Principle Investigator

The Translational Neuroimaging Lab at UCLA is directed by me, Dr. Nicole Petersen.

You can find my publications here. (This is my favorite project that I've done so far. If you want to read just one paper, that's the one I'd recommend.)

If you can't access a manuscript you'd like to read, drop me a note and I'd be happy to send a pdf.

A note on emails: I get a lot of emails from people who are looking for training (undergrad research; postdoc job; etc.) It is ok to reach out with these requests, but know that 

(1) these spots are very limited -- often nonexistent -- and 

(2) I have a very low threshold for eloquent and insincere rhetoric. I get a lot of emails that copypaste my own words/ideas back to me, or stretch to generate sophisticated insights into work that the writer does not have a background in. Reader, this is not a good look. It is also totally unnecessary. You can just say honestly why you're interested in the lab / work, and if you aren't honestly interested in it, save yourself the effort and don't write the email.

Current Appointment: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.

Education & Professional Training:

Funding*:

*Please contact me if you would like to see any of these grant proposals and/or summary statements. I would not have gotten any of them without similar resource sharing from colleagues who generously offered me their materials.

Selected Awards:

Postdocs

I am Dr. Tim Jordan, currently a Postdoctoral researcher in the Translational Neuroimaging Lab. My goals and interests are in developing and applying new and old neuroimaging methods in the clinical setting for patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatments. I’m also interested in eventually applying these methods to chronic pain and migraine patients. Additionally, to my passion in research, I pursue ways to spread science through different methods of outreach into the community and the internet.

Staff Research Associate

My name is Michael Apostol and I am a Staff Research Associate in the Translational Neuroimaging Lab. I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of San Diego, where I contributed to research in clinical, cognitive, and social psychology. I’m interested in pursuing a research career, and I’m currently exploring different research areas in clinical psychology and neuroscience before applying to graduate school. For fun, I enjoy trying new restaurants, playing tennis and ping pong, blogging about psychology, and spending time with my cat, Lexa. 

Undergraduate volunteers

My name is Anthony Sun, and I’m a third year psychobiology student at UCLA. Going forward, I’d like to apply for medical school and eventually become a physician. My hobbies include badminton, video games, and looking at things online that I’ll never buy. 

My name is Ishaa Diwakar. I’m a 3rd year Neuroscience student at UCLA. I’m very passionate about the brain and mental health, and I hope to eventually become a clinical psychologist. I also love to oil paint, go shopping, and listen to music (especially rock and metal). 

My name is Lauren Kim and I am a second-year neuroscience student at UCLA from San Diego. I love learning about the brain and am very passionate about treating substance use disorders and about mental health. Eventually, I hope to either apply to medical school or pursue research further. In my free time, I enjoy reading, gardening, and trying new coffee shops and restaurants. 



My name is Jason Liu, and I am a first-year computer science student at UCLA. I take joy in gaining a variety of knowledge to hone one skill of mine: problem-solving. I am very interested in learning about the human brain and how computational methods can help researchers study it. Outside academics, I love to listen to music, play sports, and see what's out there in the world. 


My name is Pranav Puranam, and I am a first year student studying Computer Science at UCLA. I am passionate about leveraging programming to solve societal problems, as well as trying things outside of my comfort zone. Outside of academics, I love playing the guitar and mountain biking.


Alumni

Graham Pilger: Chief of Staff at Adamo Biosciences