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Postdoctoral Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, Harvard University

I’m a postdoctoral fellow in cognitive neuroscience working with Daniel Schacter in the Schacter Memory Lab at Harvard University. I did my graduate work in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where I worked with Paul Silvia. My research explores the neural and cognitive basis of creativity. In particular, I study the roles of memory systems and cognitive control in creative thought.

One area of my research examines creative cognition and brain network dynamics. A goal of this work is to identify cognitive mechanisms associated with large-scale network interactions during idea generation. I also study individual variation in brain network function, including a recent grant project funded by the John Templeton Foundation using connectome modeling to predict individual creative ability. My interest in everyday creativity motivated a new line of research on cognitive and neural mechanisms of figurative language production, focusing on novel metaphor. Current work in the Schacter Memory Lab explores the role of episodic memory in divergent thinking, which aims to understand how flexible episodic retrieval mechanisms support the production of new and useful ideas.

My interest in creativity is in part related to my hobbies, which include playing piano and guitar. I’ve performed with a jazz trio and a few folk bands over the years, but I mostly play for fun now in my free time.

Experience

  • –present
    Postdoctoral Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, Harvard University