Ramesh Balasubramaniam: Director & Principal Investigator
Ramesh Balasubramaniam is the Principal Investigator and director of the laboratory. Details about his background and research program can be found on the bio page.
He may be reached at any of the contact numbers below and also through Twitter @RameshUCMerced.
Graduate Students
Shannon Proksch
Shannon is a PhD student in Cognitive & Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced. Her general research interests include examining the neural dynamics of music cognition—from lower level-beat processing to higher-level coordination and social interaction.
In addition to my cognitive neuroscience work, she also sometimes put on her musician hat. She has classical training on the oboe and English horn, and has performed in musical theater orchestras on flute, clarinet, & saxophone. Her interdisciplinary background spans music theory, philosophy, language and cognition. Shannon graduated in 2015 from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi with a B.A. in Music and a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She made use of my experience and training by teaching content-based English classes in music and primary education in Weifang, China before going on to receive an MSc in Philosophy of Mind, Language, and Embodied Cognition with the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in 2017 (teaching English online along the way!). Shannon is also an NSF-NRT Fellow and author of several papers in Music Cognition/Neuroscience
Shannon is a PhD student in Cognitive & Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced. Her general research interests include examining the neural dynamics of music cognition—from lower level-beat processing to higher-level coordination and social interaction.
In addition to my cognitive neuroscience work, she also sometimes put on her musician hat. She has classical training on the oboe and English horn, and has performed in musical theater orchestras on flute, clarinet, & saxophone. Her interdisciplinary background spans music theory, philosophy, language and cognition. Shannon graduated in 2015 from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi with a B.A. in Music and a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She made use of my experience and training by teaching content-based English classes in music and primary education in Weifang, China before going on to receive an MSc in Philosophy of Mind, Language, and Embodied Cognition with the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in 2017 (teaching English online along the way!). Shannon is also an NSF-NRT Fellow and author of several papers in Music Cognition/Neuroscience
Samuel Carey
Sam got his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in kinesiology, where he worked with Dr. Rajiv Ranganathan. He did some undergraduate research on bimanual coordination and using variability as a predictive measure for motor learning capabilities. Sam then went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for my master's (still in progress) to work with Dr. Richard van Emmerik. At UMass, Sam studied dual-task paradigms assessing the effect of manual movements on postural control and coordination dynamics. He am now interested in the role cognition plays in postural control and motor coordination. More specifically, how different sources of cognitive information may be integrated differently and how that translates to motor control
Sam got his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in kinesiology, where he worked with Dr. Rajiv Ranganathan. He did some undergraduate research on bimanual coordination and using variability as a predictive measure for motor learning capabilities. Sam then went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for my master's (still in progress) to work with Dr. Richard van Emmerik. At UMass, Sam studied dual-task paradigms assessing the effect of manual movements on postural control and coordination dynamics. He am now interested in the role cognition plays in postural control and motor coordination. More specifically, how different sources of cognitive information may be integrated differently and how that translates to motor control
Jaskanwaljeet (Jas) Kaur
Jas joined the Cognitive & Information Sciences department as a PhD student in Fall 2020. She studies motor control & learning, with a specific aim to understand how the human sensorimotor system learns and adapts while performing coordinated motor actions. She graduated from UC Merced in 2016 with a degree in Cell & Molecular biology and has worked in multiple labs including a neural engineering lab at UCSF studying the effects of peripheral nerve stimulation on motor recovery in stroke patients. Jas has a background in EEG, fMRI and motion capture system (PhaseSpace) from her time at Stanford and UCSF. She is currently working on using the KINARM robot for studying sensorimotor control and learning.
Jas joined the Cognitive & Information Sciences department as a PhD student in Fall 2020. She studies motor control & learning, with a specific aim to understand how the human sensorimotor system learns and adapts while performing coordinated motor actions. She graduated from UC Merced in 2016 with a degree in Cell & Molecular biology and has worked in multiple labs including a neural engineering lab at UCSF studying the effects of peripheral nerve stimulation on motor recovery in stroke patients. Jas has a background in EEG, fMRI and motion capture system (PhaseSpace) from her time at Stanford and UCSF. She is currently working on using the KINARM robot for studying sensorimotor control and learning.
