DAN KLEINMAN. Dan received his Ph.D. in Psychology and Cognitive Science at UC San Diego in 2013. At Haskins, his research focuses on using neural biomarkers (EEG and ERPs) to predict individual gains in reading, as part of a collaboration with schools that serve students with language-based learning difficulties. He is also involved in projects that use ERPs to study audiovisual integration in children with autism and in typically developing children. Before coming to Haskins, Dan’s research focused on language production – specifically, the process of deciding which word (and, for bilinguals, which language) to use next – and the many cognitive systems that interact to promote speech (central attention, executive control, implicit learning), topics he continues to study via external collaborations.

NABIN KOIRALA. Nabin completed his PhD in neuroscience at the Johannes Gutenberg university, Mainz Germany in 2019. Currently he is working in Haskins Laboratories on the project “Imaging genetics in specific reading disabilities” focusing on analysis of multicenter structural neuroimaging data. The primary goal is to observe the microstructural and network alterations in cortical and subcortical level to characterize the neurological disorder and discover its link to the genetics.
Before his affair with neuroscience, he worked as an Engineer in Nepal before moving to Germany for his master’s degree in 2012. Among others he counts soccer, hiking, travelling and reading books as some of his interests. Find more details at https://nabinkoirala.com/

BRITTANY LEE. Brittany received her PhD in Language and Communicative Disorders from University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University in 2021. She uses EEG and ERPs to predict reading outcomes in children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders like dyslexia. In her previous research, she used EEG, ERPs, and eye tracking to study word processing in deaf readers. Brittany is also interested in translational science and has worked as both a speech-language pathologist and English teacher.

MARTINA VILLA. Martina is a graduate student in the Developmental division of Psychology. Martina investigates reading (dis)abilities at multiple levels (from genes to behavior through the brain). She is interested in visual processing, attention, and in using machine learning techniques (e.g. RSA) to integrate multimodal neuroimaging data and explain the complex etiological pathways underling reading (dis)abilities. Martina earned a Bachelor in Communication and Psychology from University of Milano Bicocca (2015), and a MS in Clinical Psychology from the University of Bergamo (2017) and has previously worked in the Laboratorio Dislessia at the Scientific Institute E. Medea and in the Visual Attention Lab at UMass Boston.

KELLY MAHAFFY. Kelly is a graduate student in the Developmental Division of the Department of Psychological Sciences at UConn. Her main research interests center around reading comprehension and, particularly, better understanding the neurobiology and neurochemistry that underlie fluent reading comprehension. Kelly is especially interested in trying to link brain structure, function, and behavior as well as exploring a potential role for the Default Mode Network in reading comprehension. Prior to joining the lab, Kelly earned a MA in Literature with an emphasis on Cognitive Literary Theory, a BA in English and Linguistics with minors in Cognitive Science, Child Studies, and History, and was a k-12 teacher. She is at her happiest when she is working with children doing neuroimaging such as MRI. 

MARIA JOSE MACIAS ZUNIGA. Maria is a post-bac at the Landi Lab working on the School Project, recently graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Political Science. Her passion and expertise lie in cognitive and social development, with a particular focus on social-emotional development and parent-child influence. Outside of her academic pursuits, Maria spends her evenings experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen or ice skating on the weekends. She adores capturing moments with her loved ones through photography and finds solace in embarking on hiking adventures.