New! My digital platform to assess adaptability in complex environments. One platform. Three missions.
MY MISSION
I am dedicated to advancing scientific understanding while addressing critical social challenges. My work is driven by a threefold mission: First, deepen our understanding of adaptability in humans and AI agents, with a focus on how cognitive, affective, and social factors influence thinking and behavior (details in the next section below). Second, drive innovation in brain science by developing and applying cutting-edge technological tools. Third, translate discoveries into real-world solutions that enhance mental health care and improve lives. Through this mission, I aim to bridge gaps within the scientific community and create tangible applications that make a meaningful impact. ​
Social mission:​
1. Combat the stigma surrounding mental health conditions
2. Improve precision and ecological validity of current neurocognitive tests for co-occurring mood, anxiety, and neurodevelopmental disorders
3. Personalize and develop more effective treatments to address clinical impairments and enhance mental resilience
Technological mission:
1. Integrate computational models across multiple levels of analysis
2. Create holistic assessments that span cognitive, affective, and social domains
3. Translate research into practical tools that benefit clinical practice, daily life, and AI developments
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Flexible thinking and adaptive behavior are crucial not only for mental resilience but also for advancing artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Humans and even AI agents often grapple with a deep-seated need for agency, predictability, and control - especially in the face of uncertainty. However, the ability to release this need for control, whether in pursuit of goals or navigating social and unpredictable environments, is often just as critical as adapting to new challenges. This tension between holding on and letting go of uncontrollable factors highlights a fundamental struggle in both humans and AI agents. Why do we find it so difficult to relinquish control? How does this struggle shape our capacity to manage uncertainty and respond to novel challenges? And how does this mental resistance and rigidity contribute to mental health conditions, such as mood, anxiety, and neurodevelopmental (ADHD, autism) conditions?
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My research explores how humans and AI agents manage uncertainty across non-social and social contexts, focusing on the interplay between adaptability and the desire for controllability. Using computational models and neural networks, I build mechanistic accounts of how trade-offs are balanced between the need for adaptability and the motivation to control outcomes. I also investigate how different coping strategies can become rigid or dysfunctional, offering insights into pathways into and out of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD. To examine how these dynamics unfold across contexts and over time, I employ machine learning and cutting-edge engineered game environments to provide a comprehensive assessment of adaptability from neuroscientific, cognitive, and affective perspectives. Ultimately, I aim to uncover insights that can improve mental health interventions and enhance AI systems.
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​INTEGRATIVE APPROACH
The field of cognitive neuroscience and computational psychiatry is at a pivotal point, striving to create unified methodologies, theories, and models that translate into practical applications. Traditional research often isolates specific disorders, examining them within narrow biological or behavioral scopes. However, an integrated perspective is crucial for a nuanced understanding of the interplay between brain, mind, and behavior, and for advancing mental health care.
In response to this need, my work adopts a multidisciplinary approach. I blend insights from computational psychiatry, mathematical psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics. This synthesis allows me to explore the cognitive, motivational, and physiological underpinnings of individual thought processes, perceptions, and behaviors. My goal is to develop a comprehensive and integrative framework that enhances our understanding of essential mental processes and the intricate connections between the brain and behavior. This framework is designed to unravel the complexities of what we categorize as mental health conditions, offering a more profound and holistic perspective.
SHORT PROFILE
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Researcher in computational psychiatry and model-based neuroscience
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Bridging clinical neuroscience, mathematical psychology, and behavioral economics
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Skilled in integrative testing across cognitive and social-cognitive domains
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Proficient in combining EEG and eye-tracking with advanced modeling techniques and experiments
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Versatile in analyzing experimental data across clinical and non-clinical settings and across species
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Deep expertise in statistics (Bayesian & Frequentist), machine learning, and modeling across analytical levels
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Entrepreneurially inclined with a decade of industry experience in finance and consulting
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Self-driven first-generation academic and college student
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My unique combination of expertise in computational modeling, neuroscience, psychology, and game-theory economics, supplemented by clinical experience and industry-honed leadership and project management skills, positions me distinctively for spearheading innovative research in Cognitive Neuroscience and Computational Psychiatry. Throughout my graduate studies, I have effectively self-funded my research through multiple fellowships. My work has primarily focused on bridging gaps in neurocognitive testing for ADHD, where I have developed and piloted mechanistic tasks integrating physiological measures such as eye-tracking and EEG. This endeavor also involved the creation of custom hardware and software solutions. My research endeavors are evidenced by a robust publication record, underscoring my dedication to ADHD research alongside my postdoctoral responsibilities.
​In my postdoctoral role, I have applied my computational modeling expertise to multiple Conte Center grants focused on neurocognitive testing for depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Additionally, my work with intracranial recordings in Parkinson’s disease patients has significantly deepened my understanding of the basal ganglia's role in cognitive control. Overall, I have gained experience in various computational modeling approaches across multiple cognitive domains and from clinical and non-clinical datasets and across species.
As dedicated first-generation academic, I focus on theory-driven and model-based research with foundational and applied components. I am aspiring to a professorship where I can lead cross-disciplinary research teams. My program will bridge various academic fields and foster partnerships across different departments and institutions. It will also extend to collaborations with industry and societal stakeholders to translate research into practical solutions.
Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty
lies opportunity.
- Albert Einstein
MY SCIENTIFIC MINDSET
Interdisciplinary cooperation: I am a strong advocate of collaborations and interdisciplinary openness and tolerance. I appreciate the diversity each team member brings. I am eager to overcome barriers that sometimes arise because different research disciplines use different jargon and methods of data collection and analysis.
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Problem orientation: My mission and subsequent research questions are my motivating factors. I rely extensively on the literature and on collaborations to answer my research questions, and I build my methodological expertise around them. My pursuit of further knowledge and education has placed me in collaboration with many different scientists. For instance, I have worked with biostatistician Dr. Helena C. Kraemer, to combine computational model parameters with her moderator analysis strategy, which was specifically developed to determine which treatment will be optimally suited for which group of patients. I have also worked with Dr. Roger Ratcliff, an expert in diffusion decision modeling, to assess the effects of aging on cognitive flexibility, and how to improve neurocognitive testing for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). I also conducted research and gained knowledge in experimental and behavioral economics at the University of Zurich with Dr. Roberto Weber and Dr. Ernst Fehr.
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NEWS
January 2023
Grateful for the support by the prestigious postdoctoral fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation - finally we can start some translational and transdiagnostic research!
December 2022
I am thrilled to announce that I have been awarded the prestigious T32 Fellowship for Computational Psychiatry. What an honor - I am very grateful!
January 2021
Check out my radio interview with WOSU radio station on how computational psychiatry can help to understand attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - thank you for this great opportunity
December 2020
Press release of my latest publication in Psychological Bulletin (how can we improve neurocognitive testing using computational models?): Link
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