Undergrads
Wu Tsai Undergraduate Fellows
The Institute welcomed 12 Yale students with research projects focusing on psychology, neurobiology, computer science, and more.
Tran Doan, Computer Science, Benjamin Franklin College, 2025
Project: Human-Robot Hide-and-Seek
Advisor: Brian Scassellati
Sarah Feng, Neuroscience, Trumbull College, 2025
Project: Trauma resilience and multiple memory systems
Advisor: Elizabeth Goldfarb
Ernestine Giahyue, Neuroscience, Saybrook College, 2025
Project: Labeling the ensemble of neurons activated during stress and reward encoding using ArcTRAP
Advisor: Marina Picciotto
Eliana Peyton, Neuroscience, Trumbull College, 2026
Project: Molecular determinants of behavior patterns in an autism/BPD model rodent
Advisor: Elizabeth Jonas
Sean Piñón, Neuroscience, Saybrook College, 2024
Project: Investigating Glial-Vascular Transport Mechanisms across the Blood-Brain-Barrier
Advisor: Jaime Grutzendler
Aranyo Ray, Computer Science & Psychology, Saybrook College, 2025
Project: Social Learning of International Students in the United States
Advisor: Melissa Ferguson
Ariana Reichler, Cognitive Science, Trumbull College, 2024
Project: Affective Schema Learning and Early Experiences
Advisor: Dylan Gee
Nathalia Reis, Cognitive Science, Davenport College, 2024
Project: Functional Brain Networks Underlying Cognitive Inflexibility
Advisor: Jutta Joormann
Ben Scheve, History, Silliman College, 2024
Project: Environmental Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Suicidality
Advisor: Arielle Baskin-Sommers
Isabel Shi, MCDB, Benjamin Franklin College, 2026
Project: Study of Impaired Consciousness in a Mouse Model of Focal Temporal Lobe Seizures
Advisor: Hal Blumenfeld
Serina Wang, Undeclared, Saybrook College, 2026
Project: Reverse-engineering the brain: modeling neural dynamics of primate predator pursuit with novel recurrent neural network model
Advisor: Ilker Yildirim
Elizabeth Wu, Neuroscience, Saybrook College, 2024
Project: Dissecting visual distance estimation in Drosophila
Advisor: Damon Clark
The Institute welcomed 14 students from Yale College and beyond, studying psychology, computer engineering, cell biology, and more.
Callie Benson-Williams, Neuroscience, Yale College
The Role of Multicontextual Threat on Emotional and Cognitive Processing, Advisor - Arielle Baskin-Sommers
Doris Chen, Psychology, Yale College
Resting State of Executive Control Networks (DLPFC) Predict Development of Control of Hallucinations, Advisor - Albert Powers
Evan Gerritz, Computer Science, Yale College
The Role of Color in the Perception of Translucent Surfaces, Advisor - Steven Zucker
Dawood Ghauri, Computer Engineering, Iowa State University
Neuron Identification Using Convolutional Neural Networks for In-Vivo Two-Photon Calcium Imagery From Mice, Advisor - Liang Liang
Brianny Gonzalez, Psychology, Connecticut College
The Effects of Disruptive Behavior Disorders and Family Environment and Neighborhood Environment on Behavioral and Neural Indicators of Emotional Working Memory, Advisor - Arielle Baskin-Sommers
Gabriela Hernandez-Busot, Molecular Biology, University of Puerto Rico- Rio Piedras
Measuring Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Serum as a Biomarker of Cognition in Patients with Hallucinations and Clinical High Risk for Psychosis, Advisor - Albert Powers
Elisa Howard, Neuroscience, Yale College
Imaging Dynamics of the Actin-Spectrin Cytoskeleton of Regenerating Axons, Advisor - Stephen Strittmatter
Erick Lopez, Psychology, Yale College
Role of Subcortical Arousal Systems During Transient Changes in Attention, Advisor - Hal Blumenfeld
Amma Otchere, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale College
Investigating the Role of Acetylcholine in the Developing Mouse Cortex, Advisor - Michael Crair
Arianna Rodriguez-Rivera, Microbiology, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao
Multiple Cognitive and Neurobiological Mechanisms of Alcohol Processing, Advisor - Elizabeth Goldfarb
Sabrina Santos-De Leon, Cellular Molecular Biology, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Hierarchical Control and Memory Encoding, Advisor - Samuel McDougle
Gabriella Valdivieso-Calderon, Neuroscience, Amherst College
Investigating the Effects of Internal State on Foraging in Drosophila, Advisor - Michael Nitabach
Elaine Wijaya, Neuroscience, Yale College
The Influence of Acute Stress on Episodic Memory and Statistical Learning, Advisor - Elizabeth Goldfarb
Nathan Wu, Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale College
Investigating Perceptual Asymmetry Upon Time Reversal in Drosophila, Advisor - Damon Clark
To support undergraduate research as quickly as possible in the Institute's first year, we teamed up with Yale College to identify students that applied for a summer fellowship in areas of interest to WTI.
Zhangir Azerbayev
Project - Learning Metacognition for Artificial Visual Systems
Advisor - Julian Jara-Ettinger
Omar Chishti
Project - Investigating White Matter Connectivity in a Novel Brain Atlas
Advisor - Hitten Zaveri
Nanki Chugh
Project - Characterizing Innate Pattern Preferences in Drosphila, Advisor - Damon Clark
Michal Gerasimiuk
Project - Investigating the Performance Per Watt of Neuromorphic Computing Approaches in a Spike Sorting Pipeline for Implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces,
Advisor - Abhishek Bhattacharjee
Samira Glaeser-Khan
Project - Two-Photon Imaging in the Prefrontal Cortex to Reveal Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Norepinephrine Spread and Release, Advisor - Alfred Kaye
Jacques Morris
Project - Creating Real-Time Decoding Algorithms to Understand How Neural Activity Enables Complex Behaviors, Advisor - Ethan Meyers
George Mourgkos
Project - Investigating the Activation of Disease-Associated, Proangiogenic Astrocytes in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Advisor - Brian Hafler
Jenna Salameh
Project - VIP Interneuron Contributions to Perception in the Primary Visual Cortex, Advisor - Jess Cardin
Isabel Santiuste
Project - Effects of Early Life Adversity on Frontolimbic Circuitry, Advisor - Dylan Gee
Amy Shteyman
Project - Investigating the Role and Ability of Anti-Apoptotic Protein Bcl-xL to Modulate Memory and Cognition, Advisor - Elizabeth Jonas
Alice Zhang
Project - Determining Size and Stoichiometry of the TRPA1 CFS Mutant Protein Channel, Advisor - Candice Paulsen
Sophia Zhao
Project - Investigating the Developmental Trajectory of Inhibitory Synapses and Dendritic Spines in Cortical Pyramidal Neurons, Advisor - Michael Higley