UCSF’s innovative, collaborative approach to patient care, research and education spans disciplines across the life sciences, making it a world leader in scientific discovery and its translation to improving health.
Pedro Pinheiro-Chagas, PhD, studies the neural architecture and dynamics of human intelligence, focusing on symbolic cognitive systems, such as mathematics and language. His research program aims at understanding how these systems develop and decline and how we can help.
Hannah graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a BS degree in Neuroscience. At USC, she was a research assistant at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute using histology techniques to visualize fluorescently labeled neural circuits. She also studied the effects of sex hormones on Alzheimer’s disease as a research assistant at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Hannah has experience performing immunohistochemistry, perfusion-fixation surgery, confocal microscopy, and imageJ analysis.
Stephanie was born and raised in Hong Kong. She attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cognitive Science and Linguistics. At the Memory and Aging Center, she coordinates visits for Chinese-speaking participants. She aims to pursue a graduate degree in speech language pathology in the near future.
Brittany is a data analyst assisting Dr. Jet Vonk in research on primary progressive aphasia and neurolinguistics. She received her Master of Science degree in health data science from the University of New Hampshire. Previously, she graduated from the University of Massachusetts with an undergraduate degree in psychology. Before transitioning to tech, she worked with at-risk youth, special needs and pre-k children.
Mónica Zegers is a postdoctoral scholar at the UCSF Dyslexia Center. She obtained a BA degree in Psychology and a professional degree in Clinical Psychology at Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile. She earned her MA and PhD degrees in Human Development and Education at UC Berkeley.
Janhavi Pillai is an imaging data assistant at the ALBA Lab. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA degree in Cognitive Science and a minor in Data Science. Janhavi has previously worked as a research assistant at the UCSF Kheirbek Lab, where she examined and compared the roles of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and ventral hippocampus in fear and anxiety behaviors.
Mariah L. Pospisil, MEd, is a lifelong educator and advocate for students with dyslexia. After receiving her AB degree in Psychology from Harvard College, Mariah earned her teaching credential and Master of Education as an Education Specialist, Mild/Moderate from Notre Dame de Namur University. As a teacher, instructional coach, and school leader, Mariah focused on implementing instructional and social-emotional interventions to support students with dyslexia throughout their K–12 educational journeys.
