People

Lab Director

Kendra Seaman
she/her

Dr. Seaman completed her BA in psychology and biology at the University of Kansas before joining Teach For America. After teaching in Oakland, CA and Washington, DC, she completed a Master’s and PhD at The Catholic University of America. She completed a postdoc in the Motivated Cognition and Aging Brain Lab with Gregory Samanez-Larkin (at Yale and Duke Universities) before joining the faculty at UT Dallas.

Lab manager

Ariana Plummer
she/her

Ariana graduated from UT Dallas with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Cognitive Science. During her undergrad she was a research assistant for a psychology lab and a biomedical research lab. She plans to get a PhD in the cognitive neuroscience field. Ariana is interested in studying cognition, neural networks, emotions, and memory with hopes to contribute to older adult population research.

Galston Wong
he/him

Galston graduated from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore with a BA in Psychology and second major in Linguistics. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience at UT Dallas. Galston is interested in the cognitive and structural changes that occur during healthy aging, and the adaptive processes that follow with it. He is also interested in the study of cognitive engagement and preservation in older adults.

LuLu Eisenberg
she/her

LuLu graduated with a BS in Neuroscience from UT Austin as a Dean’s Honored Graduate. Directly after, she began pursuing her PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience at UT Dallas. LuLu is interested in understanding how our brains deceive us and ways to mitigate or circumvent the related effects. Specifically, through investigating cognitive biases and heuristics, human error and irrationality, and the difference between what is experienced and what can be measured. She is an avid proponent of scientific skepticism and a lover of fashion.

Graduate RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Tess Abdi
she/her

Social Co-Chair
Tess received her Bachelor’s of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania before entering the workforce for two years. After deciding to pivot to a field that has always interested her more, Tess is now a graduate student at UT Dallas pursuing her master’s in psychology. She is passionate about studying how social and emotional factors influence and impact decision making. She is thrilled to be a part of the Aging Well Lab.

Graduate RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Ahmed Mohamed
he/him

Ahmed earned his Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas before gaining hands-on experience in pathology and research. Now pursuing a master’s in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience at UT Dallas, he is eager to explore the intersection of cognition, decision-making, and neurophysiology at the Aging Well Lab and looks forward to contributing to scientific advancements in behavioral and cognitive sciences.

Graduate RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Sara Juneja
she/her

Sara received her BS in Industrial Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas and is now completing her MS in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience. Currently a healthcare intern and registered behavior technician, she plans to pursue a PhD and ultimately work in R&D. She is passionate about understanding how decision frameworks change as we get older, and is curious to see how these differences could apply to providing better care to adults with mental disorders. Sara is excited to join the Aging Well Lab to achieve this.

Graduate RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Joshua Meisenbacher
he/him

Joshua Meisenbacher earned his BS in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from Texas Woman’s University and is currently pursuing an MS in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas. His research interests include structural and functional cognition across the lifespan, with a particular focus on how metacognitive processes influence
behavior.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Laiba Khan
she/her

Laiba is a junior at UTD studying Healthcare Studies on the pre-medical track. She plans on pursuing medical school to become an interventional cardiologist. She is curious to learn about how people’s minds and brains evolve as they age.  She is thrilled to join the Aging Well Lab and offer my input on innovative ideas and notions.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Alina Ali
she/her

Alina is currently a sophomore majoring in neuroscience on the pre-med track. She plans to attend medical school after she graduates. She is excited to be a part of the Aging Well Lab and broaden her knowledge behind how aging affects the brain!

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Stephanie Joseph
she/her

Stephanie is a junior healthcare studies major at UTD on the pre-med track. She hopes to continue her studies at medical school after graduating undergrad. She is so excited to join the Aging Well Lab and learn more about how the mind changes and evolves while aging.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Tinbit Yoseph
she/her

Tinbit is a junior at UTD studying biology on the pre-med track. She hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in the field of obstetrics. She is very excited to be a part of the Aging Well Lab and learn about how aging affects the brain!

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Ji Yoon Heo
she/her

Ji Yoon is a transfer student from South Korea who transitioned from a career in engineering to psychology. With recent experience as a Registered Behavior Technician, she developed a strong interest in studying human behavior and improving the quality of people’s lives. Her studies in psychology and neuroscience have fueled her aspiration to become a psychologist and help others through science-based methods. She is excited to join the Aging Well Lab to explore the effects of aging in an era of increased human longevity.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Zi Anyiam
she/they

Zi is a junior psychology student at UTD with future ambitions of becoming a psychiatrist. They have been involved in substitute teaching elementary schoolers, volunteering at an adolescent homeless shelter, and interacting with elderly patients in a hospital setting. They are interested in studying the mechanisms of the brain and decision making over the lifespan. Zi is excited to contribute to the Aging Well Lab and learn as much as they can.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Jessica Frem
she/her

Jessica is a junior at UTD majoring in psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She is interested in cognitive neuroscience and clinical psychology and hopes to pursue a PhD in one of those fields. She is excited to be a member of the Aging Well Lab team and looks forward t0 contributing to their mission to conduct research that supports healthy aging.

rESEARCH ASSISTANT

Nicholas Gunter
he/him

Hello! I am a junior neuroscience major at UTD on the pre-med track! I plan to go into Psychiatry or Emergency Medicine!

