People

Faculty

YUKO MUNAKATA

  • Psychology, Center for Mind and Brain
Yuko Munakata is an elected fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association. Her work on child development has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1998, and has been published in top scientific journals and featured in The Atlantic, The Today Show, and Parents Magazine. Dr. Munakata co-edited two books on brain and cognitive development, and co-authored two editions of a textbook on computational cognitive neuroscience. She served as Associate Editor of Psychological Review, and has received awards for her research, teaching, and mentoring. She received her B.A. in Psychology and BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University. After earning her Ph.D. in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), she conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. She was an Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of Denver and Associate Professor and Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder before moving to UC Davis.

Project Scientist

JESSE NIEBAUM

  • Assistant Project Scientist
Jesse is interested in the development of cognitive control, especially when and how children and adults decide to exert cognitive control or avoid doing so. He is currently working on projects exploring whether children and adults pay attention to how difficult cognitive tasks are, how hard they are thinking, and whether being aware of difficulty and effort influences decisions about which cognitive tasks to take on. His other projects explore whether children and adults adapt problem-solving strategies to how much mental effort potential strategies require. He’s also a proponent of open science research practices, acting as an ambassador for the Center for Open Science (osf.io/q5bnp). Jesse has a B.A. in Literature from the University of Kansas and an M.A. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Colorado. He previously worked at the Building Blocks of Cognition Lab at the University of California-Berkeley and spent time as a visiting researcher in the Connected Minds Lab at the University of Amsterdam.

Graduate Student

RACHEL FOSTER

  • 3rd year, Psychology
Rachel joined the lab as a graduate student in 2022. Her research will investigate how children's developing cognitive and attentional control support learning in diverse contexts. Prior to joining the lab, Rachel completed her B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience at Brown University and a fellowship in Developmental Psychopathology and Social Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, where she studied executive function development in neurodiverse preschoolers. Outside of the lab, Rachel loves to be outdoors: hiking, biking or trying new water sports, and is excited to explore California!

TZU-CHING LIN

  • 2nd year, Psychology
Tzu-Ching joined the Cognition in Context Lab as a graduate student in 2023. She received her B.S. in Psychology from National Cheng Kung University, and was the Lab Manager at the National Taiwan Normal University where she studied the development of executive function across childhood through adolescence. Her research will study how children and adolescents’  executive functions develop across different contexts. Outside the lab, she enjoys listening to music, reading, and is excited to explore the U.S!

DIEGO PLACIDO

  • 5th year, Psychology
Diego studies the heterogeneity in neurocognitive functioning (i.e., components of executive functions) and associated phenotypic behaviors by incorporating a focus on the dynamic interplay with experiences, environmental influences, and genetic biases. He is using functional and structural MRI techniques to observe adaptations in brain development across the lifespan and plans to apply computational modeling approaches to further delve into the development of certain cognitive processes related to emotional and behavioral regulation. Prior to joining the lab, Diego graduated from Brandeis University in 2015. He then continued research at Brown University to study the development of executive functions and visual attention in children and adolescents. Currently, Diego is being co-advised by Drs. Yuko Munakata and Susan Rivera.Diego studies the heterogeneity in neurocognitive functioning (i.e., components of executive functions) and associated phenotypic behaviors by incorporating a focus on the dynamic interplay with experiences, environmental influences, and genetic biases. He is using functional and structural MRI techniques to observe adaptations in brain development across the lifespan and plans to apply computational modeling approaches to further delve into the development of certain cognitive processes related to emotional and behavioral regulation.  Prior to joining the lab, Diego graduated from Brandeis University in 2015. He then continued research at Brown University to study the development of executive functions and visual attention in children and adolescents. Currently, Diego is being co-advised by Drs. Yuko Munakata and Susan Rivera.

Lab Manager

ADRIEN WARD

Adrien graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's in Psychology in Spring 2023. He got his start in research as a Research Assistant in  Dr. Lindsay Bowman's BASC Lab. His research interests are in cognitive development and the way that development differs across individuals based on our unique culture and experience, as well as the interaction between neural mechanisms and behavior. In their free time, Adrien can be found reading, taking care of his plants, or drawing. 

Research Assistant

ISHIKA AGRAWAL

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (3rd year), Psychology
Ishika joined the lab in the winter of 2023 and is pursuing a Psychology (Biology emphasis) degree. Ishika is interested in the sociocultural effects on cognitive processes, as well as children’s psychological development. More specifically, she wants to gain more knowledge on babies’ self awareness and how they attach to their caregivers in different cultural contexts. She wants to attend graduate school for clinical psychology and hopefully work in hospital settings. Outside of her academic life, Ishika is a dedicated competitive hip hop dancer who loves watching TV shows and drinking boba.

ALEJANDRO FELIX MENDOZA

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (4th year), Psychology
Alejandro joined the lab in Summer 2023 and is currently in his fourth and final year as an undergraduate, pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. He is primarily interested in executive functioning and memory, but also likes to look into the field of cognitive development and how children learn to expand on their cognitive abilities. He plans to eventually get into graduate school and become an educational psychologist, wanting to specifically help high school students get the proper educational accommodations they need and deserve. He often spends his free time playing chess, reading, and trying out new foods.

MAKINZIE GASSER

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (3rd year), Psychology
Makinzie is currently working toward a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Education. Makinzie was intrigued by this lab because of her extensive experience working with children and hope to work with children in their future career. I am interested in personality development, cognitive development, and more. Makinzie also was inspired by her cognitive psychology coursework and is hoping to go to graduate school to study and eventually have a career with psychology and kids. In her free time she loves to crochet, watch movies, hang out with friends, read, and listen to music. 

NIKI H. KHALIGH

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (1st year), Cognitive Science ​
Niki joined the lab in Winter 2022 and is pursuing a degree in Cognitive Science with a Computational emphasis. She is also apart of the ASPIRE program. Niki is interested in the effects of socioeconomic disparities on children’s cognitive development and finding strategies to reduce such effects. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school to pursue a career as a physician. She hopes to provide care for the underserved and uninsured communities to increase health care accessibility. In her free time, she enjoys reading Persian poems, training her dog, and swimming.