People

Jonathan Schooler

jonathan.schooler@psych.ucsb.edu

My lab’s research takes a “big picture” perspective in attempting to understand the nature of mental life, and in particular consciousness. Combining empirical, philosophical, and contemplative traditions, we address broad questions that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

James Elliott

James Elliott, Ph.D, is a cognitive neuroscientist with a background in behavioral, EEG, and fMRI methodologies. James has a keen interest in exploring how traditional meditation techniques can be used to help inform a scientific understanding of consciousness.

Madeleine Gross

madeleinegross@ucsb.edu

Madeleine studies the psychological basis of creative idea generation and insight. Using eye tracking technology, she also investigates how inter-individual differences in eye movement behavior may relate to dopamine-related cognition and personality traits, such as curiosity, schizotypy, and creativity.

Shivang Shelat

sshelat@ucsb.edu

Shivang studies visual cognition, mind-wandering, and thought. He also uses principles in attention neuroscience to better understand how humans interact with intelligent machines. He is co-advised by Barry Giesbrecht.

Anusha Garg

Anusha is currently a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she works with Dr. Jonathan Schooler. Anusha’s research investigates how people think, how those thoughts shape behavior, and how altering patterns of thought can foster meaningful behavior change.

Dharma Lewis

Dharma is a second-year PhD student interested in harnessing the power of metacognitive awareness and mindfulness in pedagogical interventions.

Joshua Ortega

Josh's research explores topics such as creativity, neuroaesthetics and well-being. He is especially interested in the way experiences with art and other ordinary creative activities can foster meaning in everyday life. 

Asa Young

Asa is a doctoral student in Dr. Jonathan Schooler’s META Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Psychological and Brain Sciences at UCSB and conducted research as the lab manager of META Lab and research assistant to Dr. Miguel Eckstein’s VIU lab. He is also the former Research Specialist for Neurofield Neurotherapy. Asa’s research concerns the origin and mechanisms of phenomenal consciousness within the complex dynamics of neural rhythms within and without the brain.

Nadezhda Barbashova

Nadu is interested in the ways that emotion and cognition shape each other. Humans are complex systems, continuously taking in several streams of information. Bodily changes, internal states, external signals, cognitive appraisals and our mental model of the world are integrated into a unified conscious experience. These streams of information can become more or less salient as our awareness shifts, and in extreme cases the integration can come apart. Nadu’s work seeks to illuminate the processes that support this integration.

Jacqueline McGuinness

jemcguinness@ucsb.edu

Jacqueline graduated from UCSB in 2025 with her B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences, and minor in philosophy. Her research explores the cognitive basis of human flourishing, with a focus on the study of creativity and insight problem-solving.

Michael Mrazek

mrazek@psych.ucsb.edu

Michael Mrazek is the co-founder of UCSB’s Center for Mindfulness & Human Potential and an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion & Behavioral Science at UTHealth Houston. He co-leads Finding Focus—an EdTech initiative to improve adolescents’ focus and mental health.

Elliott Ihm

elliott.ihm@psych.ucsb.edu

Elliott earned his BS in Psychology from Northern Illinois University in 2014. His research interests include peak experiences, neuroplasticity, affective neuroscience, and the nature of consciousness. Elliott can usually be found outside with a book, a bike, or a boat.

John Protzko

Protzko is an Assistant Professor at Central Connecticut State University, Director of the ASSUMPTION lab, and Associate Director of the Psychological Science Accelerator. He studies underlying assumptions of people, scientists, and society. This work is primarily in metascience, social psychology, and cognitive psychology.

Marilyn Schlitz

Dr. Schlitz is an acclaimed social scientist, award-winning author, and charismatic public speaker. She has conducted clinical, laboratory and field-based research into consciousness, human transformation, and healing. Marilyn has conducted basic science research on the power of the mind, including remote viewing, mind over matter, and distant intention and healing. More recently, her work focuses on individual and social transformation and healing, applying what she has learned from her basic research to major institutional sectors including science, healthcare, and education.

Alexis Clubb

Alexis is a PhD student at the University of California, Riverside, where she works with Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. Her research focuses on mind wandering, the day-to-day implications of attention allocation, and how increasing curiosity, especially in social situations, can improve well-being. She is collaborating with Dr. Schooler and Dr. Gross on their campus-wide culture of curiosity initiative. Outside of the lab, you can find her rock climbing, knitting, or camping in the woods.