Notable Lab alumni
Chelsea Gordon
Chelsea graduated with a PhD in Cognitie Science in 2019. She is presently a learning and Data Scientist for Zybooks in San Mateo, CA. Chelsea joined the Cognitive and Information Sciences department as a PhD student in Fall 2013. She studies language and concepts, with a focus on discovering how concepts are formed and maintained in the brain, and how much of our conceptual knowledge can be traced back to the embodied and situated nature of cognition. Chelsea received her B.S. in Psychology from Michigan State University, with a specialization in Cognitive Science. She worked with Issidoros Sarinopoulos in his Social and Affective Neuroscience laboratory, learning to use fMRI and exploring the intersection of pain processing and social factors. Upon graduating from MSU, her interest in language and embodiment led her to work with Sarah Anderson at University of Cincinnati’s Center for Cognition, Action and Perception, in studying whether changes in the sensory aspects of concepts will also change how concepts are activated in the mind. |
Butovens Médé
Butovens finished his PhD in Cognitive and Information Sciences in 2021. He joined the laboratory in Fall 2014 as a PhD student in Cognitive & Information Sciences. He graduated from City College of NY with an individualized specialization in Cognitive Neuropsychology and Sound design. At CUNY, Butovens was the recipient of the prestigious Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship. He also won an NSF Research experience for undergraduates (REU) award that earned him an opportunity to work with Michael Riley at the University of Cincinnati.Butovens's research interests lie in the intersection of music cognition, movement and neuroscience. |
Daniel Comstock
Daniel completed his PhD student in the Cognitive and Information Sciences program in 2021. He is presently a post-doc at the Center for Mind and Brain at UC Davis. Dan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a B.S. in Cognitive Science. At UW-Stout he studied lie detection and the effects of head impacts on adolescent football players. Daniel is interested in interactions between higher-order cognition, motor control, and perception. Daniel has a background in EEG and related electrophysiological techniques. |
Alexandria Pabst
Alexandria completed her PhD in 2021. She is currently with Accenture labs in San Francisco, CA. Alex is interested in the relationship between motor learning and memory. In particular, she is interested in the possible interaction and differences between declarative and procedural memory in the context of aging, and in individuals with degenerative neurological disorders. |
Jessica Ross (2013-18)
Jessica completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive and Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced, in Aug 2018. Jessica Ross received two B.A.s in Music and Italian Studies from the University of California, Davis, where she focused on individualized and cultural perception of music and language. She also has a passion for neuroscience and has an A.S. in Biology and an A.A. in Psychology from Sacramento City College. At the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, Jessica worked for Petr Janata studying audition in healthy adults and effects of music therapy on patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease. At the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Jessica worked with Elizabeth Disbrow studying cognitive deficits in people with Parkinson’s disease. After a short stint as an NSF funded Project scientist at UC Merced, Jessica joined Alvaro Pascual-Leone's group at Harvard Medical School as a post-doctoral fellow in November 2018. A full list of her publications can be found on her website. Jessica is currently a Research Associate in Neurology at Stanford University and is affiliated with the Dept of Veterans Affairs in Palo Alto, CA. |
Kjerstin Torre 2009-2010
University of Montpellier, France. Kjerstin Torre was a post-doctoral fellow working with Ramesh Balasubramaniam in 2009. Kjerstin is an expert on the application of long-range correlations to problems in motor control and cognition. She is a presently a Faculty member at the University of Montpellier, France. Kjerstin is the author of over two dozen papers on the topic of long-range correlations and variability in human cognition. 
