Team

Dr. Laurel Morris
laurel.morris@mssm.edu

Laurel is the Director of the Morris Lab. She completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Cambridge in 2017 and is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai. She has expertise in the development and utilization of neurocognitive assessments for in-depth characterizations of cognitive function in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, and in optimizing high-field 7-Tesla MRI protocols to examine large and small brain structures. Dr. Morris leads the Neuroimaging Core and the Digital Phenotyping Core at the Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment (DAC) at Mount Sinai. 

Gracee Butler
grace.butler@icahn.mssm.edu

Gracee Butler completed her BA degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Systems Integration (HSI) from San Jose State University. In undergrad, she assisted on projects related to memory and cognition in studies investigating online learning in the CLIMB Lab; and upon graduation, building on her interests in human learning capabilities, worked as a summer, and then post-bac research intern through the CSLI program at Stanford in the Language and Cognition Lab. In joining the CHIP lab and Depression and Anxiety Center (DAC) as a clinical research coordinator, Gracee works to build upon her interests in executive function, and cognitive control of emotional and rational choice behavior, by assisting on neuroimaging projects related to decision-making; thereafter pursuing a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology.  

Jacqueline Beltrán
jacqueline.beltran@icahn.mssm.edu

Jacqueline Beltrán graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she earned a B.S. in Biopsychology. Upon graduating, she went on to complete a post-bac through the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program where her research efforts involved using neuroimaging to study the neurobehavioral syndrome of misophonia. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Neuroscience under the mentorship of Drs. Laurel Morris and James Murrough. In the lab, Jacqueline works on a randomized, controlled clinical trial of ultra-high field 7-Tesla MRI neurofeedback training for Major Depressive Disorder and a project using digital sensors in smartphones to monitor and gain insight of various psychiatric disorders. 

Alumni

Marishka Mehta
marishka.mehta@mssm.edu

Marishka completed her master’s thesis at the Morris lab. She completed her bachelor’s in biomedical sciences from Queen Mary, University of London. She went on to get graduate training in neurobiology from the University of Bordeaux and Laval University, where she developed an interest in the midbrain dopaminergic system. At the Morris lab, she explored reward and punishment learning in the context of depression. She is now enrolled in a PhD program at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research.

Emerald Obie
emerald.obie@mssm.edu

Emerald is a second-year MA psychology student at New York University and is working on her master’s thesis at the Morris lab. She completed her bachelor’s in brain sciences from Purdue University. Through coursework and lab experiences, she became interested in behavioral neuroscience and decided to pursue a graduate degree. In 2021, she joined the Morris lab to gain a deeper understanding of the brain and sharpen her clinical research skills. Her future goal is to continue in research, either in industry or in a Ph.D. program.

Morgan Corniquel
morgan.corniquel@mssm.edu

Morgan received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master’s degree from New York University. In 2018, Morgan joined the Depression and Anxiety Center to continue exploring her interests in the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders. Morgan is now enrolled in an MD/PhD program at Boston University. 

Megan Go

megan.go@mssm.edu

Megan obtained her medical degree (MD) in 2019 at the Cebu Institute of Medicine after finishing her undergraduate studies in both integrative neuroscience and biochemistry. Her interests lie in the neurobiology and neuropharmacology of psychiatric illnesses, particularly mood disorders. Megan is now furthering her training and pursuing residency in psychiatry.

Nishat Amin

Nishat ‘Nicki’ Amin received her bachelor’s in Psychology from St. John’s University. She is interested in emotion reactivity and regulation and wants to focus on the dynamics and limitations of developmental trajectories in individuals who experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. Nishat is excited to further her focus on depression, anxiety, and addiction using neuroimaging and cognitive tools.  

Collaborators:

Dr. Korey Kam, Dr. Yael Jacob, Dr. Karen Bachi, Prof. Xiaosi Gu, Prof. Priti Balchandani, Prof. James Murrough

Please contact us if you are interested in collaborating or joining the Lab.