Lab Members
| Principal Investigator | |
 | Emily S. Finn (she/her) Emily is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College. She completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience at Yale, and her postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health. Before that, she received a B.A. in linguistics, also from Yale. Emily’s work is focused on individual variability in brain activity and behavior, especially as it relates to appraisal of ambiguous information under naturalistic conditions. When not science-ing, she can often be found doing something outdoors, playing guitar (poorly), or summoning the motivation to exercise. [CV] - [Google Scholar] - [Email] |
| Postdoctoral Fellows | |
 | Rekha Varrier (she/her) Rekha is a postdoctoral fellow in the FINN lab. She holds a bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from NIT Warangal (India) and a Master's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from Maastricht University (The Netherlands). She did her doctoral work at the Visual Perception lab at Charite-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany) and was part of the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin. Rekha is broadly interested in learning what makes perception subjective even in the absence of explicit biases (e.g. “the dress” on Tumblr). In the FINN lab, she is excited to study how changing low-level physical properties can influence complex social percepts. Her current hobbies include discovering new hiking trails, hogging history videos on YouTube and perfecting a sourdough recipe. [Google Scholar] - [Email] |
 | Qi (Kay) Liang (she/her) Kay is a postdoctoral fellow in the FINN lab. Before Dartmouth, she received her B.S. in Psychology and Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from East China Normal University. Kay has always been fascinated by the social nature of humans. In the FINN lab, she would like to learn how individuals perceive and represent social information under their own biases. Outside the lab, Kay enjoys reading sci-fi novels, stepping on snow, and catching Pokémon around every corner. [Google Scholar] - [Email] |
| Graduate Students | |
 | Clara Sava-Segal (she/her) Clara is a Cognitive Neuroscience graduate student in the FINN Lab. Before Dartmouth, she got her Bachelor’s degree from UChicago in 2018 and then worked as a research assistant at Stanford’s Laboratory for Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. Broadly, Clara is interested in how we integrate information with our existent knowledge, and how neural patterns are formed, modified and updated with experiences. Specifically, she is interested in how certain experiences and traits drive differences in behavior and neural activity across individuals and is excited to use naturalistic stimuli to investigate these questions. Outside the lab, Clara can be found painting, reading, hiking, or doing science education outreach. [Google Scholar] - [Email] |
 | Thomas Botch (he/him) Tommy is a Cognitive Neuroscience graduate student co-advised by the FINN Lab and Robertson Lab. He received a B.S. in Psychobiology in 2017 from UCLA. After graduating, he worked as a research assistant for UCLA Center of Behavioral and Addiction Medicine, a cheesemonger, and, penultimately, a lab manager for the Robertson Lab. Broadly, Tommy is interested in how differences in brain and behavior drive individual experience under ambiguous circumstances. Specifically, how do state- and trait-based factors, across neurotypical and neurodiverse populations, influence the processing of information and resulting behavior. Outside of lab, Tommy enjoys hiking, playing music, cooking, and petting animals that cross his path. [Google Scholar] - [Email] |
 | Kathryn O'Nell (she/her) Katie is a graduate student in the FINN Lab. She holds an undergraduate degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and a master's degree from Oxford in Experimental Psychology. Her main interests center on social cognition, particularly how we represent others' minds in terms of social concepts and categories -- and how traditional narrative forms drive the creation of these concepts. Outside of the lab, Katie enjoys hiking, puzzle hunts, and proselytizing about the wonders of public libraries to anyone who will listen. [Google Scholar] - [Email] |
| Lab Managers and Full-Time RAs | |
 | Tory Benson (she/her) Tory is a full-time research assistant and lab manager in the FINN Lab. She received a B.A. in Psychology and Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley in 2022. She is broadly interested in what leads individuals to perceive the world around them differently. Specifically, how differences in brain structure and functional connectivity may give rise to these differences in perception, and differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent perception. Outside of the lab, Tory can be found doodling, making homes out of various coffee shops, admiring nature, and excitedly pointing out every dog she sees. [Email] |
 | Zishan Su (she/her) Zishan is a full-time research assistant the FINN Lab. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Psychology from the University of Rochester, and her Master’s degree from the University of Chicago. She is broadly interested in how beliefs and motivations shape human perception and decision-making. Specifically, how factors like traits and negative experiences impact individuals’ prior beliefs and how those beliefs subsequently influence their perceptions of events or interactions, as well as their judgments and decisions. Outside of the lab, Zishan enjoys swimming, skiing, reading, and binge-watching Netflix. |
