the Learning Research & Development Center, and Member of the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC). He completed his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, post-doctoral training at Yale University, and received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Oxford. He is the current Chair of the Cognitive Program.

e-mail: marc.coutanche@pitt.edu CV

Graduate Students

Amy Qi (she/her) is a PhD student in the Cognitive Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in Psychology with a minor in Applied Statistics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is interested in studying learning and memory with a focus on neuroimaging methods. Outside of lab, she enjoys watching anime, cooking, and occasionally some outdoor activities.

e-mail: xiq26@pitt.edu

Yuetong Bai (he/him) is a PhD student in the Cognitive Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. He graduated with a BS degree in Psychology and minored in Computer Science at Beijing Normal University. He received a MA degree in Computational Social Science at the University of Chicago before coming to Pittsburgh. He is interested in understanding how the brain processes information and forms memory. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games, cooking, and hiking.

e-mail: yuetong.bai@pitt.edu

Research Assistant

Medha Sharma (she/her) has recently completed her master's in computer science from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She did her bachelors in computer science as well from IIIT Hyderabad, India. Outside research she likes to play guitar and listen to music, read some books and watch a lot of tv shows and movies.

e-mail: mes628@pitt.edu

Lab Coordinator

Tatyana Olevich (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in Psychology with minors in Business and Film Studies. She is interested in the role of sleep in memory cognition and general language acquisition. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in research psychology and academia. Outside of the lab, she enjoys visiting museums and traveling.

e-mail: tvo1@pitt.edu

Undergraduates

Grace Lim (she/her) is a junior majoring in Studio Arts. She is interested in neuroimaging and cognitive psychology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys singing and painting in her studio. In the future, she expects to pursue a career in the medical field.

e-mail: grl33@pitt.edu

Sruthi Malineni (she/her) is a sophomore double majoring in Computer Science and Data Science with a minor in Neuroscience. She is interested in neuroimaging and computational neuroscience. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking and going on walks. In the future, she wants to attend graduate school and pursue a career either in tech or academia.

e-mail: scm106@pitt.edu

Maanya Laad (she/her) is a senior majoring in psychology. She is interested in clinical psychology and hopes to eventually pursue a career as a clinical psychologist. Outside of the lab she interested in music, reading and traveling.

e-mail: mal355@pitt.edu

Rohini Elora Das (she/her) is a freshman undergraduate student pursuing a dual concentration in Data Science and Cognitive Science. She is interested in researching advanced cognitive neuroscience tools that have the potential to revolutionize neurodegenerative research. She is also interested in enhancing current data-intensive AI systems by engineering human-like cognition that discovers structure from sparse data. Beyond her academic pursuits, Rohini enjoys oil painting, playing the piano and swimming.

email: rohini.elora@pitt.edu

Lab Alumni

Heather Bruett (she/her) was a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her Ph.D. in 2021. Before coming to Pitt, she graduated from The College of New Jersey. When not studying learning and memory, she was often found watching Gilmore Girls reruns and eating M&Ms.

Website: https://www.heatherbruett.com/
e-mail: heb52@pitt.edu

Brandon Carlos was a Post-Baccalaureate fellow in the Hot Metal Bridge Program at the University of Pittsburgh. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Syracuse University. He is interested in studying learning and memory. In his free time he enjoys long drives and working out. He is currently working with Dr. Benjamin Tamber-Rosenau in the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at the University of Houston.

e-mail: bjc89@pitt.edu

John Paulus (he/him) was the lab coordinator for the lab, and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Psychology with minors in Neuroscience and French. He is interested in understanding the underlying mechanisms of sleep and the neuroscience behind its effect on memory. In his spare time, John enjoys archery and martial arts.

e-mail: jdp71@pitt.edu

Essang Akpan (he/him) was the fMRI Data Analyst in the lab, and graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering. He is interested in utilizing brain imaging techniques to better study neuropsychiatry and cognitive science. Outside the lab he enjoys watching basketball, paint drying, and the latest Netflix series.

e-mail: eaa61@pitt.edu

Xueying (Caroline) Ren (she/her) was a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated with a Master of Science degree from City, University of London. She is interested in applying computational and quantitative approaches to study brain patterns. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and watching movies. Leonardo DiCaprio is her favorite actor.

e-mail: xur1@pitt.edu

Rae Buckser (they/them) was a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. They graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Purdue University before spending several years as a Research Associate in neuroimaging labs at Purdue and Pitt. Rae is interested in the neuroscience of learning and memory and the development of novel approaches for acquisition, analysis, and application of functional neuroimaging data. Outside the lab, they enjoy reading weird fiction and spending time with their cats, Mehitabel and Mae Borowski.

e-mail: buckser@pitt.edu

Juan Carlos Angel Rojas (he/him) was a Post-Baccalaureate fellow in the Hot Metal Bridge Program. He is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Waynesburg University. Juan Carlos is interested in cognitive psychology and the use of mathematics and computer science for its study. In his free time, he enjoys practicing martial arts and playing soccer.

e-mail: jua47@pitt.edu

Amy Padia (she/her) graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Neuroscience and a minor in Chemistry. She is interested in learning about the neural mechanisms associated with learning and memory. Outside of the lab, she enjoys ballroom dancing and making friends. Now, she is attending medical school.

e-mail: amp309@pitt.edu

Angela Griffo (she/her) was a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, also from the University of Pittsburgh.

Outside of research, she enjoys white water rafting, expanding her plant collection, and hanging out with her cat “Star.”

e-mail: ang157@pitt.edu

Griffin E. Koch (he/him) was a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. He graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in Psychology and German from the University of Pittsburgh, and was previously the Lab Coordinator. He is interested in studying learning and memory. When he is not in the lab, Griff can be found playing or coaching soccer, or taking a nap in his hammock.

Website: https://www.griffinkoch.com/
e-mail: gek21@pitt.edu

Undergraduate Alumni

Toyin Ayayi
Uma Balaji
Angeleah Carreras
Sharran Chakravorty
Manasa Chillarige
Zoe Cribbs
Jasmine Issa
Claire Kolhoff
Mariah Mascara

Adam Naroden
Amir Oueid
Alex Pang
Grace Qian
Paz Quiñones
Leslie Rajendran
Ashley Revels
Meaghan Rodgers
Amber Shergill
Travis Slopek

Abigail Swire
Andre Sydnor
Swathi Tata
Carlo Vignali
Dan Volpone
Aarya Wadke
Grace Waldow
Joanna Wang
Kelsey Wang

Adopted Animal

Learning studies of the lab often involve introducing participants to rarely known animals. The lab's adopted animal is ... the Shoebill! Learn more about the Shoebill here.