Lab Members

Sheida Domabi

I’m a rising junior and am majoring in neuroscience. I have been in the Visual Cognition Lab since spring of 2022. My passion for neuroscience started from doing yoga and the philosophical related aspects of meditation. I’m curious about the limitations of our spirits and bodies. Besides neuroscience I’m also passionate about art, especially cinematography. I believe there is nothing more beautiful than having an idea and giving life to it by creating cinema, painting, and poetry.

Jess Huang

Hi! I’m a native Memphian currently working as a Primary Care Medical Assistant during my gap year while studying for the MCAT. I graduated in 2024 and received my Health Equity Cert in 2025.  Lately, I’ve been fascinated by how our perception of the world isn’t as immediate as it feels, that what we experience is actually a carefully timed reconstruction of visual, auditory, and sensory information that our brain pieces together to create a cohesive reality. When I’m not thinking about these things, you’ll find me coaching chess and enjoying time with the people I care about!

Eli Schwartz

I’m a 2024 Rhodes College graduate originally from Richmond, Virginia. I’m now living in Memphis post-grad. I majored in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology and Sociology. I joined the perception lab after being a part of Jason’s senior seminar, where I developed my research proposal on ensemble perception of illusory shapes. I have been a part of the perception lab for a year now, working to collect data alongside my peers. I’m also a practicing visual artist and create and design  promotional art for a local band called The Narrows. I’ve found that studying vision has helped me expand my skills and understanding of visual art. I also enjoy playing guitar, exploring cities, and traveling with my friends and family.

Mikayla Shirley

I’m Mikayla Shirley, a junior at Rhodes College. I’m majoring in psychology and minoring in chemistry, and plan to go to medical school after graduation. I joined the perception lab in 2024, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team!

Logan Wu

I’m a neuroscience major entering my junior year at Rhodes. As a competitive chess player since the age of 5, I’ve been fascinated by the capacities of the human mind from a young age, especially its ability to process vast amounts of information in a split second. The complexity of neuroscience and the human body inspires me to learn as much as I can and to use that knowledge to uplift others through a future career in healthcare. Outside of academics, I have a deep passion for playing the piano- mainly classical, but I’m constantly looking to branch out into different genres. Other than that, I also love video games and spending time with friends and family!

Alumni:

  • Yavin Alwis (2020) – Current med student at UTHSC
  • Ritika Mazumder (2017), MD – Current resident at the Cleveland Clinic
  • Swati Pandita (2016), PhD – Current postdoc at the Fear Lab at Stanford
  • Demi Shamsi-Basha (2022), Current med student at UAB
  • Lauren Ulrich (2016) – Current Physical Therapist
  • Chloe Burkhead (2018)
  • Delaney McDonagh (2019) – Current PhD student working with Tim Sweeny at University of Denver
  • West Roberts (2021) – Current Ph.D. student at UW Madison
  • Sneha Suresh (2019) – Current med student at Rush Medical
  • Emma ZeeAbrahamsen (2018) – Nurse based in Colorado
Phyu Sin (Jessica) Myat (2024) – Current Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt
  • Ellie Leahey (2020) – Current med student at UAB
  • Malerie McDowell (2016) – Current Clinical Psych Ph.D. student at UAB.
  • Hayden Schill (2016) – Assistant Teaching Professor at UC Riverside
  • Sam Thomasson (2018) – Current grad student in screenplay at USC
Ava Mitra (2022) – Current Ph.D. student at Brown University
Bella Lallo (2023) – Currently finishing up a tour with the Peace Corp in Panama. Applying to medical school next cycle.