Principle Investigator
Dr. Michael Thomas
Dr. Thomas has been at Colorado State University since the Fall of 2018. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside in 2005 and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State University in 2011. He completed his internship and post-doctoral training at University of California at San Diego. Prior to coming to CSU, he was a faculty member in the University of California-San Diego Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist with experience working in outpatient, inpatient, and forensic mental health centers for adults with serious mental illness. His research combines psychometric theory, cognitive modeling, and neuroimaging in the study of neurocognitive disorders such as dementia and schizophrenia. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division of Clinical Neuropsychology, as well as the APA Division of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods. For a list of recent publications see: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OlaO5Z8AAAAJ&hl=en.
PhD Students
Emily T. Sturm
Emily received her B.S. in Neuroscience with a concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at Colorado State University in December 2020. She is currently a first year student in the Cognitive Neuroscience PhD program at CSU. She has a passion for improving inclusivity in recruitment and is interested in brain imaging, motivation, and reward learning in participants with schizophrenia. In her free time, she loves craft beer and camping.
Jazmin Diaz
Jazmin is a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Neuroscience program at CSU. Her research interests include using neuroimaging techniques to examine how brain structures change during aging and investigating the life-course determinants that may protect brain health as people age. She is passionate about working with underrepresented populations to improve inclusivity in neuropsychological research. In her free time, she enjoys watching reality TV and visiting breweries.
Sierra Swenson
Sierra is a first year student in the Cognitive Neuroscience PhD program at CSU. Prior to attending CSU, she received her BASc in Psychology from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2024. Her passion for neuroscience stems from a desire to understand the inner workings of the brain. Sierra’s interests are centered in neuroimaging and neurostimulation to better understand neural connections.
Professional Staff
Anastasia Sares: Post-doc
Anastasia Sares earned her doctorate from McGill University, studying the neural underpinnings of stuttering through behaviour and fMRI. Her interests include sensorimotor integration, pitch/harmony perception, timing perception and synchronization, language and music in special populations, and music therapy. She is back at Colorado State University (her Alma Mater) to work in neuroimaging and psychosis. Anastasia is passionate about science communication, regularly writes articles for Brainpost, and is also a singer and a flautist.
ORCID : https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1440-2639
Maiele Mignard: Lab Manager
Maiele received her B.S. in Psychology at Colorado State University in Spring 2022. She is currently the lab manager of the Neurocognitive Measurement Lab. Within the context of cognitive functioning she is most interested in the domain of cognitive effort: what motivates individuals to put in effort, how rewards impact effort, and if effort changes across the lifespan or in different clinical groups. In the future, she aims to pursue research on cognitive effort in the context of workplace motivation in an Industrial/Organizational Psychology grad program. In her free time she likes to read, crochet, and go to breweries or backpacking with her dog and partner.
Haley Pyscher: Research Assistant
Haley is a Professional Research Assistant with the Colorado Neuroscience of Behavioral Health and Wellness Research Group at Anschutz Medical Campus. She collaborates with the Neurocognitive Measurement Lab on our project on adaptive cognitive testing and brain activity of participants with schizophrenia. She is originally from Seattle, WA and received her bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Western Washington University in 2021. She has also worked as a mental health counselor working with high risk youth with trauma, mental illness, and developmental disabilities. Outside of research she enjoying rock climbing, skiing, and growing bonsai trees.
Kenyon Perkins: Research Assistant
Kenyon is a senior majoring in neuroscience with a concentration in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience at Colorado State University. Her research interests primarily include learning, memory, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. She is also fascinated by epigenetics, and how factors in the environment such as stress and recreational drugs can induce various behavioral phenotypes such as mood disorders and addiction. Other lab experience includes one that investigated the effects that cannabis has on anxiety, and another on motivation and attention with reference to addiction. In her free time, she enjoys creating digital art, rock climbing, and spending time with her orange cat.
Volunteers & Undergraduate Research Assistants
Witlie Leslie
Witlie is a senior undergraduate student completing a double-major in neuroscience and data science at Colorado State University. She assists in the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation pilot study and is currently working to investigate coil placement consistency. She aims to strengthen her data analysis skillset with hands-on experience to bring into the workforce. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, cooking, and watching movies with her partner.
Anna Capels
Anna is a senior in Psychology with a minor in Applied Data Science at Colorado State University. Her research interests are Neuropsychology (specifically schizophrenia) and other aging health-related cognitive issues (such as dementia). In the future, she aims to obtain a PhD in clinical psychology. Outside of school, Anna enjoys being outside, skiing, reading, and hanging out with her loved ones.
Jolie Fasullo
Jolie is a second year at CSU and studying Psychology with a concentration in Mind, Brain and Behavior and hopes to get a minor in BioMed. She plans to go to grad school in hopes of getting a PhD to pursue research. Her research interests are broad but she wants to go into something involving hands-on lab work and helping the public. In her free time she enjoys going outside, reading books and hanging out with her animals, friends and family.
Tayler Wilcken
Tayler is currently a junior majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Mind, Brain and Behavior. While working as a research assistant in this lab, Tayler is also an RA in the Dabertrand Lab at CU Anschutz. After graduation, Tayler plans to apply to graduate school in hopes of eventually obtaining a PhD. Her research interests vary extensively, but include neuroimaging, neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury, aging, and various other areas of study. Outside of the lab, Tayler loves to travel and tries to spend as much time in Europe as possible.
Nichole Hiryak
Nichole is a senior completing a double-major in psychology and biological sciences with a concentration in pre-health at Colorado State University. She is interested in cognition throughout the lifespan and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Nichole wants to eventually get into grad school to continue research and pursue a career in clinical neuropsychology. Outside of academics, Nichole enjoys hiking, reading, and has recently taken up crochet.
Rafaella Workman
Rafaella is a senior undergraduate student in the Psychology program with great interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, neurodegenerative disease, and the cognitive-behavioral implications of traumatic brain injuries. She has spent her time at Colorado State University gaining hands-on experience with data analysis software, psychological task programming, neurocognitve measurement methods, and other research-based tools to broaden her framework of knowledge in the realms of psychology and neuroscience. In the lab, Rafaella is involved in the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation pilot project. In the coming years, she hopes to enter a clinical neuropsychology graduate program and begin working in healthcare.
Alix Walter
Alix received a B.S. in Neuroscience at Colorado State University in Spring 2024. During undergraduate studies, they found an interest in the therapeutic prospects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. They are excited to provide support to ongoing research in rTMS, and learn more to decide a direction for graduate schooling. Other major research interests include borderline personality disorder and increasing accessibility to mental health care and resources. Alix also plays multiple instruments and enjoys running.
