Lab Members
Jonas Vibell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, an Affiliate Professor in the John A. Burns School of Medicine, and the director of the Brain & Behavior (B&B) Laboratory. His research interests involve brain imaging, perception, attention, multisensory integration, and altered states of mind in normal and clinical populations. Beyond brain exploration Dr. Vibell has also explored the North and the South Poles. Check him out on Neurotree here and on Researchgate here.
Kyra Gauthier Dickey is a PhD student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa studying under Professor Vibell. She received her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (2019). After graduating, she worked in research and development as a software developer for various projects in the area of decentralization (e.g. Seed, Webrecorder). Currently, she is working on creating a virtual reality testing space for EEG studies and manages the Neurorehabilitation Unit. She has additional interest in machine learning applications for EEG data, neuroplasticity, and functional neurological changes after usage of brain-computer interfaces.
Ian Munro Strieter is a PhD student in the Psychology program at UH Manoa. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis, and an associate's in Mathematics from Berkeley City College. He has worked as a research assistant in several university labs, and interned at NASA's Ames Research Center, working on projects in space biology and doing UX and service design work for NASA's SBIR/STTR program. Some of his research interests include perceptual learning, multisensory integration, biofeedback, physiological signal processing, and individual differences in learning and sensory processing, as well as how an understanding of such differences might be used to improve outcomes in health or education.
Gabriel Custodio is a graduate student with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UH Mānoa pursuing a Masters degree in Neurocognitive Psychology. He has an interest in Clinical Psychology as well, with five years of experience working at Hawaii State Hospital as a Para-Medical Assistant. His current focus is on cybersickness and cognitive load, and the ways in which elements of a virtual environment interact with them in head-mounted virtual reality.
Aaron Nakamura is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to joining BnB, he spent 4 years at the University of Tokyo, Japan, working as a research technician and handling various techs, including fMRI. He pursued graduate studies in counseling psychology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities after earning his Bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in TESL (Teaching ESL). He has experience working with youth at a mental health treatment center. Aaron’s research primarily focuses on neuroscience, clinical, developmental, and cultural psychology. He is particularly interested in examining the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how these experiences affect brain structures and functions. He is also interested in how individuals formulate and stabilize their cultural identities in response to ACEs. Additionally, Aaron has a broad interest in language acquisition.
Brendan McCarthy’s research focuses on the neuroscience of love and how it can help generate expansive terrains for learning. As a collaborator with UH’s Brain+Behavior Lab, Brendan is exploring how brain imaging tools, like fMRI and EEG, may be able to yield insight into the neurobiological effects of love on attention, memory and learning. He has a keen interest in finding out if integrating who + what we love into mathematics and science curricula may be able to better support students and teachers. Brendan is currently pursuing a PhD in Education and is a research assistant at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Uehiro Academy for Philosophy & Ethics in Education. In his role at the Academy, Brendan works as a philosopher-in-residence at Nānāikapono Elementary, Waikīkī Elementary and Kaʻelepulu Elementary schools on the island of Oʻahu. Brendan is a passionate surfer and lover of the ocean. You can find him surfing at dawn most days below the cliffs of Lēʻahi in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.
Malika Iafagorova is an international undergraduate student at UH Manoa. While originally coming from Russia, Malika attended schools in Hong Kong and Egypt, eventually settling on pursuing a degree in B.S. Psychology in Hawaii. After graduation, she is hoping to go to graduate school with a focus on neuroscience and psychopathology.
Michael Lima is a post-baccalaureate Research Assistant who graduated with his BA in Psychology at UH Mānoa. He hopes to earn his MA in the socio-cognitive field and further that breadth of knowledge through research. He also likes cats.Michael is currently working on a project at the VA Hospital.
Juyeon Julia Suh is a post-baccalaureate Research Assistant who graduated from UH Manoa in Fall 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. Julia is curious about the mind-body connection, consciousness, cognition and the phenomenology of human lived experiences. She will continue her education in Hawaii by obtaining a graduate degree and exploring different areas of possible research. She is currently interested in exploring the effects of serotonergic psychedelics like psilocybin on perception and embodied cognition in those with clinical depression.
Kaitlynn Weiss is an undergraduate student at UH Manoa pursing a BS in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. She intends to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology following graduation. She is passionate about imaging techniques and mindfulness as they relate to both perception and clinical psychology. She is currently piloting an independent study on how mindfulness meditation influences the effects of perceptual load on visual attention.
Nhat Vallo is an undergraduate student at UH Manoa pursuing her B.S. degree in Psychology. She is interested in furthering her education and hopes to attend medical school after graduation. Her field of interests include neuroscience, clinical psychology, and cognitive psychology. Currently, she is running an independent study on REM sleep and the Defensive Activation Theory.
Krystalyn Edwards-Calma graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UH Mānoa. She hopes to pursue research in a PhD program with neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s Disease, and neuroimaging.