Dr. C. Nikki Arrington
Primary Investigator
Nikki Arrington is a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia State University. She holds positions at the GSU TReNDS Center and GSU/GT Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, where she oversees research operations for the center.
She completed her graduate work at the University of Houston in Developmental Psychology with an emphasis in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her expertise is in structural neuroimaging and neuromodulation techniques. Her research focuses on the neurocognitive and neurobiological basis of reading and executive function.
Arrington’s work has been funded by the Oak Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and National Center for Neuromodulation for Rehabilitation. Her work has been published in Neuropsychology Review, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Brain and Language, and Scientific Study of Reading, among others.
Dr. Robin Morris
Co-Primary Investigator
Robin Morris is a Regents Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience and Psychology. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Morris served as the Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation guiding the university during the first half of the strategic plan’s implementation. He is Regent’s Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University and is the past Vice President for Research, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Georgia State. He currently holds faculty research appointments in the Center for Research on Atypical Development and Learning and GSU/Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, and is an Associate Faculty in the Neurosciences Institutes. Dr. Morris received his B.A. from Emory University, M.S. from Trinity University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. He has published widely and has federal grant awards from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Rachael Harrington
Co-Investigator
Rachael Harrington is a certified speech-language pathologist and assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Center for Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language and Literacy.
Harrington completed her graduate work at Georgetown University focusing on neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation of the motor system after stroke. She completed her postdoctoral work at Georgia State University in the Department of Psychology through the Center for Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language and Literacy. This work focused on the neurobiology of language and literacy and the rehabilitation of aphasia and alexia.
Harrington’s work has been funded by the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Her work has been published in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Brain Stimulation, and Frontiers in Neurology among others.
Dr. Lisa Krishnamurthy
Co-Investigator
Lisa Krishnamurthy is a Magnetic Resonance (MR) Physicist with considerable experience in designing and optimizing MRI acquisition and experiments. Her work in this area was recognized internationally by the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) by being selected as a semi-finalist in the ISMRM Young Investigator Award competition for her development of T2-Relaxation Under Phase Contrast (TRU-PC) MRI. The goal of her research is to develop clinically-relevant novel MR acquisition schemes to mechanistically understand the human brain, and how it changes in the presence of pathology, cognitive disability, and aging. Dr. Krishnamurthy is currently PI on a VA RR&D CDA1, and co-I on two VA RR&D Merits.
Dr. Adianes Herrera-Diaz
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Adianes Herrera-Diaz is a recent postdoctoral research assoc
iate at GSU/GT Center for Advanced Brain Imaging. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience at McMaster University (Canada), and worked previously at the Cuban Neuroscience Center, where she applied various brain imaging techniques, particularly electroencephalography and event-related potentials (EEG/ERPs) to study cognitive function of different clinical populations. Her research targets brain injury and its pathological effects on sensory, cognitive and language processing. Adianes is also interested in multimodal brain data analysis and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques for rehabilitation.
Her recent studies have been funded by the Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) opportunity made possible by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Research Staff
Dylan Williams
Dylan Williams is a third-year undergraduate biomedical science and enterprise major with a minor in chemistry. He is interested in going to medical school and would like to go into psychiatry or pediatrics upon graduation. Outside of academic work, Dylan enjoys watching movies and is also a member of the men’s soccer team at Georgia State.
Eimhear Davis
Eimhear ‘Ever’ Davis recently received their Masters in Neuroscience from Georgia State University. They joined the research team in August of 2022, and has thoroughly enjoyed researching the effects of TMS on the reading network. Specifically, they are interested in the clinical applications of TMS in various neurological conditions. While their future goals are plentiful and of many different fields, their “near” future goal is to obtain a PhD in clinical psychology. They spend most of their free time upcycling clothes, painting, baking, or adventuring outdoors with their cat and dog.
Ethan Lavine
Ethan Lavine is a graduate research assistant and ordinary human male. He graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology and, for a time, used it to convince people he should work in IT. Later he began to teach himself how to teach his computer to do art for money. He now spends his time working to become a master of neuroscience and learning to read brain imaging. One day he hopes to help people with developmental disabilities to make the world a more equitable and educated place.
