Assistant Research Specialist
Email: alyssalh@uci.edu
Alyssa Harris
About Me
Projects
Research Interests
Fun!
I graduated from UC Irvine with a B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis in cognitive neuroscience. During my time as an undergraduate, I worked as a research assistant in the Stark Lab, which was just upstairs from the Yassa Lab at the time. Here I developed an interest in neuropsychology and neuroimaging. After graduating, I worked at the UC Irvine Institute of Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders as a Psychometrist. I also spent time as a Psychometrist for UCI Health. I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible older adults ranging from healthy to severe dementia. I have such a heart for the aging population and love spending time with them. Although I have enjoyed my clinical work, I felt that something was missing. This brought me to the Yassa Lab, where I have the opportunity to enjoy both research and clinical work. This lab provides the network and resources to explore my research interests and eventually pursue a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology.
Lab Research Projects
I contribute to the following research areas in the Translational Neuroscience Laboratory.
My research interests focus mainly on the Neuropsychology of Memory and Aging. I am interested in using neuroimaging biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease as well as exploring how memory changes across different aging populations. As a personal research interest, I would like to further investigate how chronic pain affects memory performance.
Outside of the lab I spend a lot of time with my parents (I’m an only child, can you tell?) and my boyfriend. I grew up in San Diego with a fireman and a teacher for parents. By the age of 3, I had travelled around Europe and across South America and Mexico. I love travelling, reading, cooking, and painting. I am also a contributing author for The Mighty, a site that publishes articles on the challenges raised by illness and disability. The chronic pain community is very close to my heart, and I strive to educate and advocate for people living in pain. I also have a love for plants and watching things grow. I spend an outrageous amount of money at the Lowe’s Garden Center and can always find room for “just one more plant”. At any given time, you can find me wishing I’m on a beach in Mexico with my dad.
What the lab means to me…
“To me, the lab is a warm and extremely supportive environment that offers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be on the front lines of neuroscience research. The Yassa Translational Neuroscience Lab is the best place to be in order to watch science come to life, and there is nothing more exciting than that!”
