Cognitive & Brain Science Students
MATTHEW JIMINEZ
Year: 6th Year Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Dr. Emily Elliott
Research Interests
Multimodal integration, music memory, and perception.
Education
B.A. in Psychology, University of California, Davis (2020)
Background
At UC Davis, Matthew worked in the Janata Lab studying music memory as a research
assistant.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys watching movies with his wife, walking his dog, and exploring foods from different
cultures.
ALEX LAWRIW
Year: 5th Year Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Cox
Research Interests
Understanding how the hippocampus and related subcortical regions represent semantic
information.
Education
B.S. in Psychology, University of Dayton (2018)
Background
Worked at Monarch Center for Autism, teaching children on the autism spectrum in one-on-one
settings
.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys exercising, spending time with friends, and playing video games.
RACHEL EVANS
Year: 5th Year Graduate Student
Advisor: Dr. McDonald
Research Interests
Second language acquisition, linguistic relativity, and the neural correlates of language
acquisition.
Education
B.A. in Psychology, University of Alabama (2021)
Background
As an undergraduate at the University of Alabama, Rachel completed an honors thesis
examining how mother-child interactions influence primary language acquisition in
toddlers. Her current master's research focuses on second language acquisition using
artificial language paradigms.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with friends.
CHLOE KINDELL
Year: Doctoral Student (since 2021)
Advisor: Brain and Memory Lab
Research Interests
Memory, cognitive neuroscience, eye tracking methodologies, and the neural processes
underlying memory.
Education
B.S. in Psychology, Florida Southern College (2019)
Minor in Studio Art
Background
Chloe joined the Brain and Memory Lab in 2021. Her research focuses on understanding
the cognitive and neural mechanisms of memory using eye tracking techniques. She is
broadly interested in how attention and memory processes can be studied through behavioral
and physiological measures.
Outside the Lab
An artist in her free time, Chloe enjoys science communication and illustration, combining
her interests in psychology and visual storytelling.
TOM TOMSHE
Year: 4th Year Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Dr. Beck
Research Interests
Visual memory, attention, and computational modeling.
Education
B.A. in Psychology, Louisiana Tech University (2020)
Background
As an undergraduate at Louisiana Tech University, Tom worked in Dr. Jane Jacob's EEG
Working Memory Lab. After graduating, he served as Lab Manager in Dr. David Osher's
Cognition and Brain Circuitry Laboratory at The Ohio State University from 2020 to
2022 before joining LSU as a doctoral student in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences
program.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys playing musical instruments, reading, playing video games, and writing.
PIPER BORDES
Year: 4th Year Graduate Student
Advisor: Dr. Katie Cherry
Research Interests
Post-disaster recovery, resilience, and healthy aging.
Education
B.A. in Psychology, Louisiana State University (2022)
Minor in Sociology
Background
As an undergraduate at LSU, Piper worked with Dr. Katie Cherry on research examining
age, emotion regulation, and cognition following the 2016 Louisiana Flood. Upon graduation,
she received the Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Award in recognition of her
research contributions. She now continues her work in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences
program, studying factors that promote resilience and successful aging following major
life events and disasters.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys spending time with friends, family, and pets, traveling, and drinking PJ's
Coffee.
LAUREN SCHIRO
Year: Graduate Student (since 2022)
Advisor: Dr. Emily Elliott
Research Interests
Cognitive control, working memory, attentional regulation, cognitive workload, and
human performance.
Education
B.S. in Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Purdue University (2022)
Background
Lauren joined the EARS Lab in 2022 after earning her undergraduate degree from Purdue
University. Her research examines cognitive control, working memory, and attentional
regulation, with a particular interest in how cognitive workload and task demands
influence cognition in applied human-performance settings.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys trying new restaurants, spending time with her cat, reading, listening to music,
and attending concerts.
JOANA MONTELONGO
Year: Doctoral Student (since 2023)
Advisor: Adult Development and Aging Lab
Research Interests
Healthy aging, episodic memory, working memory, and the pictorial superiority effect
in learning.
Education
B.A. in Psychology, California State University, Fullerton
M.A. in Psychology, California State University, Fullerton
Background
Joana joined the Adult Development and Aging Lab in 2023. Her research focuses on
memory and cognitive aging, with particular interests in episodic memory, working
memory, and how visual information can enhance learning and retention. Her work contributes
to a better understanding of cognitive processes that support healthy aging.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, dancing, and biking.
FAITH COLEMAN
Year: 2nd Year Graduate Student
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Cox
Research Interests
Memory, cognitive neuroscience, and brain function, with a broad interest in staying
informed about emerging topics across psychology.
Education
B.A. in Psychology, Millersville University
Background
As an undergraduate at Millersville University, Faith worked with Dr. Gallagher and
completed an honors thesis on synesthesia. She joined LSU's Cognitive and Brain Sciences
program as a doctoral student and is currently conducting research in Dr. Cox's lab.
Her interests center on understanding the brain and memory processes, as well as exploring
a wide range of topics within cognitive science.
KAYLA DIAZ
Year: 2nd Year Graduate Student
Advisor: Dr. Teairra Evans
Research Interests
Mental processing, working memory, cognitive aging, and the effects of Type 2 diabetes
on cognitive functioning in older African American adults.
Education
B.S. in Psychology, Austin Peay State University (2024)
Minor in Biology
Background
Kayla joined LSU's Cognitive and Brain Sciences program in 2024 and works under the
mentorship of Dr. Teairra Evans. Her research focuses on mental processing and age-related
changes in working memory, with particular interest in understanding cognitive outcomes
among older African American adults living with Type 2 diabetes.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys watching movies, spending time with friends, and going on hikes.
TARYN GREEN
Year: Graduate Student (since Fall 2024)
Advisor: Cognitive and Brain Sciences Program
Research Interests
Visual attention, memory, cognitive models of decision making, and the application
of mathematical and computational methods to cognitive psychology.
Education
B.A./B.S., Pennsylvania State University (2023)
Degree from the University of Leipzig (Germany)
Background
Taryn began her studies in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences program in Fall 2024.
Following her graduation from Penn State in 2023, she was awarded the prestigious
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) and the Future
Scholars Fellowship to support her graduate studies. Her research focuses on visual
attention, memory, and decision making, with a particular interest in using computational
and mathematical approaches to better understand cognition.
Outside the Lab
Taryn is passionate about the German language and speaks German fluently. She enjoys
exploring European art and culture and designed an art-based educational magnet game
for the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts in Germany.
MACKENZIE WILLIAMS
Year: Graduate Student (since Fall 2025)
Advisor: Brain and Memory Lab
Research Interests
Memory, language, cognitive neuroscience, semantic and pragmatic processing, and neurodegenerative
disorders.
Education
B.A. in Psychology, Centenary College of Louisiana
Background
Mackenzie joined the Brain and Memory Lab in Fall 2025. Her research focuses on the
cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying memory and language. Prior research has
examined semantic and pragmatic expectations as well as cognitive changes associated
with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Her work aims to further our understanding
of how memory and language processes are represented and affected across different
populations.
Outside the Lab
Enjoys reading, spending time in nature, and thrift shopping