Principal Investigator
James Howard
Assistant Professor of Psychology
(781) 736-3252 | jameshoward@brandeis.edu | Lemberg Hall 88-104
Pronouns: he/him/his
Education: Ph.D. Neuroscience, Northwestern University
Graduate Students
Xiaolin Qiao
Psychology Ph.D. Candidate
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Xiaolin is studying the effect of mental imagery on learning and decision making and the underlying neural mechanisms.
Education: M.A. Psychology, Brandeis University; B.A. Psychology, City University of Hong Kong
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Jared Newell
Neuroscience Ph.D. Candidate
Pronouns: he/him/his
Jared is interested in understanding the role of the thalamus in decision making and learning by utilizing functional connectivity techniques. Prior to coming to Brandeis, Jared worked with zebrafish in a developmental neuroscience lab studying associative learning.
Education: B.S. Biology, Kansas State University
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Liam McMahon
Psychology Ph.D. Candidate
Pronouns: he/him/his
Liam is investigating the neural basis of cognition. His research combines functional neuroimaging with brain stimulation to study how the human brain represents abstract information.
Education: B.A. Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo
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Megan O’Connor
Psychology Ph.D. Candidate
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Megan is investigating the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying inference-based memory integration. She uses neuroimaging techniques to explore how large-scale functional networks support associative memory processes and how these networks can be modulated using non-invasive brain stimulation.
Education: M.S. Psychology, Boston University; B.S. Neuroscience, Stonehill College
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Kieran Holmes
Psychology Master’s Candidate
Pronouns: he/him/his
Kieran is interested in researching cognitive control. He is looking to investigate the effects of acute stress on goal-directed behavior and decision making.
Education: B.S. Psychological Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Undergraduate Students
Rhea Menon
Class of 2026
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Rhea is interested in studying neural mechanisms and progressions of neurodegenerative diseases.
Education: Pursuing B.S. in Neuroscience and Minor in Computer Science, Brandeis University
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Julia Minichiello
Class of 2027
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Julia is interested in neural plasticity, development, and selective attention.
Education: Pursuing B.S in Neuroscience, Brandeis University
Lab Alumni
Research Assistants
Lauren Wolters
Master’s Students
Shenghan Wang
Xukun Guo
Nicole Doherty
Undergraduate Students
Luci Liu
Annabelle Fitch
Joshua Silbersweig
Samara Glazer
Tarah Sleight
Sanjana Kumar
Rotation Students
Hannah Park
Teodora Markova
Claire Ciampa
Jason Le