Ivette Planell-Mendez

Postdoctoral Researcher

Ivette is a postdoctoral fellow in the ECCO lab interested in understanding the interplay between attention and affective processing at both neural and behavioral levels and how that relationship manifests in developing and neurodiverse populations, as well as in adulthood. Ivette earned her Master’s and PhD in neuroscience from the Princeton Neuroscience Institute advised by Dr. Sabine Kastner. Her dissertation explored attention during development using various techniques including behavior, eye-tracking, intracranial electrophysiology, and computational modeling. Ivette earned her Bachelor of Science in Applied & Engineering Physics from Cornell University.

 Graduate Students

Yumeng Ma

Yumeng is a graduate student in the Psychology Program concentrating on Cognitive and Computational Sciences. She is interested in using behavioral, neuroimaging and computational methods to study self-related processing and how it is associated with our well-being and mental health. She graduated from University College London with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience in 2023. At UCL, she worked with Dr. Jeremy Skipper studying the neurobiology of wellbeing using naturalistic fMRI dataset, focusing on its relationship with embodied and narrative self. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading and spending time in nature.

Katherine Soderberg

Katherine is a 5th year graduate student in the ECCO lab, currently completing her Clinical Psychology Internship at Weill-Cornell/New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She uses neuroimaging and computational approaches to investigate how humans understand others’ perspectives and emotions. As a student in the Clinical Science concentration, Katherine hopes to apply these insights across the spectrum of mental health to promote well-being. She graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience in 2019. At Yale, she worked in the labs of Dr. Jutta Joormann and Dr. Tyrone Cannon, contributing to research on depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Before coming to Emory, she worked with Dr. Karen Berman in the Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch at NIMH, studying social cognition in Williams syndrome. Outside of lab, she loves baking/cooking, reading, and going on bike rides. 

 Undergraduate Students

Allison Yuan

Allison is a second-year undergraduate on the pre-medical track, majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology with a minor in Economics. Her research interests focus on the neurobiology of emotions and mental health disorders, and she is particularly fascinated by the intersection of artificial intelligence and emotion. Currently, she is a clinical research intern at the Grady Trauma Project, where she studies stress responses in menopausal women. Outside of the lab, she enjoy spending time outdoors—whether running, swimming, or playing pickleball. She also loves traveling and finding the best coffee in Atlanta!

Grace Tao

Grace is a first-year undergraduate majoring in psychology. She is interested in the neurocognitive mechanisms of PTSD and affective disorders, and how they inform bottom-up psychotropic treatments for instances when conventional top-down psychosocial therapy is ineffective. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, baking macarons, watching true crime documentaries, and creating crazy pre-shower makeup looks!

Jinghao (Jason) Zhang

Jason is a sophomore at Emory double majoring in Psychology and Quantitative Sciences in the Linguistics Track. His research interests lie at the intersection of computational methods and mental health, especially how machine learning can help understand and predict emotional states and how artificial intelligence can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Outside the lab, Jason enjoys music (especially K-pop), singing karaoke, playing board games like mahjong, and exploring new places through travel.

Research Staff

Kierstin Riels

Kierstin is the Research Projects Manager in the ECCO Lab. In 2023, she earned her PhD in Psychology at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Andreas Keil, and in 2018, her B.S in Psychology from Ball State University. During this time her research focused on neural corelates of sensory attention and learning. After earning her PhD, Kierstin worked as the research coordinator for the GATAS Lab under the direction of Dr. James Fairbanks. Outside of the lab you can find her at DIY art/music shows, thrifting, or reading tarot.