Idil Baran received her B.S. in Psychology with minors in neuroscience and philosophy from UNC Chapel Hill. Her interests include psychopathology, coping, stress, and substance use research, with an emphasis on how coping may influence the relationship between anxiety/depression, stress, and substance use in youth and young adults. She aims to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Ani Bryce (she/her) is the Associate Clinical Research Coordinator for the Pathways to Adolescent Success Study. She graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University with a BA in Psychology. She is interested in adolescent psychopathology and development, and in improving adolescent mental health outcomes. In her role, Ani leads all PASS study procedures including clinical visits, participant recruitment and communication, staff training and supervision, and data organization. Outside of work, Ani loves to cook, meditate, and pet dogs.

Dr. David Garnica-Agudelo (he/him) completed a B.S. in Psychology and a M.S. in Neuroscience at the National University of Colombia. With a German Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship, he completed a Ph.D. in Systems Neuroscience at the University of Göttingen, Germany, under the supervision of Prof. Niels K. Focke.

David has experience designing cognitive experiments, performing statistical analyses, processing and analyzing EEG and fMRI data, and in functional connectivity calculations. Using neuroimaging techniques, he is interested in investigating connectivity patterns that characterize neurodevelopmental disorders, including pediatric epilepsies, learning disorders, and their comorbidities. He currently works on Prof. Aysenil Belger’s Pathways to Adolescent Success Study (PASS) and on Prof. Jessica R. Cohen’s ADHD-BrainMAP study.

Dan Kutuzov is the lab manager and IDDRC CTC research coordinator. When he is not ensuring the smooth operation of the lab facilities, you might find him riding his riding his beloved motorcycle, volunteering with various veteran organizations on the UNC campus, or preparing for medical school interviews.

Jasper Mark is a PhD student with a focus on applying neuroimaging-based biomarkers and neuromodulation to explore cognitive-motor control in clinical populations. He applies advanced signal processing techniques to both brain imaging and electrophysiology data to uncover the underlying factors that drive behavior. Outside of the lab, Jasper enjoys outdoor activities, writing pizza reviews, and cheering on the Tar Heels.

Earl McBride is a Research Assistant in the NIRL Lab, where he supports the STAARS study. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from UNC Chapel Hill. Earl is interested in the intersection of child development and psychopathology, particularly how emotional regulation and acute mental health challenges like stress and depression contribute to the onset of severe disorders such as psychosis and schizophrenia. Currently, his work involves conducting behavioral and physiological assessments with adolescents to explore how stress may influence the trajectory of anhedonia, a key symptom of various mental health conditions.

Alex, a recent Duke University graduate, designed his own major, “Mind Science: Neurocognitive Dynamics & Artificial Intelligence.” He gained research experience in the labs of Prof. Kafui Dzirasa and Prof. Ahmad Hariri, applying AI to neuroscience, and worked with Prof. Ingrid Daubechies on mathematical modeling in cognitive and computational neuroscience. Post-graduation, Alex continued collaborating with Prof. Daubechies, focusing on diffusion map embedding, manifold learning, and computational simulations of the visual and entorhinal cortices. His graduate school passion lies in using mathematical models and simulations to uncover the principles of neural function, particularly how the brain processes information through synapses and circuits.

Erika Allison is a sophomore from Upstate, NY majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Entrepreneurship. She worked with the PASS study last semester and is excited to be involved with both PASS and Pro-NET this upcoming semester. In her free time, Erika enjoys being with friends, finding new coffee shops, or playing pickleball. 

I am a sophomore here at UNC studying Neuroscience and Chemistry. I am working with PASS and Pro-NET and have a passion for addiction research.

Anjali is an undergraduate research assistant at the Belger Lab. She is double majoring in Neuroscience and English and Comparative Literature, with a minor in Medicine, Literature, and Culture. At the lab, she assists with participant visits for the ProNET and PASS studies and is completing her senior honors thesis using data from the CogNIT study. In her free time, she enjoys attending spin classes, folding origami, reading historical fiction novels, and playing with her German Shepherd, Maximus. 

Emma Chow is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Information Science (B.S.I.S) and Psychology (B.S). She is currently working on her honors thesis examining the impact of perceptual load and anxiety on executive function and patterns of connectivity during the emotional face interference task (EFIT).

Soliha Norbekova is from Uzbekistan and currently a senior Neuroscience B.S. major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is working on her honors thesis looking into the relationship between white matter microstructure and anxiety in adolescents.

Shreeya is an undergraduate research assistant studying Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Medicine, Literature, and Culture. Shreeya is interested in the intersection of art and neuroscience and is currently leading Art and The Brain Seminars, bringing together diverse professors, physicians, researchers, and students to spark innovative conversations and metaphors of neurological conditions. She also assists in ProNET and PASS studies and hopes to continue researching schizophrenia and anxiety. Along with her passion for health humanities, Shreeya continues to perform Indian Classical Dance on UNC Ek Taal and is interested in the application of art therapy and interventions.