Current Lab Members

Pascal Wallisch | Principal Investigator

Pascal currently serves as a Clinical Associate Professor of Data Science and Psychology. He did his undergraduate studies at the Free University of Berlin. He received his PhD at the University of Chicago in 2007 before doing a postdoc at NYU's Center for Neural Science.

Faculty profile

Huidi 'Judy' Yang | Lab Manager

Judy has a Master's degree in Psychology from NYU. She used to work as a research assistant at Educational Testing Service (ETS). Right now, she is catching up on many things she missed out on as a child.

I am a certified bartender in the state of New York.

Amy Goltermann

Amy is currently a master’s student in NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Science. She graduated in 2021 from NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Originally from Colorado, Amy came to New York in 2017 to attend NYU, where she fell in love with psychology and joined the Fox Lab in January 2021. Amy plans to continue her journey in the field by doing more research in the lab, and hopes to be a clinical psychologist.

Fun fact: I used to be a ballet dancer and I originally came to New York to train at the American Ballet Theatre's JKO School.

Ibrahim Sheikh

Ibrahim is a joint major in Data Science and Computer Science. He is a Pakistani student in the class of 2024. His current research project explores the relationship between racial openness and music preference. He believes music speaks louder than words and can reveal more about us than we are willing to tell. Outside of the lab, he loves sports especially Football (known as Soccer here).

I’ve been to highest border in the world

Tom Zhou

Tom Zhou is double majoring in Music Business at NYU Steinhardt and Data Science at NYU CAS. He is currently working on a DURF project about music recommendation algorithms with his friends. Also, he will be working on another DURF research project at Fox Lab during the coming Fall and Spring semesters. During the 2022 Summer, Tom worked as an intern at Warner Music Group. After graduation, Tom wants to be a data scientist in the music industry.

I'm a Drummer and I have a Rock band called White Ink. I also play the Guitar and sometimes write songs, mainly Jazz and R&B stuff. I play CS:GO a lot, and I'm a Faceit Lv10 player.

https://soundcloud.com/ziyue-zhou-97265645

Huizhen 'Kim' Jin

Kim is completing her BA in psychology and minoring in Data Science and French at the NYU CAS department. Future plan: go to graduate school and explore interests and career goals in literature, psychology, video games, and data.

Enthusiastic horror film lover since 7.

Xan Carey

Xan is a CAS sophomore planning to major in Language and Mind with a minor in Philosophy. In the future he hopes to write for a living, and really enjoys the process of world-building. He is interested in studying perception, and sees the Fox Lab as a great place to begin.

At the present moment, Xan does not believe that time moves.

If you ask me about Star Wars, have at least 2 hours of spare time.

Ghina Al Shdaifat

Ghina is currently a rising senior at NYU pursuing her B.A. in Data Science with a minor in Economics. Originally from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Ghina has always been curious about how we know what we know and what makes data our reality. By joining FOX Lab in the Spring 2023 semester, she has been specifically interested in exploring the concept of gullibility, and hopes to continue to do so during her time left at NYU.

I enjoy painting portraiture using oil and was initially going to go to art school to pursue a B.A. in Fine Arts!

Tanuj Sistla

Tanuj Sistla is a Computer Science and Mathematics major in NYU CAS, class of 2024. He plans to pursue his various interests in machine learning, math, music, and more as he explores the creative tech space in NYC, eventually pursuing a phD in a math-related subject.

My earliest memory is of me being attacked by a monkey at my grandmother's house.

Amalia Korniyenko

Amalia is a rising senior at NYU CAS majoring in Biology and minoring in Documentary. In the future, she hopes to combine her interests in healthcare, data science, and precision medicine, eventually pursuing medical school. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, playing chess, and photography.

I am currently three jumps away from getting my Skydiving A license!

Adam Pitner

Adam is a senior at CAS on the Pre-Med track majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chemistry. Adam joined Fox Lab after taking the Psychopathy course offered by Professor Wallisch and having fallen in love with studying neurodivergent personalities on a truly groundbreaking level. Though he has no idea where he's going to end up, the realm of the human mind has always been a fascinating topic and one that always draws him back, whether it's on the chemistry of the brain or the thoughts that go on inside it.

