PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Jan R. Wessel, Ph.D. 
Lab Director 

Jan is an Associate Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences (UI) and Neurology (UIHC), with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Engineering. He performed doctoral research at the former Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne (Germany) and postdoctoral research at UC San Diego.

Google Scholar | PubMed | Curriculum Vitae

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS

Yao Guan, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Scholar 

Yao received a B.S. in Applied Psychology from Southwest University in Chongqing (China) and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology & Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Florida.

 

 

Joshua R. Tatz, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Scholar 

Josh received a B.S. in Neuroscience from Drake University and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience from American University in Washington, D.C.

 

 

DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS

Darcy A. Diesburg (née Waller), B.A., B.Sc. 
Graduate Student (Psychological & Brain Sciences)

Darcy is a graduate student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department. She received B.A. and B.Sc. degrees from the University of Tulsa and was a Research Assistant at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research. Darcy is funded through the Behavioral & Biomedical Interface program.

 

Cheol Soh, B.A., M.Eng. 
Graduate Student (Psychological & Brain Sciences)

Cheol is a graduate student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department. He received a BA in Psychology and Master's degree in Brain and Cognitive Engineering from Korea University in Seoul.

 

 

Benjamin O. Rangel, B.Sc. 
Graduate Student (Neuroscience)

Ben  joined the lab full-time as a graduate student in 2018, after a lab rotation in his first year in the Neuroscience program. He received a B.Sc. in Biology from Southern Oregon University, where has was a McNair Scholar.

 

 

Yoojeong Choo, M.A. 
Graduate Student (Psychological & Brain Sciences)

Yoojeong is a graduate student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department. She received a B.A. and M.A. degrees in Cognitive Psychology from Yonsei University in Seoul.

 

 

Tobin Dykstra, B.Sc. 
Graduate Student Affiliate (Psychological & Brain Sciences)

Tobin is a graduate student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department. His primary advisor is Eliot Hazeltine. Tobin received a B.Sc. in Psychology from Michigan State University.

 

 

Ossama Abu-Halawa, B.A., M.Phil. 
Graduate Student (Biomedical Engineering)

Ossama is an MD/PhD graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering program and the Medical Scientist Training Program. Ossama received a BA in Biochemistry & Chemistry from Coe College, and an M.Phil degree in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University.

 

LABORATORY STAFF

Nathan R. Chalkley, B.Sc. 
Lab Manager 

Nathan is our lab manager. He graduated with distinction from The University of Iowa with a B.Sc. in Psychology.

 

 

Ryan A. Potter, B.S. 
Study Coordinator 

Ryan is our study coordinator for patient work and pharmaceutical experiments. He received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.

 

 

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Aarushi Dervesh 
Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Aarushi is a Neuroscience major and joined the lab in 2019.

 

 

 

Anna Kalan 
Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Anna is a Psychology major and joined the lab in 2019.

 

 

 

Emily Huber 
Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Emily is a Psychology major and joined the lab in 2020.

 

 

 

SUPPORT STAFF

Freddie 
Research Support 

Freddie supports Jan in his research. Like his supervisor, he enjoyes hiking in the snow, playing with dogs, wrestling, and eating things that he shouldn't.

 

 

Arlo & Dory 
Research Support 

Dory (top) and Arlo (bottom) are Darcy’s dissertation support team. They "assist" with her research projects by napping on empirical articles, introducing illegible text into experimental code, and interrupting Zoom meetings and presentations.

 

 

Aurora 
Research Support 

Aurora is majestic Malamute mix who excels in leadership capacities. She uses her howls to instruct her workplace companion Josh that her water bowl needs replenished and can also be heard commentating on other dogs' play at the local dog park (while seldom engaging in such behavior herself).

 

Ray 
Administrative Support 

Ray is a ray of sunshine in Nathan’s life. She’s a sour patch kid of a dog, when she’s outside she’s sour (just plain crazy), but when she’s inside she’s the sweetest dog in the world.

 

 

LAB ALUMNI (SELECTION)

Megan Hynd (2018-2020)
In the lab: Undergraduate RA, Honor's student, INI Fellow, ICRU Fellow
Afterwards: Post-Bac Researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Alec Mather (2017-2019)
In the lab: Undergraduate RA, Scientific Programmer, Honor's student, ICRU Fellow
Afterwards: Manager of Data Science at Sony.

Isabella Dutra (2016-2019)
In the lab: Undergraduate RA, ICRU Fellow, Honor's student
Afterwards: Graduate student at Northwestern.

Carly Ryder (2016-2018)
In the lab: Undergraduate RA
Afterwards: Graduate student at UNI.

Daniel Thayer (2016-2017)
In the lab: Undergraduate RA
Afterwards: Graduate student at UC Santa Barbara.