Professor Jeffrey Cockburn

Assistant Professor: Principal Investigator

Office: PBSB 174

email: jeffrey-cockburn@uiowa.edu

I have recently joined the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences as an Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa. 

Previously, I was a post-doctoral research associate in neuroscience at CalTech working with prof. John O'Doherty.  I received my PhD in Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences from Brown University with Prof. Michael J. Frank. Prior to that, I received an interdisciplinary MSc (Computer & Cognitive Sciences) working with Prof. Clay Holroyd at the University of Victoria, where I studied computer science and philosophy as an undergrad.

I am growing my lab.
If you are creative, curious, and motivated by the mysteries of the brain, please contact me.

Hongyao Gao

Graduate Student 

email: hongyao-gao@uiowa.edu

I received my B.S. in Psychology from Central China Normal University. Before coming to the University of Iowa, I worked as a research assistant in cognitive neuroscience at Beijing Normal University.

My research interests broadly focus on the dynamic processes of learning and decision-making, the computational and neural mechanisms that support them, and how these underpinnings relate to mental disorders.

Abdul Ahmed

Lab Manager & Research Intern

email: abdelrahim-ahmed@uiowa.edu

I graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Iowa in 2023 and plan to attend medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry.

I am interested in exploring how psychiatric anxiety disorders, such as GAD, are reflected in decision-making behaviors. Additionally, I'm interested in furthering my understanding about the cognitive mechanisms behind impaired decision-making in individuals with mental health conditions, as well as the brain structures involved in these processes.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Addison Busta

Preston Gillespie

Julia Grosche

Dov Kurtis

Lucy Walker

Alysha Rinehart