UC Scholars (Summer 2020 Scholar)
2020 Summer Research Conference
McNair Program (2020 - 2021 Scholar)
I'm currently in two labs: one is a clinical research lab under Dr. Neal Swerdlow (through the Psychiatry Department) and a computational neuroscience lab under Professor Bradley Voytek (through the Cognitive Science Department). In Dr. Swerdlow's lab, we are looking at what neurophysiological biomarkers can indicate treatment sensitivity for patients with schizophrenia as well as examining what neurocognitive deficits exist for patients with schizophrenia. In Voytek's lab, I am on a project that compares the before-and-after effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), specifically looking at the neural oscillations (or brain waves), for patients with severe depression by using Python to analyze the electroencephalogram (EEG) data.
One of the reasons why I decided to go to UCSD was the immense opportunities offered here for research. It's one thing to be a consumer of knowledge as a student but it's another to be a producer and contributor of knowledge as a researcher/research assistant. I wanted to see what it was like to contribute to the field of my interest and actually see what I learn from class put into action. I got involved in my labs by exploring the biographies and research of the professors that I was interested in and emailed them to see if I would be a good fit in their lab.
After completing the McNair Program, I would love to get the experience of presenting at a national conference and eventually participate in the Psychology Honors program. For the future, I would like to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Neuropsychology and become a Clinical Neuropsychologist where I would like to continue my research journey and assess future patients' neurocognitive functioning.
Are you interested in undergraduate research and/or scholarship opportunities like this one? Contact UR to learn more.