Gehna Gupta
Gehna Gupta is a graduate research assistant working at the Reading Research lab since 2021. She is an international student from India, and came to the U.S. to be able to study how the brain works and develops with neurodevelopmental disorders. She is currently working on getting her master’s in neuroscience from Georgia State University. Her research focuses on sex differences in developmental dyslexia, particularly in white matter integrity. She really likes working with kids, and is waiting to start her PhD program in developmental psychology at Florida State University in the fall! In her free time, Gehna likes to read, watch movies, and cook.
Gianna Spaulding
Gianna Spaulding is a third-year undergraduate research assistant majoring in Neuroscience with a pre-medical concentration. She is particularly interested in the intersection of memory and bilingualism within the reading network. Her future goals include obtaining a master’s degree and an MD, with an interest in exploring internal medicine or general surgery. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing video games, attending concerts, and visiting new restaurants and cafés with friends.
Katie Wallace
Katie Wallace is a graduate research assistant for the Mechanisms of Individualized Neurorehabilitation Treatment (MINT) Lab. She is first-year graduate student pursing her master’s degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders at Georgia State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences from Auburn University in 2023. She is interested in research that relates to the speech and language networks of the brain. In the future, she hopes to become a speech-language pathologist and work in rehabilitation with those who have experienced brain injuries and/or strokes. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and traveling.
Kennedy Ralph
Kennedy Ralph is a graduate research assistant at the GSU/GT Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in neuroscience at Georgia State University. Her research interests focus on the neurobiology of developmental disorders, and she is passionate about advancing our understanding of how these conditions affect the brain. Kennedy plans to pursue a PhD in Neuropsychology with the goal of opening a private practice to diagnose and support children with developmental disorders. Outside of her academic work, Kennedy enjoys traveling, hosting friends and family, exploring new restaurants, and spending time outdoors.
Narciso Moquete
Narciso Moquete is a fourth-year undergraduate research assistant majoring in Neuroscience. He has been in the Read Lab since Spring of 2023. His research interest involves the neuroplasticity of the brain following functional or structural damage to our language-dominant left hemisphere. Narciso is currently looking at the neuroanatomical differences among developmental versus acquired reading impairments. His research goals are to understand our brain’s adaptation post-impairment so that treatments for these reading impairments can be properly implemented. Upon graduating Narciso plans to continue his studies and complete an MD/PhD program. Outside of lab and his studies Narciso enjoys traveling and snorkeling.
Yishai Perez
Yishai Perez graduated from Georgia State with a bachelor’s in psychology. Currently he serves as a research assistant at the GSU/GT Center for Advanced Brain Imaging and plans on pursuing a graduate degree in cognitive psychology in the near future. His research interests include the development of language and literacy skills in the brain in both typical and atypical populations. In his free time Yishai enjoys reading, checking out hiking trails around Georgia, and listening to podcasts.
Research Partners
Project Alumni
Evelyn Farkas
Evelyn Farkas was an undergraduate research assistant with the Reading Research Lab from 2021 to 2024. She recently received her Bachelor degree in both neuroscience and journalism from Georgia State University, as she is passionate about the intersection of science, medicine, and communication. Her current research interests include the comorbidity of psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression in developmental dyslexia, and more broadly, the potential of noninvasive neuromodulation in their treatment. She was recently accepted to an MD/PhD program at University of Georgia for the fall of 2024. In her free time, she enjoys singing in choir, going on hikes, and watersports on the lake
Evie Bledniak
Evie Bledniak served as a research assistant working as part of the Reading Research Team at the Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (CABI) from 2021 to 2023. During that time she worked on several projects investigating the effects of neuromodulation on the reading network in typical readers and individuals with dyslexia. Her research interests include understanding the effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) on reading network functional connectivity and the use of TMS as a treatment for persistent dyslexia in adults.
Evie obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience at Georgia State University. She was recently accepted into the Clinical Neuropsychology PhD program at GSU for fall 2023. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, sewing, and going to concerts.
Flora Heydari
Flora Heydari graduated from Georgia State University in 2021. She worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant at CABI/TReNDS, where she contributed to studies on neuromodulation’s effects on the reading network in typical readers and investigated the role of non-invasive brain stimulation in memory. Recently accepted to the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for Summer 2025, she hopes to specialize in neurology and further explore her passion for the nervous system. In her free time, she enjoys baking and spending time with her dogs.