I first encountered neuroscience at a young age when a family member underwent a temporal lobectomy to stop epileptic seizures originating in the hippocampus. This experience led me to discover a fascination with the human brain, and in particular the role that individual structures play in wider networks and higher-level cognitive processes. I pursued this fascination in my undergraduate studies at the University of Rochester, graduating with a dual-degree in Brain & Cognitive Sciences and Linguistics, with distinction, after receiving a National Merit Scholar Grant and qualifying for Dean’s List multiple semesters. During this time, I took the opportunity to explore my research interests beyond the classroom.
After working in clinical psychology and psychiatry laboratories and gaining a general research introduction, I found a lab that truly fit well with my research interests during my junior year. In the
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During my undergraduate career, I found that I enjoyed and performed best in seminar-style classes that encouraged collaborative learning, an emphasis of Columbia’s program. Furthermore, the program focuses heavily on research, which is important for my goals as an independent researcher. There are a number of faculty in the department who are particularly relevant to my desired course of study, including Drs. Lila Davachi, Daphna Shohamy, and Mariam Aly. These three researchers investigate various lines of research relating to memory and the hippocampus and my interests would intersect well with theirs. I am particularly interested in the human memory system and how environmental factors (stress, emotions, etc.) influence memory performance, as well as the moderating role of memory on other cognitive processes. I plan to apply and expand my experience with fMRI and eye-tracking measures while investigating these