I love poetry and anything fantasy, and am planning on getting as many tattoos as possible while still hirable.

Ishita Patil

Ishita is currently in her last year at NYU Gallatin, where she has been studying topics in data science, technology ethics, the history of science, and artificial intelligence. Outside of the lab she enjoys freestyling recipes, boxing, and painting.

Fun Fact: I make a lot of my own jewelry!

Suha Memon

Suha is a senior at NYU CAS, joint majoring in Computer Science and Data Science. She joined the Fox Lab to leverage data analytics within a multidisciplinary framework, aiming for a deeper understanding of the world’s multifaceted nature. Her passion lies in moral decision-making AI, and she is committed to developing technology solutions that address complex problems to enhance productivity and ultimately benefit humankind. In her spare time, Suha enjoys weightlifting, hiking, and cooking!

I love reading and writing Urdu poetry!

Alexandra Przysucha

Alexandra is a rising senior and a joint major in Data Science and Computer Science. She intends to continue pursuing her interests in data science, languages, and medieval manuscripts in graduate school and in future projects. Outside of school, she enjoys playing volleyball, watching movies, and going to concerts.

My favorite movie is Casino Royale.

Anushay Anjum

Anushay is a CAS Sophomore planning to major in Computer Science with a minor in Genomics and Bioinformatics. She has a passion for adaptive neurotechnologies and in the future, she aspires to work on building technologies that facilitate communication for individuals experiencing locked-in syndrome and victims of strokes. When she isn't science-ing, she likes to cook, play the electric guitar, play video games and read.

Fun fact: I like to make really elaborate fantasy maps in my free time.

Mohammed Elreweny

Mohammed is a senior at CAS majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chemistry. He has a great interest in abnormal psychology, enjoying the study of unusual mental processes and behaviors. By joining Fox Lab, he hopes to expand his knowledge on cognition and data science. In his free time, Mohammed enjoys playing video games, learning about world history, and watching movies and shows.

I am most likely better than you at your favorite video game.

 
 

Lab Alumni

 

Sam Colman

Currently finishing up his undergraduate program, Sam has always been fascinated by learning "what makes people tick." Now, armed with knowledge from extensive studies in Sociology, Politics, and Computer Science (alongside his mainstay in Psychology), he is honing in on the areas in which he can have the most impact.

I've never lost a game of "Two Truths and a Lie". Come challenge the champ!

Star Fitzmaurice

Star Fitzmaurice is currently finishing her senior year as an undergraduate Psychology major with minors in French and Studio Art. She is currently interested in studying gullibility and hopes to eventually attend graduate school.

I like to crochet and knit clothing and accessories!

Liam Walsh

2021-23

Liam is a current undergraduate in the class of 2023 studying Computer Science and Economics at NYU CAS. He holds a strong passion for developing new ways to intuitively visualize data, and the ways machine learning can transform the user experience. Prior to working at the Fox Lab, he was an AI/ML Intern at JP Morgan Chase.

I recently acquired my scuba license and plan to utilize it relentlessly.

Alon Florentin

2020-22

Nascent entrepreneur, targeting the cog-sci space, with particular interest in psychedelics.

Currently trying to suck less at playing guitar

Daria Fomina

2019-22

Daria is double-majoring in Biology and Psychology at NYU CAS. She currently holds the position of the lab manager. Daria is hoping to pursue a career where she would be able to integrate her interests in video games, psychology, and biology.

I enjoy building computers, computer hardware, and troubleshooting any computer related issues

https://www.youtube.com/dashkinok

Stephen Spivack

2015-20

Stephen is a student in the Center for Data Science where he is pursuing a Master's in Data Science. His research involves

the use of statistical modeling and machine learning to better understand music preferences and music recommendation.

In his free time he enjoys drumming, deejaying, collecting vinyl records and working on audio electronics.

