Meet the Team

Lab Director

Laura A. Berner, PhD

laura.berner@mssm.edu

Dr. Berner is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she is the Director of Clinical Research Strategy in the Center for Computational Psychiatry and a principal investigator in the Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders. She is clinically trained as a psychologist, with a PhD from Drexel University that complements her undergraduate training at Princeton University in behavioral neuroscience and her postdoctoral training at UC San Diego in cognitive neuroscience and functional and structural neuroimaging. Her research combines neuroimaging, neuroendocrine, behavioral, and psychological tools with computational modeling approaches to determine how the process of engaging control to guide adaptive decision-making may go awry in eating disorders. Her work has been funded by private foundations, including the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and federal funding from the NIH.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Blair Shevlin, PhD

blair.shevlin@mssm.edu

Blair is a postdoctoral fellow at ISMMS co-mentored by Laura Berner and Xiaosi Gu. He graduated from Goucher College with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and then received his master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from Towson University. In 2022, he earned his PhD in Decision Psychology from The Ohio State University. Dr. Shevlin’s research examines the role of value, attention, and motivation in everyday decisions. He specializes in computational modeling, incorporating theoretical perspectives from psychology, neuroscience, and economics to study how people approach their decisions in a variety of contexts.

Saren Seeley, PhD

saren.seeley@mssm.edu

Dr. Seeley is a postdoctoral fellow at ISMMS. She joined the Berner Lab to continue her training in computational psychiatry and neuroimaging, after completing the Psychiatry Department’s NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuroscience 2021-2024. She is clinically trained as a psychologist, with a PhD from the University of Arizona and BA from CUNY Hunter College. Her research uses functional MRI to understand the neural computations involved in learning and decision-making, and how these computations contribute to thoughts and behaviors that feel difficult to stop or control (e.g., in eating disorders, prolonged grief disorder, or PTSD). Her research has been funded by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and the National Institute on Aging.

Research Coordinators

Riley Macks

riley.macks@mssm.edu

Riley graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in neuroscience. As an undergraduate, her research involvements have focused on the gut-brain axis, behavioral health interventions for gastrointestinal disorders, and community-based interventions for autism in young children. In the lab, she coordinates a study investigating how fasting and feeding influence cognitive control in women with bulimia nervosa. She is particularly interested in broadening her knowledge of health psychology and hopes to work with adolescents in the future. Riley plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology as well.

Sila Sozeri

sila.sozeri@mssm.edu

Sila graduated from UCLA in 2025 with a B.A. in Psychology, a minor in Brain and Behavioral Health, and specialization in computing. In the lab, she is coordinating a study examining how real-time neurofeedback may help people with bulimia nervosa regulate binge-eating and purging behaviors. Her research interests include self-destructive behaviors, neural underpinnings of emotion dysregulation, and using computational psychology for a transdiagnostic understanding of psychiatric disorders. Sila plans to pursue a Ph.D. In Clinical Psychology.

Research Associate

Anusha Phadnis

anusha.phadnis@mssm.edu

Anusha received her Bachelor’s degree in Information and Communication Technology from India and worked in the software industry for a while. She then pursued her interest in Scientific Computing at the University of Pennsylvania and received her Master’s degree in 2023. She is passionate about applying computational modeling methods to research problems in psychiatry. She wants to harness the quantitative power of scientific computing to advance the research on diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. She plans to pursue a PhD and then a research career in this exciting field of Computational Psychiatry.

Volunteers

Morgan Dreher

Morgan is a junior at Macaulay Honors College at Hunter, majoring in Clinical Psychology and aspiring to pursue a PhD or PsyD in the field. Her undergraduate studies have fostered a broad interest in psychopathology, with a particular focus on neuropsychological aspects of pediatric brain tumors and other psychological disorders in children.

Yagmur Buyrukbilen

Yagmur is a junior at New York University pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology, with a minor in Philosophy. She is interested in delving deeper into neuropsychiatry and is considering pursuing a PhD in the future.

Emily Ng

Emily is a junior at Stony Brook University pursuing a B.A in Psychology with a minor in Studio Arts. She hopes to pursue a masters in clinical art therapy and mental health counseling. Emily is passionate about studying developmental psychology, psychiatric mood disorders, and advocating for culturally diverse mental healthcare.