Principal Investigator
I am an Associate Professor in the Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social program in the Psychology Department at USF. I use eye tracking, electroencephalography, and computational modeling to study how visual perception and prior experience lead to the activation of internal representations (e.g., word meanings) and execution of external actions (e.g., eye movements, explicit choices) when people comprehend/produce language, view objects/scenes, and make decisions. I love working with all the talented people on this page and I am proud that they have decided to join this lab!
Curriculum Vitae
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am a postdoctoral research scholar and graduated in 2024 with my Ph.D. in Psychology from USF. My research interests center around the interplay between linguistic processing and oculomotor control during natural reading. My research uses co-registration of simultaneously recorded EEG and eye tracking to investigate the interdependent nature of eye movement decisions, word recognition, and higher level language comprehension. I am also interested in the role of parafoveal processing and contextually-generated semantic and sub-lexical predictions in determining these brain-behavior relationships.
Curriculum Vitae
Graduate Students
I am a second-year PhD student in the Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Concentration at the University of South Florida. I graduated from Skidmore College, in Saratoga Springs, NY, as a Psychology major with minors in Education Studies and Music. I use eye tracking as a methodology to explore the cognitive processes that occur when individuals read written information. I am specifically interested in the connection between visual perception and phonological and orthographic processing. I am excited to grow my passion for psycholinguistic research in the EMaC lab!
I am currently a second-year PhD student in the Cognitive, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology program at USF. I graduated from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience. Broadly, I am interested in language processing and reading, currently utilizing eye-tracking as the methodology to explore related questions.
Lab Manager
I graduated from USF with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. In the future, I hope to continue my studies in graduate school to pursue a career in research. I am grateful to be a part of this lab!
Lab Tech
I am a recent graduate from USF with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. My fascination with the neuro-cognitive mechanisms in charge of language processing in the brain has led me to the EMaC lab, and I’m so excited to continue expanding my knowledge in the field of psycholinguistics! I plan to continue my studies in grad school, where I can continue to pursue research in cognition and neuroscience.
Undergraduate Honors & REU Students
I’m a third-year student at USF, majoring in psychology and information sciences. I am conducting my honors thesis in the lab and I am being supported by an NSF REU supplement. After undergrad, I’m planning on graduate school to continue surrounding myself in research environments. Cognitive psychology is super interesting to me, learning what’s behind human comprehension and processing is fascinating so I’m excited for the opportunity to do so with EMaC!
I am a senior undergraduate student at the University of South Florida, majoring in Computer Science. Exploring psychology, cognition, and neuroscience has deepened my excitement to use my skills to enhance research efficiency. Few things are more important, if any, than understanding how we process language, use our eyes, and make decisions. The shared passion within the EMaC team makes it a pleasure to contribute to advancing this field of research. Inspired by this experience, I plan to pursue postgraduate studies and continue contributing to future research.
Undergraduate/Post-baccalaureate Research Assistants
I am a junior at USF majoring in Computational and Applied Math with a concentration in Data Analytics and Business Intelligence. I enjoy learning about new things, and as it turns out, people! I plan to be a data scientist and pursue doctorate studies somewhere in the intersection between math, cognition, and computer science. Thrilled to be working with the incredible team at the EMaC Lab!
I am currently a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Sciences and minoring in Psychology. I plan to pursue post-graduate education to become a physician assistant. I’m really looking forward to contributing to the work being done at the EMaC lab and gaining hands-on research experience.
I am currently a junior at USF majoring in psychology. After graduation, I plan on continuing my education in grad school and hope to pursue a career in neuropsychology. I am absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to gain research experience and build new relationships within the EMaC lab!
I am a first-year master’s student in the Psychological Sciences program at USF St. Pete. I graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL with majors in Biology and Psychology. I am interested in language and its connection to cognitive processes. I’m hoping to pursue a career in research after graduating. I’m excited to gain more research experience and be a part of this lab!
I am a post-baccalaureate senior pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in health sciences, with the goal of attending graduate school next year. I have always been fascinated by how the eye serves as a gateway to the brain, and I’m excited to be a part of the many neuroscience breakthroughs happening today. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and contribute through the EMaC lab.
I am a junior majoring in psychology here at USF. After graduation, I hope to attend graduate school to further extend my career in research in psychology. I’m thrilled to be a part of this lab and can’t wait to gain more experience!
I am a first-year student at USF majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology. I hope to attend graduate school for experimental psychology. I am interested in all cognitive and neurological aspects of psychology. I am excited to be able to explore more about these topics and psychology research through this experience with the EMaC lab!
External Collaborators (co-PIs)
Dr. Brennan PayneLab Alumni
Postdoctoral Researchers: Frances Cooley (Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf Faculty Member)
Graduate Students: Martín Antúnez, Ansley Davis (University of Central Florida Postdoctoral Fellow), Mark Lowry (National Cancer Institute Postdoctoral Fellow), Sara Milligan (University of South Florida Postdoctoral Scholar), Jason Schmidt Avendaño, Andrea Tibbetts
Lab Managers: Neslihan Caliskan (also honors student), Emily Johnson (also honors student), Susan Rodriguez (University of South Florida Ph.D. program), Casey Stringer (also honors student)
Lab Techs: Ayah Elaboudi, Brain Nestor (Tufts University Medical School), Grace Sinclair (University of Central Florida Ph.D. program)
Honors Students: Alex Sciuto, Anna Marie Fennell (Columbia University Ed.M. program), Dimitri Brunelle (University of South Florida Ph.D./AuD Program), Hannah Thomas, Jamie Newland (University of Florida Ph.D. Program), Victoria Estevez
Research Assistants: Abigail Norris, Alena Johnson, Alexandra Carey, Alexis Wishart, Alyssa Thompson, Bekhzodbek Moydinboyev, Brooklyn Olesen, Caitlin Nethercoat, Cassandra DeGaetano, Courtney Clark, Daniel Alboukrek, Danielle Ferusi, Elene Nguyen, Eva Barton, Evita Garcia, Grayson Nobles, Hailey Stein, Hunter McGuire, Jade McNitt, Sara Mejia Castellón, Jasmine Rosenfield, Jillian Hansen, Jordan Houk, Julianna Kirschner, Kaitlin White, Kaitlyn Hennessy, Kaniz Angel, Karina Ortiz, Katie Pioszak, Kayla Idzior, Magdelin Lopez, Makayla Hodges, Marcellus Howell, Mei Sugawara, Melissa Pierre, Nicole Brown, Nigar Sadigzade, Nitya Thakkar, Rebecca Klarer, Rhea Mancha, Richard Rogers, Shivam Patel, Sierra Juncal, Tamara Kaiser, Vince Gyongyosi, Zoe Grossman
The EMaC Lab 