Jennifer Marina Perez

2021/22

Jennifer is a senior at the College of Arts and Sciences studying Psychology with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health studies. After graduating the spring of 2022, she will be pursuing her masters in Clinical Psychology, and is in the midst of the graduate school waiting game. Jen's dream is to become a clinical psychologist, and be able help those in her community understand their experiences. She also loves watching film as a treat.

I once got into a bar fight with Michael Keaton and the bartenders had to break it up.

Naud Veldhoen

2020-22

I make music (Boy Blue on Spotify) and I'm a fan of vintage t-shirts and fountain pens.

I've been to North Korea.

Teddy Bulajic

2020-22

Teddy is a Psychology major with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. In the Fox Lab, Teddy most recently co-authored a paper validating tools to screen for psychopathy and received funding for the study Seasonal Affective Disorder and Music Preference. Outside of the lab, Teddy loves learning about neurohacking, reading classic literature, and curating playlists.

Fun Facts: I listen to music (on average) 8hrs a day.

Jinge Ren

2020-22

Ren is double-majoring in Psychology and Data Science at NYU CAS. Before transferring into NYU, she was a student at ECNU in Shanghai and had spent two semesters as a visiting student at UC Berkeley. Her ongoing honors thesis in psychology is on the relationship between music appreciation and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). She plans to pursue a Ph.D in clinical or counseling psychology in the future. Her career goal is to be a clinical psychologist.

Morolayo Ayodele

2021/22

Morolayo is currently completing his BA in Psychology with a minor in sociology, at New York University. Prior to working in the Fox Lab he was a Marketing Intern at Biohaven Pharmaceuticals. In his spare time he enjoys writing, skateboarding, and practicing the piano.

I'm a certified scuba diver

Samantha Golden

2020-22

Sam is double-majoring in Psychology and Spanish at NYU CAS. She is currently working on her honors thesis about the recent feminist protests in Mexico City. After she graduates in May of 2022, she will be attending law school with the goal of defending the sex-based rights of women and girls.

In my free time, I enjoy writing, gaming, and reading feminist theory.

Nkiruka “Inki” Olivia Amu

2020-22

Hobbies: Inki enjoys Graphic Design and Reading.

Future Plans: Inki plans on going to Medical School and becoming a psychiatrist where she then hopes to practice integrative psychiatry, utilizing both conventional and complementary medicine remedies to treat psychiatric disorders.

I enjoy studying micro expressions and body language.

Jonah Zinn

2021/22

Middling but enthusiastic chess player, avid walker. Currently working and completing a DURF research project in NYU’s Fox Lab.

I am the lab’s top authority on memes

Kelly Qi

2021/22

Kelly is a senior double majoring in Piano Studies and Data Science and would go on to graduate school in the analytics fields. She is trying her best to link the two fields together - at school, she is completing her DURF project as a group in the Fox Lab linking music and data, but also she would be joining Universal Music Group this summer as a Data Science Intern. As a classical music performer, she has been praised for her musical interpretation and her rich sound palette - in the meantime, she has also been featured with the NYU Baroque Ensemble and various woodwind and string repertoires.

Claire Elise Berner

2021/22

Claire graduated with a B.A. with majors in Psychology and Sociology and minors in French and CAMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Studies) in December 2021. She is currently working remotely with the lab from Paris where she is living as an Aupair. She hopes to start her masters in Neuroscience in the fall and when she has time she enjoys reading and petting street cats.

Barbara A. Boirond

2020/21

Barbara has served in the U.S. Army since 2015. She earned her B.A. in psychology and a minor in chemistry from New York University. She is currently pursuing her master's in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health. She is interested in learning about Universal Health Care and primary health care researching its impact on improving health and health equity worldwide and understanding how to help communities strengthen their health care system or access to the most standard of care. After her master's degree, she planned on going to medical school.

Lastly, she co-founded and currently presides over a non-profit organization helping to reduce illiteracy in Low-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs).

