What is your role in the lab? 

I’m a research assistant supporting MRI studies in the lab. Since joining two months ago, I’ve primarily been collecting structural and functional MRI data and running behavioral tasks with children who stutter. I’m also training to contribute to a new precision fMRI study that we’re just beginning under a new grant.

What excites you most about your work?

I’m especially excited to be part of the new precision fMRI study. I’ve been interested in this approach since my undergraduate years and see it as a promising direction in neuroimaging research. I’m glad our lab is adopting this individualized method of brain mapping, which I believe will give us a clearer picture of the neural basis of stuttering. I also find it incredibly meaningful and inspiring to work with the children in our studies—it's fascinating to observe each child's unique speech and behavioral characteristics up close.

What do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?

Outside of research, I enjoy exploring local cafés and cozy libraries where I can sit back and relax. I also love taking pictures of my ridiculously cute cat, Naru!

If you could learn one new skill overnight, what would you want it to be?

I’d like to strengthen my mathematical reasoning and intuition. I feel like having a solid grasp of the underlying math is important for analyzing neuroimaging data in a way that’s both logically rigorous and neurobiologically meaningful.

Besides the unknowns around stuttering, what’s another scientific mystery that you find interesting?

Outside of speech and language-related questions, I’m interested in the mechanisms behind individual differences in executive functions, like working memory and attention. I’m particularly curious about how these abilities might be shaped by experience, especially through education or training.