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.

Master’s Student

Suzie Shah

suzie.shah@icahn.mssm.edu

Suzie is in the Master’s in Biomedical Science program at Mount Sinai. She graduated from Georgetown University in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management & Policy with a concentration in administration. She is on the pre-med track and is passionate about improving our healthcare system through a focus on the investigation of scientific advancements in clinical research.

Research Coordinators

Jess Qiu

jessica.qiu@mssm.edu

Jess graduated from New York University in 2022 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. In the lab, she is coordinating a study that examines how real-time neurofeedback may help people with bulimia nervosa regulate binge-eating and purging behaviors. Her past research interests include the emotional mechanisms of narcissistic personality disorder, children’s perceptions of race and gender, and childhood interventions to promote diversity. Jess plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Alexa Krugel

alexa.krugel@mssm.edu

Alexa graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 with a B.A. in psychology and minors in applied statistics and history. In the lab, she coordinates an fMRI study that examines whether abnormal connectivity within and between brain circuits during decision-making could contribute to binge eating disorder and explain symptom severity. She is particularly interested in child and adolescent psychopathology, and she is passionate about finding ways to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. She plans to pursue a PsyD in clinical psychology.

Zoe Dai

jiulin.dai@mssm.edu

Zoe received her bachelor’s degree in organismal biology and developmental psychology with honors from Vanderbilt University in 2023. As an undergraduate, Zoe’s research focused on the shared and unique mechanisms of reading skill and anxiety symptoms in 7- to 12-year-olds. In the lab, she currently coordinates the Changes in Inhibitory Control and Valuation After Eating study, which investigates the changes in cognitive control processes across fasted and fed states in bulimia nervosa using fMRI, computational modeling, and real-time mobile assessments. Zoe plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology.

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.

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

Olivia Nilsson

Olivia is a senior at New York University studying clinical social work and global public health, hoping to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. She is interested in studying the role of biopsychosocial perspectives in our understanding of individuals’ experiences of psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, eating disorders, and schizophrenia.

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.

Emma Wong

Emma is a third year undergraduate student at The New School majoring in Psychology with a minor in Photography and Law. She is interested in working within the field of clinical psychology, mental health counselling and neurobiology. Emma is passionate about understanding the complexities of psychological disorders and the development of effective, evidence-based treatments. Emma plans to pursue a masters or Ph.D in clinical psychology, with a focus on advancing mental health care and therapeutic interventions.

Zoe Tan

Zoe is a senior studying psychology at The New School, on the BA/MA track. She is interested in visual perception, consumer behavior, and the processes involved in decision-making.

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.