| Undergraduate RAs | |
 | Megan Leung (she/her) Megan is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in engineering sciences modified with neuroscience, and is hoping to have a career in the healthcare field after graduation. Outside of the lab, she can be found reading, baking, roller skating (not very well), or searching for the best iced coffee. |
 | Ella Russ (she/her) Ella is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She is a potential psychology or neuroscience major with many different interests! She is hoping to have a career in the general area of the healthcare field. Outside of the lab, she can be found spending time outdoors, playing soccer, hiking, or hanging out with friends. |
 | Anna Katherine Ray (she/her) Anna Katherine is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in psychology and is hoping to go to graduate school and ultimately pursue a career in academia. She is interested in friendship and competition between women. Outside of the lab, Anna Katherine enjoys hiking, playing volleyball, and trying fancy coffee. |
 | Ash Chinta (they/them) Ash Chinta is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. They plan on majoring in neuroscience or psychology. Their hobbies include writing, traditional dance, taking photos of everything (but especially ducks), and reading weird stories. |
 | Sofia Yawand-Wossen (she/her) Sofia Yawand-Wossen is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She is a ’25 currently pursuing a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a minor in psychology hoping to study behavioral economics and business administration. Outside of the lab, she enjoys running, reading, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with friends. |
 | Caroline Balick (she/her) Caroline is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She is a psychology major with a sociology minor in social inequalities: she is fascinated about the impact that larger social structures have on individual mental health. On campus, she is involved in Spare Rib Magazine, the Sexual Assault Peer Alliance, Hillel, and First Year Trips. Some of her hobbies include listening to music (her favorite artists are Frank Ocean, Japanese Breakfast, and Lucy Dacus), playing tennis, reading memoirs, and biking around campus! |
 | Katherine Bartolino (she/her) Katie is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She is planning on double majoring in Neuroscience and Film and Media studies. On campus, she is involved with Club Ski, Women in Media, and First Year Trips. In her free time, she loves to go on walks around Pine Park, spend time at the river, journal, and watch lots of movies. |
 | Georgia Nieh (she/her) Georgia is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She plans to major in neuroscience or biomedical engineering (or neural engineering if possible!) and intends to ultimately pursue a career in medicine or Biotech. Outside of the lab, Georgia enjoys lifting, drawing, making cringeworthy puns, and exploring nature. |
 | Evan Bloch (he/him) Evan is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. He is a ’24 currently pursuing a B.A. in neuroscience with a minor in history with ultimate plans of attending medical school. He is interested in functional neuroscience and how creative imaging techniques can advance research in the field. Outside of the lab, he spends time racing for the Club Ski Team, mountain biking, and exploring the Upper Valley. |
 | Eliana Stanford (she/her) Eliana is an undergraduate research assistant in the FINN Lab. She is currently studying Neuroscience and Computer Science modified with Digital Arts. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career in biotech, and potentially enter the field of bioethics. Outside of the lab, she is involved in Competitive Robotics, Dartmouth EMS, The Dartmouth Podcast, and Club Basketball. |
| Lab Mascot | |
 | Crosby Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (who goes by Crosby) is a full-time Bernedoodle and alternates between two alter egos, "Muppet" and "Monster". Crosby recently graduated from the White Mountain College for Pets as vale-dog-torian (class size: 2). He is responsible for making sure Emily gets her daily dose of fresh air, no matter the weather, and can often be found chewing rugs or terrorizing plants. |
| Lab Alumni Peng Liu, postdoc 2022-2023 now postdoc at the University of Florida Clare Grall, postdoc 2020-2022 now Behavioral Researcher at StoryFit Hongji Kim, visiting PhD student 2021-2022 current PhD student in the Cocoan Lab at SungKyunKwan University in South Korea Eneko Uruñuela, visiting PhD student 2022 current PhD student in the Signal Processing in Neuroimaging Lab at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language in Spain Josie Equita, lab manager 2020-2022 Jordan Selesnick, full-time RA 2022-2023 Robin Sandell, part-time RA 2023 now research assistant in the Brain Networks Lab at UCSF Evan Lai, undergraduate RA 2023 Shannon Zeilman, undergraduate RA 2022-2023 Hannah Nicolson, undergraduate RA 2022-2023 Alison Sasaki, undergraduate RA 2022-2023 Jonathan Pazen, undergraduate RA 2022 Ashna Kumar, undergraduate RA 2021-2022 Payton Weiner, undergraduate RA 2021 |