people
members | alumni | collaborators
lab members
Abhilasha Kumar, Ph.D. (she/her)
Principal Investigator | website | CV
Abhilasha is a computational cognitive scientist who is fascinated by how humans learn the meaning of words and communicate with each other. She enjoys teaching statistics, coding, and interdisciplinary classes on AI & cognition. Outside of work, Abhilasha likes to play board games and tennis, and try new recipes and restaurants in Portland!
Channing Hambric, Ph.D. (she/her)
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Channing is a cognitive psychologist who studies the dynamic interface between semantic memory and language. She is broadly interested in exploring how densely connected and multifaceted semantic representations are selected and evoked through everyday language use. Her recent work has explored the adaptive learning mechanisms thought to shape access to memory and words in different production contexts. Outside of the lab, Channing enjoys baking, reading fantasy novels, and painting.
Ethan Lam (he/him)
Lifson Family Summer Research Fellow | Rising Junior
Ethan is interested in exploring the mechanisms behind cognitive processes, and how they can be modeled through data analysis. Currently, he is working on the helping-behavior project, which explores the impact of variables such as incentives, communication, time-pressure, and group dynamics on cooperation. Outside of the lab, he loves to cook, exercise, watch movies, and spend time with friends and family.
Kyra Brown (she/her)
NSF Research Fellow | Rising Sophomore
Kyra is interested in discovering how an individual’s semantic network impacts their perception of their environment. She is currently working on the NSF project “Modeling Search within the Mental Lexicon,” which examines how mental search is influenced by idiosyncrasies in the lexicon through the development of individual level semantic representations. Outside of the lab she enjoys crafting, writing, and learning languages.
Anushka Elavia (she/her)
Summer Research Fellow | Rising Junior
Anushka is fascinated by the cognitive processes involved in how we search for and retrieve concepts from memory, particularly for their implications in understanding and treating cognitive disorders. This summer, she is excited to contribute to research that combines computational models and EEG data to better understand the neural dynamics behind semantic memory retrieval. Outside of the lab, she loves running, reading, volunteering, and spending time with friends and family.
student alumni
- Amanda Cooney – ’26 psychology major and computer science minor (NSF Research Fellow)
- Richard Lim – ’27 computer science and mathematics major (Gibbons Summer Research Fellow)
- William Warlick – ’24 computer science and philosophy major (Research Assistant)
- Mingi Kang – ’26 computer science and mathematics major (NSF Research Fellow)
- Stephanie Chun – ’24 neuroscience major and asian studies minor (Independent Study)
- Ulemj Munkhtur – ’26 computer science and economics major (Independent Study)
- Carrie Zou – ’24 psychology and economics major (Independent Study)
- Simon Thomas – ’25 physics and hispanic studies major (Research Assistant)
- Thomas Mazzuchi – ’23 psychology and mathematics major (Honors)
- Kavya Doraswamy – ’24 psychology and computer science major (Independent Study)
- Jon Sides – ’25 psychology and mathematics major (Independent Study)
- Nancy Xing – ’24 computer science major and psychology minor (Research Assistant)
- Reed Warburton – ’23 psychology and biology major (Independent Study)
collaborators
- David Balota, Washington University in St. Louis
- Simon De Deyne, University of Melbourne
- Ketika Garg Caltech
- Sudheendra Hangal, Stanford & Ashoka University
- Robert Hawkins, Stanford University
- Kevin Holmes, Reed College
- Michael Jones, Indiana University
- Geoff Maddox, Rhodes College
- Peter Millar, WashU
- Nancy B Lundin, The Ohio State University
- David Pisoni, Indiana University
- Michele Scaltritti, University of Padova
- Mark Steyvers, UC Irvine
- Allyson Rosen, Stanford University