The Team

Lab Director

Laura Y. Cabrera, MA, Ph.D.

Dr. Cabrera holds the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Neuroethics. She is an Associate Professor at the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Philosophy, and Bioethics. She is also Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, core faculty of the Center for Neural Engineering , and Affiliate Associate Professor at the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, the Law, Policy, and Engineering Initiative, the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS); the Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition; the Neuroscience Program; and the Social Science Research Institute. Dr. Cabrera is also Associate Director for Neuroethics and Engagement at the Center for Neural Engineering. My interests focus on the ethical and societal implications of neurotechnologies used for treatment as well as for enhancement purposes. I have been working on projects at the interface of normative, conceptual and empirical approaches, exploring attitudes and ethical concerns of professionals, patients and members of the public toward brain interventions. My work has also focused on the ethical and social implications of environmental changes for brain and mental health.

More about Dr. Cabrera

2024 Neuroethics Lab

Postdoc

Hillary King

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I am a postdoctoral research scholar in Dr. Cabrera’s lab. I came to Penn State from Saint Louis University, where I earned a PhD in health care ethics. I also hold a BA and MA in philosophy from the University of Washington and Ohio University, respectively. My research interests sit at the intersection of bioethics, neuroethics, and disability studies. In my dissertation I explored the extent to which the discipline of bioethics has engaged with the concept of neurodiversity and the neurodiversity paradigm—i.e., the theoretical framework that surrounds that concept. I hope to continue to pursue this research throughout my career, not only in the normative and conceptual realm but also, eventually, the empirical realm.

When I am not reading or writing about neuroethics I can probably be found hiking, riding a bicycle, hanging out with horses, or playing some sort of string instrument.

Graduate Students

Soumita Mukherjee

Soumita is a Ph.D. candidate at Penn State University, with her primary research focus centered around the intricate domain of ethics and policy within autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. Her academic journey started with an undergraduate degree in Law from India, followed by a master’s in law at Penn State Law. During the course of her master’s program, she had the opportunity to engage with the dynamic intersection of law and technology. At present, her professional endeavors revolve around the intricate interplay of society, technology, and legal frameworks.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Aidan Andrew Taylor

Aidan is a third-year undergraduate at Penn State double majoring in Neuroscience and Philosophy. He hopes to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology at a reputable graduate program to become a licensed psychologist while pursuing research interests in affective neuroscience. Outside of academics, he is a part of the Penn State rock climbing team and loves to learn about and discuss all areas of philosophy, especially philosophy of mind.

Alejandro Munoz

Alejandro is majoring in science on the biological sciences and health professions option and minoring in bioethics and medical humanities. He finds bioethics very interesting in the way it allows him to pick apart different situation and determine the ethical degrees to them. He sees Neuroethics opening so many doors as the world is advancing to new technologies. He believes all doctors should be trained in bioethics as it is a crucial part to being the best possible healthcare provider.

Bailey McLaughlin

Bailey is third-year student majoring in Biobehavioral Health, with minors in Biology and Neuroscience. She joined the PSU Neuroethics Lab in the fall of 2023 as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the RINGS Project to collaborate with other researchers on the ethics of neurotechnologies in the Global South. She is also a member of the PSU Behavioral Neurogenetics Lab and studies the impact of adolescent stress on addiction using live rodent models. Bailey is currently a Clinic Intern at UHS, Teaching Intern for BBH310H, Vice-president of the PSU Scientific Journal Club, and volunteers as a musician and Research Coordinator for the Lively Tunes Project through Penn State College of Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar and spending time with friends and family.

As part of her involvement in the RINGS project, Bailey had the opportunity to spend a week at Monash University with Dr. Cabrera’s colleague Dr. Adrian Carter and his group.

High School Students

Ondine Goedhuis is a Junior at the Brearley School in New York City. She is interested in pursuing research in Neuroscience and Bioethics fields throughout high school and in college. She joined the PSU Neuroethics lab to be involved with interdisciplinary projects involving the ethical considerations of neurotechnology in medicine and the law. In her free time, Ondine loves running, writing poetry, and spending time with her two golden retrievers.

Past Students

Stephen Voyton

Stephen had received two bachelors from Bloomsburg University in philosophy and chemistry respectively. He is currently a graduate student at Penn State for nano-engineering and is interested in silicon high-density probes. He hopes to make improvements through nano-technology, while also investing in ethical dilemmas that may arise from novel technologies. Other than his coursework he has worked as a chemist, teaches science to high school and elementary, and believes he has a problem buying too many books he may never have the time to read.

Emily Shank

Emily Shank is a recent graduate from The Pennsylvania State University College of the Liberal Arts, where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors distinction. She worked under Dr. Laura Cabrera in the Neuroethics Lab as a Rock Ethics Institute Undergraduate Student Fellow. She is interested in understanding mental health disorders, along with the efficacy and ethics behind their treatments.

2023-2024

Ari Gluckman

Ari joined as a fourth-year undergraduate pursuing degrees in English and Physics with a minor in mathematics. He continues to be involved in the involuntary commitment data transparency project.

2023-2023

Sandra Cai Chen (she/her/hers)

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Philosophy from American University, and is currently a PhD candidate in Philosophy at Penn State. Her research explores the ethical dimension of emotions, especially in the ethics of care. Her dissertation brings together phenomenological and enactive approaches to emotions. As part of Dr. Cabrera’s Neuroethics lab, she examined the stigma associated with psychiatric-electroceutical interventions (PEIs). In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, yoga, and taking care of her 6 birds. 2022-2023

Logan A. Wincott

headshot of person Logan joined the lab as a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Criminology and Sociology from Tampa, Florida. She was a Paterno Fellow and a part of the Schreyer Honors College. She was also a member of the Rural Health Disparities Lab at Penn State, located on the 4^th floor of the Biobehavioral Health Building. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, working out, and catching up with friends over coffee.

2022-2023

Manisha Kodavatiganti (she/her/hers)

Manisha Kodavatiganti is from Hershey, PA. She is a third year student at Penn State University Park Campus studying Health Policy and Administration, with a minor in Bioethics. She is on the pre-med track, and plan to go to medical school after graduation. Her minor in bioethics spurred an interest in combining clinical medicine with the ethical side of patient care which drew her to Dr. Cabrera’s project in TMS. Outside of her coursework, she works as an EMT in and around the State College area and enjoys spending time with her dogs and friends.