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Emily Perkins
she/her

Emily is a Psychology major with a minor in Neuroscience, passionate about advancing scientific
research and contributing to meaningful discoveries. With a strong interest in pursuing a
research-focused career, Emily is excited to apply her analytical and teamwork skills to support
the mission of The Aging Well Lab. She looks forward to growing as a researcher while
collaborating with others to drive impactful work.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Tripura Kota
she/her

Tripura is a senior neuroscience major with a minor in criminology at UTD on the pre-med track. She plans to attend medical school after she graduates. She is very excited to be part of Aging Well Lab and understand more about the mind and contribute to the lab.

Lab manager

Shelby Leverett
Fall 2019-Summer 2021

Neuroscience Ph.D. student, Washington University in St. Louis

Lab Manager

Sharada Pillai
Fall 2021-Summer 2023

Lab manager

Israel Smitherman
Summer 2022-Summer 2024

PhD student, UT Dallas, Yoon Lab

Post-Docortal Researcher

Colleen Frank
Fall 2021-Summer 2025

Post-doc researcher, Washington University in St. Louis

Post-baccalaureate Researcher

Sera Gonzalez
Summer 2022-Summer 2025

Master’s Student, UT Southwestern

master’s student

Alejandro Perez
Summer 2020-Summer 2021

Master’s Student

India Blake
Fall 2021-Spring 2022

Clinical Psychology PsyD. student, William James College

Master’s Student

Harold Robinson
Fall 2021-Summer 2022

Master’s Student

Richard Klug
Spring 2023

Master’s student

Christopher “Dominic” Garza
Fall 2019-Fall 2023

Master’s student

Natalie Laguer Torres
Spring 2023-Fall 2024

Graduate student

Jared Isaac Cortez

Fall 2022-Summer 2024

Graduate student

Lauren Hsien Lilly

Spring 2022-Fall 2024

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Graham Waller
Fall 2020

Member of the Brain Computation Lab, UT El Paso

Research Assistant

Eduardo Betancourt
Spring 2020-Spring 2021

Research Assistant

Lilianna Pulay
Spring 2020-Spring 2021

Research Assistant

Susan Summerville
Spring 2020-Summer 2021

Research Assistant

Anjana Narayanan
Summer 2021-Spring 2022

Research Assistant

May Chinn
Spring 2021-Summer 2022

Counseling Psychology M.S. student, Texas Woman’s University

Research Assistant

Amelia Leslie
Summer 2020-Summer 2022

Research Assistant

Sejal Rahi
Summer 2021-Spring 2023 

Research Assistant

Aarif Fayyaz
Summer 2021-Spring 2023

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Nathan Nguyen
Fall 2022-Spring 2023

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Nikita Shrestha
Fall 2021-Spring 2023

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Soujanya Narahariseti
Fall 2022-Spring 2023

Research Assistant

Thomas Painter
Fall 2023

Lab Manager of the DSAN Lab, UT Dallas

Research Assistant

Kayla Nygaard
Spring 2023-Fall 2023 

Research Assistant

Sreeya Reddy
Spring 2022-Fall 2023

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Qamar Omari
Spring 2023-Fall 2023

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

De’Jiah Edwards
Spring 2023-Spring 2024

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Sumana Karnala
Summer 2023-Spring 2024

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Chinmay Maroju
Spring 2024

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Ishraj Bhandari
Spring 2023-Summer 2024

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Udaya Gyawali
Fall 2023-Summer 2024

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Cameron Boyd
Spring 2023-Summer 2024

Research assistant

Harini Chenchalavahi
Spring 2024-Fall 2024

Research assistant

Leora Hagi
Spring 2022-Spring 2025

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Junaid Rasool
Spring 2023-Spring 2025

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Hasan Sheikh
Summer 2023-Spring 2025

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Baqi Syed Abdul
Spring 2024-Spring 2025

Research assistant

Phillip George
Summer 2024-Spring 2025

Research assistant

Amelia Bradley
Fall 2024-Spring 2025

Research assistant

Michelle Beakley
Summer 2025