Eitan Schechtman
eitans@uci.edu

Eitan completed a BA in Psychology and an MSc and PhD in Neural Computation, all at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He then completed his postdoc at Northwestern University. Eitan is passionate about understanding the neural underpinnings of human cognition, and specifically the manner in which the sleeping brain supports cognitive function. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time with his husband and two kids, hiking, reading, and listening to music. His passions include LGBTQ+ advocacy and scientific outreach, especially with school-aged kids..

CV ● BlueSky ● Google Scholar ● Namedrop

Matthew Cho
matthewcho9577@gmail.com

Matthew has graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S. in neurobiology. He joined the Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep Lab to learn more about reactivation of memories, and apply what he learned during his studies as an undergraduate. In the future, he hopes to join a PhD program and further a career in neuroscience. Outside of lab work, he enjoys tennis, weightlifting, and watching movies.

Sarvia Aquino
ssaquino@uci.edu

Sarvia graduated from the University of Southern California in 2017 with a B.S. in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and an M.S. in Neuroimaging and Informatics. Sarvia is passionate about understanding how memory is formed and kept especially for traumatic memories that affect systemic disenfranchised communities (eg. Immigrants, veterans, unhoused communities). In the future, she hopes to one day run a lab. She is excited to see where neuroscience takes her. Outside of lab work, she enjoys swimming, surfing, hiking, and spending time with her dogs. 

Neda Morakabati
nmorakab@uci.edu

Neda completed her B.S. in Psychology on the Neuroscience Track at UMass Amherst, and continued her pursuit of research at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA. Boston born and raised, Neda (and her service dog Arlo) has swapped coasts for the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program at UC Irvine, where she’s pursuing her PhD. Coming from a rodent and postmortem human tissue background, she will be rotating in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep Lab in the Spring to learn about the importance of sleep to our cognition. Outside of lab work, Neda enjoys playing video games, writing music, and exploring the area. Her passions include outreach to marginalized youth, and advocacy for inclusive and accessible learning environments. 

Gautam Narayan
narayag1@uci.edu

Gautam is a graduate student at UCI. He graduated from UC San Diego in June 2022 with a B.S. in neurobiology. Gautam is interested largely in learning about the potential for sleep manipulation to improve wellbeing in humans. He is interested in using the targeted reactivation of memory in sleep to better understand the role of context in memory consolidation. When not in the lab, Gautam really enjoys going to the beach, running, and being a part of the UCI club tennis team. 

Claire Illeck
cilleck@uci.edu

Claire earned her B.S. in Neurobiology from UC Irvine and is now a Ph.D. student in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program. She has past research experience in electrophysiology and neuropharmacology using rodent models, but has since transitioned to human neuroscience research, studying cognitive decline with MRI. She will be rotating in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep Lab, where she is excited to learn more about the role of sleep in cognition and memory consolidation, as well as the use of EEG. Outside of research, Claire enjoys reading, playing tennis, and spending time with her bunny, Mort. 

Ria Karve
rkkarve@uci.edu

Ria is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Cognitive Sciences, with a minor in Hearing and Speech Sciences – this is her first lab experience! She is passionate about understanding and addressing cognitive decline, especially through neurodegenerative mechanisms and their impacts on memory consolidation and overall brain health. After undergrad, she plans on obtaining her master’s and PsyD, to eventually become a neuropsychologist. Outside the lab, Ria is a part of SPOP, Active Minds, and ASUCI, and enjoys spending time with friends, playing the piano, and exploring cute cafes. 

Evelyn Le
evelyml2@uci.edu

Evelyn is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Human Biology. She is interested in learning about how targeted memory reactivation (TMR) works to improve memory consolidation during sleep. She is also curious if this technique can be applied to strengthen memory in older adults and facilitate faster learning in children. She aspires to attend medical school post-graduation. Outside of the lab, she enjoys volunteering, going to the movie theater, listening to music, swimming, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. 

Nicholas Lew
njlew@uci.edu

Nick is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Biological Sciences. This is his first lab opportunity and he is looking forward to working and learning with the Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep Lab! He is specifically interested in memory manipulation of memory, especially the deterioration of memories and applying them towards PTSD. In the future, Nick hopes to attend medical school. Outside of the lab, he enjoys going to the beach, lifting, and reading, and watching anime. 

Maya Pourreza
mpourrez@uci.edu

Maya is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Psychological Science. She is interested in learning about how emotion and memory can be affected with certain sleep cues along with what neural processes control emotions. This is her first experience in a lab and she is very excited to learn the ropes. Maya plans to go to graduate school and earn her PsyD. Outside the lab, she loves reading, music, the beach, movies and spending quality time with her friends and family. 

Charli Taylor
charlmt1@uci.edu

Charli is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Public Health Sciences. She is interested in using her experience working in EEG and brain dysfunction (e.g. Epilepsy, Anoxic Brain Injury, Sleep Apnea) to examine how healthy brains function. Before joining the Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep Lab, she conducted research in Antibiotic Resistance and Microbial pathogenesis. Outside the lab, she loves reading sci-fi and horror books and plays lots of games online with friends and family. 

Tiffini Tran
tiffinit@uci.edu

Tiffini is an undergraduate student at UCI double-majoring in Informatics and Cognitive Science. She is very excited to begin her first research opportunity at the Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep lab! She is passionate about uncovering the neural mechanisms behind human cognition, specifically how sleep supports and enhances cognitive function. She is particularly interested in exploring the role of dreams in emotional-processing and memory consolidation. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with friends, playing video games, trying new restaurants, going on walks, cafe-hopping, and sleeping in. 

Fiona Yao
flyao@uci.edu

Fiona is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Biological Sciences with the intent of concentrating in Human Biology. She is interested in learning how memory reactivation works during sleep, with an interest in the context of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or people with traumatic experiences such as refugees or prisoners of war. She plans on attending medical school after undergrad. Outside of lab, Fiona is apart of the competitive tennis club and enjoys staying active and being outdoors in beautiful Orange County. 

Isabella Zago
izago@uci.edu

Isabella is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Biological Sciences with the intent of concentrating in Human Biology. This is her first experience working in a lab and she is interested in learning about the effects of different circadian states and how they influence sleep related memory. In the future, she plans on attending medical school. Outside of the lab, Bella enjoys playing soccer, painting, going to cafes, and listening to music.  

Carl Zhang
hansenz4@uci.edu

Carl is an undergraduate student at UCI majoring in Psychology and Biological Science. His interest lies within the manipulation of memory and the biological phenomenon that allows memory manipulation to happen. He is not only interested in the “why”, but also the “how” that is going on inside the brain. The brain is always changing, and Carl is especially intrigued by the amazing organ that is the brain. This is his first experience in joining a lab, and he is very excited to learn about more amazing concepts of memory with many other amazing people with the same interest as him. Outside of lab, Carl loves to play piano, hangout with friends and family, watch anime, and read manga.