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Fiza Singh, M.D.
Director, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Associate Clinical Professor, Psychiatry
Dr. Singh is an Associate Professor in the Psychiatry Department at UCSD and a Staff Psychiatrist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System for 6 years. She received her MD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2004 and completed her psychiatry residency at University of California at San Diego (UCSD) in 2009. She also completed an advanced fellowship in mental health research from 2009-2012. Dr. Singh became interested in a neural network based approach to psychiatric disorders. In this approach, fundamental neural networks that underlie normal function, are studied in patients in a transdiagnostic manner. For example, fronto-temporal neural networks known to support cognition are expected to be impaired in disorders of cognition, regardless of the DSM diagnostic criteria. This approach allows a more biological, neural network level definition of disease, which can be leveraged to identify biomarkers of treatment response as well as new treatments. In the laboratory, she is leading an effort to develop treatments to improve information processing in local networks in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortical area of the brain, by capturing EEG neurosignatures of network function. Her team is studying the effects of neurofeedback informed self-modulation of DLPFC function in individuals with schizophrenia. A similar approach is also being developed for individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Dr. Singh has enjoyed living in the San Diego area since her residency in 2006. She enjoys time at the beach, nature walks, snowboarding, traveling and learning new languages. -
I-Wei Shu, M.D.
Co-Director/ Analytics Head, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Associate Clinical Professor, Psychiatry
Dr. Shu is a tech psychiatrist specializing in novel neurophysiologic methods for assessing and modulating brain activity. With over 10 years of clinical and EEG research experience, he is currently an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD and, since 2018, has led FNL's analytics team. Dr. Shu's expertise also includes clinical trial design and stress/trauma-related disorders. He has served as Lead Psychiatrist for a multi-site Department of Defense clinical trial of the blood pressure medication losartan for PTSD, and as PTSD Medical Director for VA San Diego's south county clinics. Dr. Shu received his PhD in Neuroscience from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York in 2004 and his MD from UC Davis in Sacramento in 2006. -
Jaime Pineda, Ph.D.
Consultant/Advisor, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Professor, Cognitive Science and Neuroscience
Dr. Pineda received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 1987 from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He was a Professor in the Departments of Cognitive Science and Neuroscience at UCSD, and Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory for 28 years until his retirement in 2018. He serves as a consultant/advisor on the neurofeedback component of the schizophrenia project.
GRADUATE STUDENTS:
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Yayu Lin, M.Sc.
Graduate Student, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Yayu Lin grew up in Taiwan and received her B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from National Yang Ming University. Currently a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCSD, her research interests include analysis of neural activity and interpretation of brain mechanism. She joined the Functional Neuroscience Lab in 2020 where she works with a focus on Neurofeedback system development and EEG data analysis.
STAFF:
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Joshua Phillips, B.Sc.
Research Coordinator, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Joshua Phillips is from San Diego, CA and graduated from UCSD in March 2022 with a Bachelors of Science in Clinical Psychology. Joshua joined the Functional Neuroscience lab as a volunteer research assistant in June 2022 and is excited to learn more about the applications of EEG-Neurofeedback in different psychiatric disorders. He hopes to go to graduate school for Clinical Psychology and research novel therapies for PTSD and other psychiatric disorders. In his free time, Joshua enjoys skateboarding, playing piano and stargazing.
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Autumn Harris, B.A.
Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Autumn Harris was raised in San Diego, CA and got her Bachelors of the Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience from San Diego State University in December 2022. She joined the Functional Neuroscience lab in July 2023, and enjoys learning more about neurofeedback's potential to help different patient populations and administering neuropsychological assessments. She plans to continue her education and earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or Clinical Neuropsychology in the near future. In her free time, Autumn enjoys sewing, cooking, gardening, and playing video games.
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Jiya Shah, B.Sc.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Jiya Shah is from Gujarat, India and is currently pursuing a Bachelors Of Science in Clinical Psychology at UCSD. She joined the Functional Neuroscience Lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in February 2024. She aspires to pursue a Psy.D in Clinical Psychology. She is interested in the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on individuals' lives by learning about different research fields and advocating for mental health awareness and support. In her free time, Jiya enjoys dancing, spending time with friends and family, going to the beach and watching the sunset.
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Ruijia Xiao, B.Sc.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Ruijia Xiao was born and raised in Shanghai, China and is currently a senior Cognitive Science undergraduate in UCSD. She joined the Functional Neuroscience Lab in June 2024. She is interested in neurofeedback training, data entry, and neuropsychological assessments. She plans to study mental health counseling after graduating from UCSD. In her spare time, she likes playing video games, especially League of Legends.
ALUMNI:
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Kimiya Kasraeian, M.Sc.
Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Kimiya Kasraeian grew up in Tehran, Iran, and received her bachelor's in physics from Shahid Beheshti University. She received her master's degree in neuroscience from Arizona State University. She joined the Functional Neuroscience Lab in October 2021. She is passionate about deeply exploring the complex mechanisms underlying human cognition. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and coming up with new recipes, gardening, reading poems, and learning new languages.
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Beverly Castillo, B.Sc.
Research Coordinator, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Beverly Castillo was born in Torrance, CA and moved to San Diego to attend UCSD in 2016. In September 2018, Beverly joined the Functional Neuroscience Lab as a volunteer. In 2020, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Neuroscience. Beverly continues her involvement in our lab, administering neuropsychological tests/ interviews to our participants. In addition, Beverly works as a Behavioral Interventionist for children with Autism. Beverly enjoys reading at the beach, discovering new cooking recipes and painting. In the near future, Beverly plans to attend graduate school and become a physician assistant. -
Lauren Molony, B.Sc.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Lauren Molony is from San Diego, CA and started as an undergraduate student at UCSD in 2020. In June 2021, Lauren joined the Functional Neuroscience Lab as an undergraduate research volunteer. She graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in General Biology, and will be pursuing a PhD in translational neuroscience at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. As an undergraduate research assistant, some of her duties include administering EEG-Neurofeedback and neuropsychological tests. Lauren has long-standing interests in the biological basis of behavior and neurotechnology. In her free time, Lauren enjoys playing guitar, gardening, and hiking with her family.
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Khadija Agsalud
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Khadija Agsalud was born and raised locally in San Diego and attends UCSD, working towards her bachelor's of science degree in Human Biology. She joined the lab as an undergraduate research volunteer in May 2021. Khadija supports ongoing research through administration of EEG-neurofeedback and completion of questionnaire forms with participants. Outside of the lab, Khadija works as a Nurse Assistant at a memory care facility for elderly with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. As some hobbies, she enjoys doing henna, hiking with her family, and exploring new brunch spots around the city. In the future, Khadija plans to pursue a medical degree.
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Rohini Sen, B.Sc.
Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Rohini is from Mumbai, India, and moved to San Diego in 2016 for her undergraduate studies. She joined the Functional Neuroscience Lab as an undergraduate research volunteer in 2018. She recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and is currently working as a research assistant in the lab. Her duties include administering EEG-neurofeedback, neurophysiological testing, pupillometry to the subjects and assisting on data analyses, literature reviews, website building among other tasks. She is passionate about deeply exploring the complex mechanisms underlying human cognition, thoughts and behavior and aspires to work in the field of mental health. She is a self-confessed coffee enthusiast and in her free time, enjoys spending time with friends and family, dancing, art and nature trails. -
Veronica Gandara, B.Sc.
Research Coordinator, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Veronica Gandara was born in Stockholm, Sweden and moved to San Diego in 2008. After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at California State University, San Marcos, Veronica joined the functional neuroscience laboratory in June 2018. As a research associate, she is administering neurofeedback and neurophysiological testing. In her free time, Veronica loves to spend time with her husband, Mark, their son, Oliver, and the family’s four dogs. -
Shawn Hsu, Ph.D.
Collaborator, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Postdoctoral Researcher, Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience
Sheng-Hsiou (Shawn) Hsu was a postdoc in the lab at UCSD. His research focuses on developing signal processing algorithms and machine learning techniques and exploring their applications to biosignals intersecting the fields of computational neuroscience, brain-computer interfaces, and brain health. He received a PhD in Bioengineering from UCSD and a BS in Electrical Engineering from National Taiwan University. During his time in the lab, he participated in studying the changes in resting-state EEG and working-memory ERP during neurofeedback treatment in Schizophrenia patients and also developed a real-time EEG signal processing system for neurofeedback. -
Amanda Smith, B.A.
Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Amanda was born in Philadelphia and moved to San Diego to complete their BA in Cognitive Science at UCSD. After graduating, they began working for the Cognitive Science department at UCSD as a Research Assistant investigating the effects of neurofeedback on working memory in schizophrenia. They then went on to receive an MA in Biomedical Sciences at Midwestern University and is currently enrolled at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. They plan to apply to general surgery residency and eventually open their own practice with a focus on providing services to underserved populations. When not preparing for exams, they can be found getting lost in nature and experimenting with different forms of art and self-expression. -
Eduardo Herreira, B.A.
Research Assistant, Functional Neuroscience Laboratory
Eduardo completed undergraduate studies at UC Merced in Northern California earning a BA in Psychology. Combining his curiosity in neuroscience, his background in psychology, and questions about societal needs, he joined the Psychology and Cognitive Science Departments at UC San Diego as a Research Assistant. He gained invaluable research experience including data acquisition of EEG, fMRI, behavioral, and data analysis. He helped launch schizophrenia research by configuring neurofeedback systems, analyzing EEG data, experiment design. He is a prospective PhD student and seeks matriculated training in brain research to inform societal needs. Eduardo is a father and lives in San Diego, CA with his family.