I workout 2-hours daily. I play violin and I love classical jazz and blues more than Pop music.

https://fondationmariesolangeclerge.org

Victoria Tong

2020-22

Sagar Shah

2020/21

Sagar graduated with a B.S in Neural Science from New York University and he is interested in research on mindfulness, neuropsychological diseases and music. He is currently researching at the Mindful Education Lab to study effects of alpha neurofeedback on interoception and wellbeing, and has joined Mount Sinai to study the neural correlates of suicidal behavior in veterans.

He is a musician and loves playing gigs and open mics with his band.

Jennifer Freda

2020/21

Jennifer is pursuing her Masters at Pepperdine University through their Clinical Psychology program which focuses on Marriage & Family Counseling. She hopes to graduate and then obtain licensure in New York. She is currently a trainee therapist at Children's Institute in Los Angeles.

She desperately wants to move to Australia in the near future.

Amelia Karim

2020/21

I am currently a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Depression and Anxiety Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai focusing on research for Treatment Resistant Depression. I hope to pursuit a PhD in Clinical Psychology after my tenure at Mount Sinai. I am still living in the city with my two cats Lavender and Lilac.

Helena Julia Torres-Siclait

2020/21

Stephanie Devli

2020/21

Stephanie is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Psychology at NYU. She is the founder and CEO of The Happy Camp3r, a mental health fashion brand that has donated over $35,000 to organizations that support mental health. Through her brand, she strives to bring awareness and shine light on the resources available to all those that are struggling.

John Yaurimo

2020/21

Sahar Hafezi

2020/21

Currently working at the Addiction and Decision Neuroscience Lab at Rutgers University

Alexis Egazarian

2019/20

Alexis graduated with a B.S. degree from NYU in 2020, double majoring in Neural Science and Psychology. Her main research interests include psychopathology, drug addiction, and music. While at the Fox Lab, Alexis spearheaded a project analyzing vocalizations for potential overt symptoms of depression. Since the Fox Lab, she worked in a Translational Neuroscience lab at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center researching sleep deprivation and drug addiction, mainly cocaine and alcohol. She recently moved back to NYC and is now working at Columbia University in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain.

Pranav Lowe

2019/20

Shelby McClelland

2019/20

Andrea Poincot-Leopardi

2019/20

Dylan Tossavainen

2019/20

Dylan graduated with honors from NYU in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology. He currently serves as a United States Army Officer, but maintains his connection with Fox Lab. While in the lab, Dylan focused on the relationship between music and personality through the lense of social distance.

Garrett Ienner

2019/20

A guitarist from an early age, Garrett’s musical investigations have taken him all across the field. After completing a BA in composition and musicology at NYU, he worked as a recording artist and touring musician with bands such as Haerts and St. Lucia and scored national ad campaigns for brands including Jeep, Mercedes, and Hewlett Packard. Seeking a deeper understanding of why music is such a powerful aspect of human experience, he returned to NYU to pursue an MA in perceptual and cognitive psychology. On his first day he met Pascal and joined the Fox Lab where he researched participants’ emotional responses to music. Additionally, Garrett co-owns restaurants in NYC and Florida and spends most of his free time on farms, in nature, traveling, and in the kitchen. Naturally, all of these activities are filled with music.

I toured with Washed Out.

Caroline Myers

2017/18

Caroline is currently a Ph.D. student at Johns Hopkins University, where she is co-advised by Chaz Firestone and Justin Halberda in the Perception and Mind Lab, Vision and Cognition Lab, and Lab for Child Development. Her research uses visual psychophysics, eye movements, and computational modeling to understand the relationship between attention and experience. She credits the Fox lab with sparking her love of Matlab, which led to Python, which led to JS, which led to Ruby, which led to….

