About Me
Research Interests
Fun!
I graduated from Ashoka University, India with a B.A. in Psychology, and a minor in Biology. During my time at Ashoka University, I worked with PI Dr. Avantika Bhatia in collaboration with Dr. Robert DuRubeis from the University of Pennsylvania to help devise a Digital Single Session Mental Health Intervention for college students in India. This project gave me insights into the triggers of mental health in college students, which sparked my interest in the field of Clinical Psychology. I was always fascinated by how the human brain works and came to UC Irvine as a Post-Baccalaureate student in Psychological Sciences post-graduation to delve deeper into understanding the human brain. At the Yassa Lab, I had the opportunity to closely observe research conducted on older adults by administering neuropsychological tests and Brain MRI scans, which piqued my interest in Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging. Currently, I work as a part-time Junior MRI Specialist in the lab while also working on an independent project that aims to identify MTL subregional volumes in relation to the age of menopause onset.
I am interested in learning how neuropsychological tests can be designed to be more inclusive of BIPOC communities as well as be more culturally and age-relevant. Moreover, I have become increasingly interested in using neuroimaging as a tool to elucidate the different mechanisms by which age-related men and women develop Alzheimer’s disease.
As a personal interest, I am an advocate for psychedelic/plant medicines for mental health in contrast to the traditional psychiatric medicines and hope to advance my knowledge on the impact of psychotropic substances on the brain, with the hope of making these sacred medicines legal.
In my free time, I like to snuggle up in my bed and read books on the human psyche, spirituality, and psychedelics, or listen to podcasts (My two favorites are: The Huberman Lab and The Psychedelic Leadership Project).
I am a gym junkie and enjoy going on hikes once a week and doing yoga for the endorphin rush.
On the weekends, you can find me foraging for acai bowls around SoCal or experimenting with plant-based ingredients.
Besides working in the lab, I volunteer for Fireside Project, which is a Psychedelic Helpline that provides peer support to active trippers or individuals who wish to integrate their past psychedelic experiences.
