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Lab Director
I am an Assistant Professor of Movement Science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. I received my PhD in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University’s Taub Institute before coming to U-M.
My research focuses on utilizing cognitive neuroscience approaches to explore the effects of sports, mTBI, and aging on brain function. My background in cognitive neuroscience has inspired many of the theories and methods I use to study these populations, including, but not limited to: cognitive assessment, in-scanner cognitive task performance, linear modeling of changes in task-evoked brain activity, resting state and task-based functional connectivity analysis, and diffusion weighted imaging analysis.
Outside of the lab and the classroom, I love cooking, traveling, reading, swimming, watching football/Yankees baseball/UNC basketball/tennis, and trying to keep up with my two kids.
PhD Candidate
Julia is a PhD candidate in Movement Science at the University of Michigan. Her research uses MRI neuroimaging techniques to investigate how youth sport participation is associated with mental health, executive functioning, and neural processing, with a particular interest in understanding factors that contribute to variability in neurocognitive outcomes associated with sport participation. Originally from Hanover, Massachusetts, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Educational Neuroscience from The University of Alabama, a Master of Science in Neuroimaging and Informatics from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science in Movement Science from the University of Michigan. Roll Tide, Fight On, & Go Blue!!!
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Nour is a Junior from Dearborn Heights, MI, majoring in Movement Science. Her passion for sports medicine is closely tied to her interest in cognitive neuroscience, particularly in understanding how brain injuries impact cognitive function. After graduation, she plans to pursue an MD, with the goal of dedicating her career to providing specialized healthcare for children in the field of sports medicine.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Sri Koneru is a junior at the University of Michigan majoring in Neuroscience. She is interested in the impacts of sport-related concussions on cognition. Sri is on the pre-med track and hopes to pursue a career that integrates clinical care with research on brain injury and long-term neurological health.
Taryn O'Brien
Taryn O'Brien
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kara Vetter
Kara Vetter
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Maisy is a Sophomore from Grand Rapids, MI, studying Biology, Health and Society, and Spanish. She is passionate about sports medicine, with a special interest in preventing, diagnosing, and treating traumatic brain injuries in young athletes. After graduation, she hopes to pursue an MD and use her training to provide compassionate care for young people and their families.
Lab Alumni
Michaela Broadnax (currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Florida)
Brooke Essig (currently in PA school at the University of Iowa)
Brooke Lang (currently in medical school at UC Irvine School of Medicine)
Carlin Pendell (currently pursuing a PhD in Cognitive Psychology at CU-Boulder)
Riley Stipe (currently pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology at IU-Bloomington)
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