We believe that our science is better with a diverse team. This means we embrace and encourage our lab members’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our lab members who they are. We are dedicated to conducting our science with integrity and respect for the welfare of our participants.
Lab Director
Nina Lauharatanahirun, Ph.D.
(Name pronunciation: Nee-nah Lao-hurrah-tunnah-he-run)
Dr. Nina Lauharatanahirun is the director of the Decision Neuroscience Lab and an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biobehavioral Health at Penn State. She received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience & Biological Psychology from Virginia Tech. She completed a joint postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and U.S. CCDC Army Research Laboratory.
Dr. Lauharatanahirun is a decision neuroscientist whose research examines the behavioral and brain processes subserving individual and group decision-making under uncertainty. She is particularly interested in understanding how these neurobehavioral processes develop across the lifespan and how they may give rise to maladaptive health risk behaviors and suboptimal decision making. Dr. Lauharatanahirun’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
Email: nina.lauhara@psu.edu
Office: 531 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Graduate Researchers
Richa Gautam
Richa is a graduate student at the Impression Formation Social Neuroscience Lab at the University of Delaware. She is interested in social (re)categorization and decision-making in diverse groups. She uses a broad range of methods to answer her research questions, including experimental games, natural language processing, computational modeling, EEG, and fMRI. Outside of work, Richa loves her four cats, cooking, reading, and mountains.
Pronouns: she/her.
Patrick Sweeney
Name pronunciation: (Pat-trick Swee-nee)
Patrick is a first-year PhD and second year master’s student in the Biomedical Engineering Department. He received his BS in Psychological and Brain Sciences from the University of California. Patrick is interested in the neural basis for decision making under uncertainty and neural representation of risk.
Alexis Zahorchak
Name pronunciation: (Uh-lex-ihs Zuh-hor-chack)
(she/her)
Alexis is a first-year master’s student in the Biomedical Engineering Department. She received her B.S. in Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University. Alexis’s research interests include investigating neural and behavioral differences in risk taking behaviors, specifically pertaining to adolescents taking health-negative risks.
Leeann Runkle
Name pronunciation: (Lee-ahn Run-kuhl)
(she/her)
Leeann is a first-year master’s student in the Biomedical Engineering Department. She received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. Leeann’s research interests include the usage of medical devices to understand the neurobiological aspects of decision making.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Abigail Clark
Name pronunciation: (A-buh-gayl Kl-arr-k)
(she/her/hers)
Abigail is a third-year student at Penn State in the College of Health and Human Development majoring in Biobehavioral Health (B.S.) and minoring in Human Development and Family Studies. She plans to pursue a PhD after the completion of her undergraduate degree. Her research interests include behavioral sciences and neurological processes, particularly during adolescence.
Vanessa Bravo
Name pronunciation (Vuh-ness-uh Brah-vo)
(She/Her)
Vanessa is a third-year student majoring in BioBehavioral Health and in the future, she hopes to go to PA school. Her research interests include how trauma can alter how someone makes decisions as well as how these risky behaviors translate into different life paths.
Sam Langer
Name pronunciation: (Sam L-ang-gur)
Sam is a fourth-year student majoring in Psychology and pursuing a minor in both Biology and Crime, Law, and Psychology. Her research interests include neurobiological factors associated with at-risk individuals, personality, and decision-making processes across various populations.
Nick King
Nick is a fourth-year student majoring in Biology with the neuroscience option and his research interests include the neurobiological aspects of decision making and disease.
Betti Pang
Name pronunciation: (Beh-tee Payng)
(she/her/hers)
Betti is a second year student in the 7-year Premedical/Medical program with a minor in Psychological Science, and is on track to become a physician. Her research interests include how different neurological and health factors impact behavior.
Gloria Peña
Dylan Najarian
Name Pronunciation: (DIH-luhn Nuh-Jare-ee-ann)
(He/Him)
Dylan is a third year student in the Eberly College of Science majoring in Biology with the Vertebrate Physiology option and a minor in Marine Biology. Dylan’s research interests include learning more about brain chemistry and signal mapping, as well as brain development through time.
Fun fact: Dylan loves running and playing soccer!
Lab Alumni
- Qi Zhao
- Tess Leonard, Graduate Student at Boston University’s Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
- Hannah Milici, Molecular Technician
- Grace Inserra
- Evan Border
- Will Border
- Hannah Ziegler, Field Service Engineer
- Claire Klaye
- Olivia Pena
- Lauren Wieczenski
- Mary Zhuo, Research Data Manager at Boston Children’s Hospital
- Anna Capria
- Megan Dalo