Tyler Cluff 2008-2011
University of Calgary, Canada Tyler Cluff finished his PhD in Neuroscience at McMaster (2011), working with Ramesh Balasubramaniam and Tim Lee. He is presently a post doctoral fellow at Queen's University, Canada working with Steve Scott. Tyler is interested optimal feedback control, control of unstable objects, upper limb motor control and is also trained in biomechanics. He has published extensively in leading scientific journals and has held the prestigious Alexander Graham Bell doctoral scholarship and an NSERC Post-Doctoral award. |
Breanna Studenka 2010-11
Utah State University, Logan, UT. Bree Studenka was a post-doctoral fellow working with Ramesh Balasubramaniam in 2010-2011. She earned her PhD at Purdue University working with Howard Zelaznik. After a stint at Penn State with Karl Newell's group, she is now an Assistant Professor at Utah State University. Bree works on problems in motor timing and coordination. She has published in leading journals in the areas of Experimental Psychology and Human Performance. |
Michael Hove 2012
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Mike Hove earned his PhD at Cornell University where he worked with Carol Krumhansl and Michael Spivey. After a stint at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig working with Peter Keller, Mike worked with Ramesh Balasubramaniam and Laurel Trainor at McMaster (2012). He is presently a research fellow in psychiatry at Harvard University/Mass General Hospital working on timing deficits in individuals with ADHD. Mike has a wide range of interests in diverse areas including sensorimotor synchronization, social coordination and neuroimaging. He also has a research program in studying altered states of consciousness in Shamans! |
Amanda Therrien 2008-2013
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Amanda finished her PhD at McMaster University, where she worked with Ramesh Balasubramaniam (& Jim Lyons) on the role of somatosensory feedback in force control and speech. Amanda is presently a post-doctoral fellow at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University with Amy Bastian. Amanda has published extensively in journals like Journal of Neurophysiology, Neuropsychologia, Neuroscience Letters, Experimental Brain Research and PLoS ONE.
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Amanda finished her PhD at McMaster University, where she worked with Ramesh Balasubramaniam (& Jim Lyons) on the role of somatosensory feedback in force control and speech. Amanda is presently a post-doctoral fellow at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University with Amy Bastian. Amanda has published extensively in journals like Journal of Neurophysiology, Neuropsychologia, Neuroscience Letters, Experimental Brain Research and PLoS ONE.
Other graduates of the Sensorimotor Neuroscience Laboratory
R.J. Edjoc (M.Sc - 2007)
Crystal Gonsalves (MSc -2007)
Nadine Guerrette (MSc - 2008)
David White (MSc - 2008)
Christine Lefebvre (MSc - 2008)
Brian Richardson (MSc - 2008)
Maarten van den Heuvel (MSc - 2008) - on exchange from the Daffertshofer lab, Amsterdam
Jason Boulet (MSc - 2009) - co-advised by Andre Longtin
Melanie Kok (MSc - 2010)
Courtney Bridgewater (MSc - 2010)
Heather McGregor (Class of 2011, now with Paul Gribble's group at UWO).
Details about other lab personnel will be updated shortly.
R.J. Edjoc (M.Sc - 2007)
Crystal Gonsalves (MSc -2007)
Nadine Guerrette (MSc - 2008)
David White (MSc - 2008)
Christine Lefebvre (MSc - 2008)
Brian Richardson (MSc - 2008)
Maarten van den Heuvel (MSc - 2008) - on exchange from the Daffertshofer lab, Amsterdam
Jason Boulet (MSc - 2009) - co-advised by Andre Longtin
Melanie Kok (MSc - 2010)
Courtney Bridgewater (MSc - 2010)
Heather McGregor (Class of 2011, now with Paul Gribble's group at UWO).
Details about other lab personnel will be updated shortly.
If you are interested in working with Dr. Balasubramaniam as a PhD student/post-doctoral fellow or even just as a research volunteer in the lab, please contact him directly at the address below or at ramesh at ucmerced dot edu
