Meet the Team

Principal Investigator

John D. Medaglia, PH.D. | E-mail | C.V. | Twitter

Dr. Medaglia is a tenured Associate Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Drexel University. He holds joint affiliations at the University of Pennsylvania as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation and is core faculty at the Brain Science, Translation, Innovation, and Modulation Center (BrainSTIM). He is also an Affiliated Scientist at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute. His Cognitive Neuroengineering and Wellbeing Laboratory (CogNeW) focuses on personalized cognitive neuroscience, neuromodulation, and neuroethics.

In 2015, Dr. Medaglia received the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award to study brain stimulation treatments for cognitive control in health and stroke. In 2019, he was named a "Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science and a Fellow of the Psychonomic Society, and in 2022 was honored with the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Early-Career Scholarly Achievement. Dr. Medaglia’s work has been funded by the NIH Office of the Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Medaglia grew up in the Philadelphia area and completed his undergraduate degree at Drexel University, where he was widely involved in extracurricular activities including Residential Life, diversity education, martial arts, and ballroom dance. He enjoys disc golf, birding, board games, and dancing with his wife.

Staff

Brian Erickson, PH.D. | RESEARCH ASSt. PRofessor | E-mail | C.V.

Dr. Erickson received his PhD in cognitive science from Drexel University in 2017, coming from a background in bioengineering. Brian specializes in the combination of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) into high temporal-precision closed-loop systems to explore and enhance attention, motor, and other human cognitive functions. Brian has made core contributions to grantwork leading to NIH R01 funding for the development of novel EEG technology. He has expertise in machine learning, statistical parametric mapping and network neuroscience approaches. He has published in diverse cognitive domains including creativity and the connectomics of aphasia.

Apoorva Kelkar, M.S. | Research Scientist | E-mail

Apoorva’s research interests lie in understanding brain connectivity and brain plasticity in neurodegenerative disorders in order to develop new neurorehabilitation techniques. Apoorva is interested in employing the tools of network control theory, functional and diffusion MRI, non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS) and machine learning to comprehend brain connectivity. Her prior research as a Master’s student involved understanding the neural connections in the brain in Parkinson’s disease using intraoperative electrocorticography during deep brain stimulation surgery.

Ryan Rich | LABORATORY MANAGER | E-Mail

Ryan is a research staff member originally from the Thumb area of Michigan. Ryan recently graduated from the University of Michigan, where his research focused on developing EEG measures of neural distinctiveness using machine learning. He is broadly interested in combining multiple brain imaging (EEG, fMRI, etc.), brain stimulation (TMS), computational, and behavioral (cognitive/motor tasks, eye tracking) methods to learn more about how the brain works as well as how to modify it. Eventually, he hopes to use this knowledge and training to aid in educational settings. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys gardening, indoor plants, cooking, and exploring Philadelphia.

Graduate Students

Brian KIM | E-mail

Brian is a doctoral student from New York City. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Computer Science at Columbia University, Brian decided to pursue a career in psychology, motivated by the similarities he sees between operations of the computer and the brain. He is interested in EEG signal processing, network neuroscience and applying machine learning techniques in neuroscience. In his free time, Brian enjoys reading, playing golf and playing Tetris.

Cate Scanlon | E-mail

Cate is a doctoral student in the ACBS program from South Jersey. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware where her thesis focused on visual cognition, and later worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Harvard Aging Brain Study where she investigated healthy aging and age-related cognitive decline. In the CogNeW lab, she is interested in the relationship between brain networks and cognition in clinical populations, and how this information can be utilized in treatment development. Aside from research, Catherine loves to read, hike, do yoga, and hang out with her two cats!