Why Neuroscience
This is a difficult question. I guess I have been fascinated with how people think since I was a kid, probably because I have family members with mental illness and developmental disabilities. This started as an interest in becoming an FBI agent part of the "behavioral analysis unit" to psychoanalyze criminals. In high school however, I realized I had more of a scientific brain than a law brain, and I learned that Neuroscience was something I could pursue.
Why The University of Rochester
It has a fantastic program with rotations allowing you to choose your lab, and the students/faculty are in tight knit groups that are very accepting. There are also several clubs and extracurriculars (PONs, BAC, NSDC etc.) that contribute to an enriching experience during your PhD that not only look very good on a resume, but are very rewarding at the end of the day.
Advice To Prospective Students
Do not choose your lab based on the science/funding, but the mentor.
Research Interests
Autism, language development (child --> aging), EEG, fMRI, ECoG
Learned Skills
EEG, fMRI, ECoG, coding in python and matlab, BIDs organization, cognitive assessments, mentoring students, behavior training for individuals with special needs, how to write a grant, how to write a paper, how to peer review, how to be self sufficient with your time in the lab, and more.
Current Research Projects
Language development in Autism using EEG and fMRI. Source localizing semantic comprehension using EEG and fMRI. Intercranial evidence of comprehending semantic errors.
What are you plans after you earn your PhD degree?
Already got it! Woot! I plan to stay at the U of R for ~2y to finish up my thesis work and publish on the other data I have collected. After that, I will potentially do another post doc elsewhere for ~1y. Beyond that, if I still enjoy this type of work, then Ill definitely be continuing the full academic route and looking for a faculty position at RIT, Vermont, Boston etc.
Living In Rochester
Everything. There are many parks, hills and scenery for my runs, while also plenty of things to do in the city. It is super hipster, with awesome things on every corner like a cereal bar (you can order flights of cereal), an arcade bar (swillburger), a swanky place to bowl with leather couches and marble tables (radio social) etc. There are great festivals (lilac, park ave, cornhill) and concert venues. I even like the weather. There is also amazing food in Rochester both in quality and variety. The best places in my opinion are Nosh and Shema.
Although not exactly important to me, when I first came here, someone told me that Rochester was the city that has the most breweries per square mile in the US, and this is a fact that I just love saying to people. However, all I can find is that we rank nationally as one of the cities with the most breweries per capita next to some very large cities. But, because Rochester is not very large relative to those other cities, the initial fact could still be true (https://www.foodandwine.com/beer/craft-beer/cities-most-craft-breweries).