Principal Investigator
Derek Isaacowitz, PhD
My research focuses on emotional processes in the context of aging: emotional experience, emotion regulation and emotion perception. I use a variety of tools, from eye tracking to experience sampling, to investigate these processes both in the lab and in everyday life.
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Blake Ebright, PhD
Blake Ebright is a postdoctoral researcher for the Lifespan Lab interested in using eye-tracking and VR to study emotion regulation. He earned his PhD in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan under the direction of Dr. Kai Cortina. His graduate work focused on the development of critical thinking in college students and classroom management tactics using mobile eye-tracking. Before pursuing graduate studies, Blake worked in developmental labs studying Black youth in educational contexts. He is an alumnus of the University of Michigan (BA ’16, MS ’17) where he conducted research on emotion and empathy.
Becca Polk, PhD
Becca Polk’s interests broadly include the neurobiological processes underlying socioemotional functioning across the lifespan. She received her BS in Psychology and Neuroscience at Indiana University and my PhD as a dual specialization student in Development Psychology and Behavioral/Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Florida. While her dissertation focused on the role of the oxytocin system (endogenous factors as well as exogenous administration) on brain and behavior for socioemotional functioning in aging, her current post-doctoral research investigates various hormonal biomarkers and physiological processes related to emotion regulation. In her free time she likes to bike around town, spend time in nature, and collect more houseplants than a single apartment should reasonably hold.
Graduate Students
Jasmine Moon
Jasmine is a first-year graduate student, and she’s broadly interested in aging, emotion, and cognition. Her undergraduate research experiences at the University of Rochester focused on studying mood, social connection, and quality of life in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders. After graduation, she worked as a research assistant at the Brain Injury Outcomes division in Johns Hopkins University, where she utilized different programming languages to monitor clinical trials investigating neurodegenerative disorders, pain management, and functional outcomes. Now, she plans to study age differences in emotion regulation and cognitive processes such as memory and attention. She enjoy spending her free time outdoors, whether it be exploring new coffee shops and farmer’s markets or reading in the park.
Research Technicians
Samantha Furey
Samantha is a recent graduate of Northeastern University, where she received a B.S. in Psychology. During her time there, she worked with the Network Science Institute’s CoMM Lab and the Language and Mind Lab on a variety of research projects broadly focused on cognitive psychology, online communities, and media studies, and she is very excited to now be working with the Lifespan Lab! Outside of the lab, she can normally be found reading, listening to music, and trying to find new bookstores!
Ceresa Munjak-Khoury
Ceresa is a recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where she received her BA in Cognitive Neuroscience. During her undergraduate career, she worked in Dr. Zachariah Reagh’s Complex Memory Lab. Her senior project with graduate student Savannah Born involved studying how memories are influenced by morality and priming. When she’s not in the lab, she enjoys birdwatching, playing the French horn, reading, and attempting to keep her house plants alive.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Ian Lee
Ian is a sophomore at WashU planning to major in Data Science with a second major in Cognitive Neuroscience through the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department. In his free time, he enjoys playing the violin and swimming.
Julia Sobel
Julia is a senior undergraduate at WashU majoring in Psychological & Brain Sciences. Her academic interests center around emotion regulation, serious mental illness (SMI), and grief. Prior to joining her current research lab, she gained valuable experience as a research assistant at the WashU Medical School, working with Dr. Natasha Marrus on a study focused on autism in Black toddlers in the St. Louis area. More recently, she volunteered as a research assistant on Dr. Ana Stefancic’s Suicide Prevention Project at Columbia University, which focuses on the LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities in the areas outside and within NYC. When she is not in the lab, Julia enjoys spending time with friends, playing lacrosse, and expanding her knowledge through her coursework.
Antoinette Manteau
Antoinette Manteau is a senior studying PNP (Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy) and History, with a minor in Architecture. Coming from the “LCC” (Language-Culture-Cognition) track of the PNP major, she is interested in the intersection of cultural anthropology and linguistics within the cognitive sciences. She has also conducted research in French archives for her history senior thesis. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis and spending time outdoors.
Eliza Lang
Eliza Lang is a junior at WashU double-majoring in psychology and Spanish. She’s new to the psychology field and super excited to explore her interests further via research in the Lifespan Lab. Outside of class and the lab, she enjoys yoga, board games, and live music.
Miranda Miller
Miranda is a junior at WashU majoring in Psychological and Brain Sciences and minoring in Children’s Studies. She’s interested in studying emotion regulation and well-being in aging adults. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, spending time with friends/family, and exploring St. Louis.
Rhea Wagh
Rhea a sophomore majoring in Psychology and Brain Sciences and minoring in Biology. She is on the pre-med track, and is interested in researching the intersections of biology and psychology, which is why she’s super excited to work on the Intermediate Physio Emotion Regulation (IPER) study. She enjoys spending time outside hiking, running, or playing IM sports (shout out to her soccer and futsal team). She has also recently been into cooking and would love to receive tips or recipe ideas.
Mao Nozaki
Mao is a sophomore undergraduate at WashU majoring in Biology and Psychological & Brain Sciences. Prior to joining the Lifespan Lab, she volunteered as a research assistant at the Das and Gelb Labs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she worked on a project focused on understanding disease pathogenesis using fruit fly models. When she is not in the lab, Mao enjoys playing chess, reading, and spending time with friends.
Tally Feingold
Tally is a sophomore undergraduate student at WashU studying Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology on the Language, Cognition, and Culture track with a secondary major in French. Her academic interests include emotional regulation and language acquisition. Outside of the lab, Tally enjoys learning new languages, reading, exploring coffee shops, and working out.
Kaia Roy
Kaia is a first-year undergraduate student at WashU planning on majoring in cognitive neuroscience. She has always been curious to gain a better understanding of the brain and in high school, worked in a lab studying sex-specific epigenetic differences in brain tumors at UCSD. She is supper excited and honored to be working in the lifespan lab this semester and can’t wait to help participate in such forefront research. She is incredibly passionate about community service, especially volunteering with younger children. In her free time, she also enjoys going for runs and reading fantasy novels.
Nadia Ahmed
Nadia is a first-year student at Washington University in St. Louis, pursuing a major in Computer Science + Business with a minor in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, playing lacrosse, and exploring the vibrant city of St. Louis