Robert Bernstein

Robert Bernstein has an MS from UCSB Physics 1984 and a BS in Physics from MIT 1980. He is interested in the Hard Problem of Consciousness: How it is that we have phenomenal experience at all.

Tam Hunt

Tam Hunt is an Affiliate Guest in Psychology in the META Lab. His work focuses on the philosophy of mind, reconciliation of scientific and spiritual views of the world, and the interaction of mind and matter.

Alan Macy

Alan Macy is currently focusing on psychophysiology, emotional and motivational state measurements, magnetic resonance imaging and augmented/virtual reality implementations. His recent research and artistic efforts explore ideas of human nervous system extension and the associated impacts upon perception.  As an applied science artist, he specializes in the creation of cybernated art, interactive sculpture and environments. 

Gene Coleman

Gene Coleman is a composer, director and researcher for Neuro Music and Neuroaesthetics. He has presented his lecture "Music Mirrors Mind" at the Sage Center for the Study of the Mind, the Tokyo University of the Arts, Kunitachi Music College, The Scelsi Foundation (Rome), The Art Academy of L'Aquila, The Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, The University of Texas San Antonio and the Music Academy of Imola.

Mikey Siegel

Mikey Siegel is an engineer and entrepreneur whose work explores how technology can help us understand and support human connection, contemplative practice, and well-being. His current interests include interpersonal physiological synchrony, shared experiences in groups, and social biofeedback.

Marco Pinter

Marco Pinter’s work focuses on mental health through therapeutic creative arts, combining digital health, interactive technology, and creative expression. He is the founder and CEO of MindClay and holds a Ph.D. in Media Arts and Technology from UCSB.

Charlie McGuinness

I am a third-year Psychological and Brain Sciences major, minoring in linguistics with a speech and language disorder emphasis! I’m particularly interested in learning how the brain processes and produces language. At the META lab, I help out with research regarding the advantages and disadvantages of mind-wandering. Outside of academics, I love to roller skate, crochet, and swim!

Andra Vincze

Andra is a fourth-year undergraduate pursuing a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Applied Psychology. She is interested in the neural mechanisms behind emotional regulation and behavioral conditions in individuals with autism. Andra is assisting Nadezdha Barbashova with projects investigating the neural basis of emotions and how fear triggers memory. After graduation, Andra hopes to attend medical school and pursue pediatrics.

Andrea Macias

Andrea Macias is a fourth-year undergraduate Applied Mathematics major with a minor in Physics, with strong interests in data analysis, programming, and interdisciplinary research. As a research assistant in the META Lab, she works closely with Nadezhda Barbashova on data analysis and coding projects centered on moral emotion, emotional awareness, and consciousness. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in data analysis, applying quantitative methods to real-world problems in research or industry.

Stanton Nowinski

Stanton is a fourth year biopsychology and data science double major, currently working under Shivang Shelat. He is interested in studying attention across several different subfields, including how attentional capture can provoke task-unrelated thought, how lapses in attention can impair certain kinds of memory encoding, and the unique characteristics of visual attention.

Melina Zachou

Melina Zachou is a fourth-year, first-generation international undergraduate student from Greece at UCSB, majoring in Psychological & Brain Sciences with a minor in Applied Psychology. She currently works with Nadezhda Barbashova on projects examining moral emotion, emotional awareness, and consciousness, and also contributes to data analysis for ongoing studies. She is especially interested in hands-on research with human participants and hopes to pursue a future career as a clinical psychologist.

Kyla Becker

Kyla is a fourth-year Psychological & Brain Sciences and Music Studies double major assisting James Elliott in the lab. She is interested in the effects of therapeutic interventions (such as creativity and meditation) on attention and cognitive functioning, as well as the relationship between neural and physiological processes. In her free time, she enjoys singing in a few local music groups and spending time outside on a hike or at the beach.

Mitchell Sanders

Mitchell Sanders is a Research Assistant II and Study Coordinator working under Dr. James Elliott in the META Lab at UC Santa Barbara. His work in the META Lab spans study coordination, participant recruitment and assessment, mixed-methods research, and the investigation of attentional and experiential processes across contemplative and altered-state contexts. His research interests include mindfulness and meditation, attention, meaning-making, phenomenology, non ordinary cognitive and perceptual experiences, altered states of consciousness, and digital mental health.