Mir Hwang

2017/18

Mir Hwang (CAS '19) is the Founder and CEO of GigFinesse. GigFinesse is a music tech start-up founded in New York City disrupting the live music industry by reinventing the way venues and artists connect. Our AI-powered platform, combined with our hands-on talent buying team, puts together shows that help our artists grow and our partnered venues thrive, night in and night out. Prior to founding GigFinesse, Mir was a touring session drummer studying Chemistry at NYU College of Arts and Science. He was always around fellow artists who were constantly searching for a more efficient way to book shows and venues looking for ways to streamline their booking procedure. After having felt the pain from both sides, Mir decided to put his medical school aspirations aside to start GigFinesse.

Warren Ersly

2017/18

Warren is a graduate of NYU CAS. During his time with the Fox Lab, Warren assisted on various projects and laboratory operations, including experimental design, programming, and scripting; music selection, acquisition, and organization; and various data analyses and explorations. In collaboration with Stephen Spivack and under the wise tutelage and guidance of the Fox, Warren co-presented his and the labs' work, "Music preferences are radically idiosyncratic yet internally consistent," via poster session at the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience in 2018.

Warren currently works as a software engineer, having engaged professionally in domains including finance, healthcare, and scientific computing. His favorite styles of music are rap, jazz, indie rock, and progressive metal.

Alexis Trakhtorchuk

2016/17

Megan Goddard

2016/17

Nicole Leal

2016/17

Ian Passman

2016-18

Nathaniel Spilka

2016-18

Lucy Cranmer

2015-19

Lucy attended NYU for the BA/MA dual degree program, and worked with the Fox Lab for much of that time, with a focus on psychopathy research. Since graduating, she has worked in forensic mental health at Riker's Island and in juvenile justice, and is currently the mental health coordinator of a residential facility for individuals found not guilty by reason of insanity. She is currently in the process of applying to doctoral programs in clinical forensic psychology, and spends most of her money and free time scuba diving.

Sara Philibotte

2015/16

Sara is a Senior Consultant specializing in Data Science at Booz Allen Hamilton, currently living in Washington DC. Her passion for working with data started in the Fox Lab, where she gained foundational research skills, helped establish the first lab cohort, and found her community of fellow music and science nerds within NYU. Originally from Colorado, she loves hiking, animals, and traveling, and grew up performing and listening to music. She has applied the skills she learned in the Fox Lab in every role she’s held, from writing Python code to analyze and visualize data insights to presenting original research work to company executives to inform business strategy.

Iman Thambi

2015/16

An early member of the Fox Lab, Iman completed her undergraduate honors thesis exploring the relationship between psychopathic traits and patterns of eye movements in partnership with Pascal Wallisch, along with great assistance from other lab members Nicole Leal & Stephanie Glass.

Since graduating from NYU with her BA in Psychology in 2016, Iman has gone on to a promising career in digital marketing and non-profit fundraising, using the data, research, and project management skills she developed as a member of the Fox Lab. Iman is currently the Integrated Marketing Strategist for Digital Fundraising & Supporter Engagement at a large NYC-based reproductive health care non-profit. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her partner and their two cats.

In her free time, she enjoys knitting, singing, vintage fashion, and all-in-all being pretty great.

Jake Whritner

2015/16

Jake earned his B.A. in Cinema Studies from New York University and his M.A. in Film from the University of Kent. During this time he worked with the Fox lab and collaborated with Dr. Wallisch on projects related to the appraisal and categorization of movies. After graduation, he spent a year as a Lab/Tech Assistant in the Cognitive and Data Science Lab at the University of Rutgers–Newark where he studied visual perception and natural scene statistics. Jake has recently earned his Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, working under the supervision of Dr. Alexander Huk to study 3D motion perception. His dissertation work focused on different binocular and monocular cues that we use to estimate the direction and speed of objects moving through depth.

Sage Zhou

2015/16

Sage (Yanli) is a Ph.D. student at the NYU Center for Data Science, working with Dr. Brenden Lake. Previously at NYU, she received her BA in Mathematics and Psychology in 2016 and an MS in Data Science in 2018. Before joining the Lake lab, she worked as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Wei Ji Ma at the Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology where she built probabilistic models of visual decision-making tasks. She is broadly interested in incorporating insights from cognitive science into building AI systems that can efficiently and flexibly learn.