Lab director
Rachel Wu, Ph.D.
Professor
Dr. Wu received two Bachelor’s degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, a Masters from University College London, and a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London. She also has a Fine Arts degree from Middlesex University. Dr. Wu’s research focuses on learning and attention to maximize cognitive agility from infancy to aging adulthood. In her free time, she paints, sculpts, plays the violin and piano, and sings. [CV]
Graduate students and graduate collaborators
Bethany Tavenner
Bethany graduated from Baylor University in 2019 with a BS degree in Neuroscience. She is interested in researching how people’s cognition changes as they age and the neural correlates of cognition using multi-modal imaging techniques. She is an advocate of reproducible and open-data scientific principles. In her spare time, Bethany enjoys spending time with family, being outside, woodworking, wheel-throwing pottery, and cuddling her cat.
Isadora Farias
Isadora graduated with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Public Health. Her research interests are learning in older adulthood to enhance cognitive aging and prevent decline, targeting ethnic minorities. In her spare time, she enjoys reading fiction books, taking walks in the sun, and watching live music.
Camryn Amundsen
Camryn graduated from CSU San Bernardino in 2024 with a BA in Psychology. Her research interests focus on understanding how motivation, particularly growth mindset, influences learning on both behavioral and neural levels, using EEG and complementary methodologies. In her free time, Camryn enjoys going to the gym, spending time with family, and trying new coffee shops.
Sarah Castro
Sarah graduated from UCR in 2023 with a B. A. in Psychology. Her research interests focus on utilizing intergenerational relationships to assist learning in adulthood, as well as developing community outreach programs to delay cognitive decline in underrepresented communities throughout the Inland Empire. She is also an advocate for first-generation college students and enjoys mentoring undergraduates. In her spare time, she also enjoys working out, spending time with her partner and cat, and making matcha.
Jo Corbett
Jo graduated from the University of Southern California in 2023 with a BA in Psychology. Their combined research experience in neurodevelopment and cognition led to their interest in studying brain-behavior relationships underlying cognition and learning across the human lifespan. In their down time, Jo enjoys knitting, tattooing, playing pool, and spending time with their loved ones.