Nicole Friedman

Nicole is a second-year Psychological & Brain Sciences major assisting Shivang Shelat in the lab. She is interested in mind-wandering, attention, and meta-awareness, particularly how attention shifts between the external world and our internal thoughts. She is currently assisting with research investigating attention contagion and mind-wandering, including how the attentional behavior of others can influence our own attention and thoughts. In her free time, she enjoys live music, fashion, and photography.

Sara Mansourian

Sara is a third-year Biopsychology major who is excited to be assisting James Elliott with the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication, a large-scale study exploring consciousness and anomalous cognition. As the project’s recruitment lead, she helps coordinate participant recruitment efforts and supports the research team. She is especially fascinated by the complexities of the human mind and enthusiastic about contributing to research that investigates questions beyond our current understanding.

Yan Chen

Yan is a third-year Psychology & Brain Sciences major with a minor in Applied Psychology. She is especially interested in understanding how cognitive processes are represented through neural connections and how different drugs can influence neural pathways and brain function. In the future, she hopes to pursue a graduate program in Cognitive Neuroscience and further explore the relationship between cognition, neural mechanisms, and behavior. Outside of academics, she is a huge cat lover and has three cats at home.

Ava Gardner

Ava is a second-year Biopsychology major interested in neuroscience and the relationship between the brain and behavior. She is particularly interested in metacognition, self-awareness, and how people perceive and interpret their own thoughts and experiences. At the META Lab, she is excited to gain research experience and assist James Elliott with the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication. In the future, Ava hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in healthcare.

Ava Besharati

Ava Besharati is a fourth-year Biopsychology undergraduate student at UCSB. She is interested in understanding the neural mechanisms that shape behavior and mental health, with a particular interest in neuroimaging. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school and is especially drawn to the intersection of neuroscience and surgery.

Kate Hamilton

Kate is a second-year Psychological & Brain Sciences and Economics double major who is currently a part of the META Lab. She is interested in the intersection of mind and behavior and enthusiastic about the research experience the lab provides. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and build a career centered on mental health and wellbeing.

Madeline Delana

Madeline is a fourth-year Biopsychology major with a strong interest in understanding the relationship between the brain and body and how our mental processes influence health and well-being. She is particularly interested in exploring the complexities of cognition and consciousness, and looks forward to assisting with the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication, to gain a deeper understanding of research surrounding anomalous cognition.

Isabelle Ong

Isabelle is a second year Psychological & Brain Sciences and English double major with a minor in Legal Humanities. She is currently on the recruitment team for the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication study with a focus on campus outreach. She is particularly interested in social relationships and emotional regulation.

Emma Wieder

Emma Wieder is a third year Psychological and Brain Sciences major with minors in Speech-Language Disorders and Applied Psychology. She is currently on the recruitment team for the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication study. She is particularly interested in consciousness, human perception, and altered states of awareness.

Solange Meserkhani

Solange is a fourth-year Psychology & Brain Sciences and English double major at UCSB. Her research interests lie in clinical neuroscience, particularly how cognitive and neural processes shape consciousness, perception, and subjective experience. As a research assistant in the META Lab, she will contribute to the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication project.

Celine Gharapetian

Celine is a third-year Psychological & Brain Sciences and Anthropology double major with an Applied Psychology minor at UCSB. Her research interests include cognition,  memory, and the ways psychological processes shape human behavior. She is currently on the recruitment team for the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication study.

Zhiyun Liao

Zhiyun Liao is a fourth-year student at UCSB, double majoring in Psychological & Brain Sciences and Biological Sciences with a minor in Applied Psychology. She is interested in how psychological processes shape human behavior in real-world settings. She is currently a member of the recruitment team for the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication study.

Astrid Murray

Astrid is a second-year Psychological and Brain Sciences major with a minor in English. She is broadly interested in neural function and the biological mechanisms that underlie cognition, memory, and behavior. She is especially intrigued by brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, and how these conditions affect cognitive processes.

Dylan Louie

Dylan is a third-year Biopsychology major interested in the intersection between neurobiology, cognitive processes, and mental health. In the META Lab, he assists James Elliot on various projects and serves as an undergraduate research lead for the Ganzfeld Multi-Laboratory Replication Study. As a lead for the study, he manages data collection training and quality control, coordinates scheduling, participant compensation, and supports recruitment outreach for the study.