People
Anna Konova, PhD | Principal Investigator
Anna completed her PhD in Integrative Neuroscience with Rita Z. Goldstein at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Stony Brook University. She was then a postdoctoral fellow with Paul W. Glimcher at the Center for Neural Science at NYU. At Rutgers, Anna directs the ADN Lab which studies the computational and neural basis of human decision making in health and addiction.
E-mail: anna.konova@rutgers.edu
Julia Kong, BA | Project Manager
Julia received her BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Rutgers University in 2018. Before joining the ADN Lab, her research focused on alcohol use disorder and factors that made treatment more successful. She also worked in a residential treatment facility that specializes in opioid use disorder. In her spare time, Julia enjoys jigsaw puzzles, martial arts, and exploring new food.
E-mail: j.kong@rutgers.edu
Joshua Stuckey | Laboratory Technician
Josh received his BA in Cell Biology and Neuroscience from Rutgers University. Prior to joining the ADN Lab, he studied the relationship between psychosocial stressors, PTSD, and schizophrenia in humans using biomarkers identified in buccal cells with Dr. Bonnie Firestein's lab at Rutgers. He is eager to continue investigating how environmental risk factors affect mental health in a new clinical population here in the Konova Lab. In his free time, Josh enjoys going to the gym, producing music, and playing guitar.
E-mail: js2907@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
Manny Alvarez | PhD Student | TRACC-RU & NIDA T32 Fellow
Manny is pursuing his PhD in Neuroscience at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Before joining the ADN Lab, he examined reward function in schizotypy and hypomania at Rowan University, where he received his BS in Psychology. His research interests include deciphering the role of reward dysfunction in severe psychopathology and its neural correlates. In his spare time, Manny enjoys cycling and seeking out great food.
E-mail: emmanuel.alvarez@rutgers.edu
Emma Schweitzer | PhD Student | NJ Acts TL1 Fellow
Emma is a PhD student in Neuroscience at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Prior to joining the ADN Lab she studied decision-making behavior and the role of oxytocin in mediating social reward value in Dr. Tim Hackenberg's lab at Reed College, where she received her B.A. in Neuroscience. Her research interests encompass how value is represented in the brain and the neurobiology of decision-making in healthy and disease states. When not in lab, Emma enjoys baking and 3D printing assembly.
E-mail: ems356@gsbs.rutgers.edu
Francesca LoFaro | PhD Student
Francesca received her B.S. in Computational Neuroscience from the University of Puget Sound. Prior to joining the Konova lab she did resting state fMRI research using the Human Connectome Project and worked with Dr. Read Montague on sub-second neurotransmitter signaling in humans during decision making tasks. When not researching, she enjoys watching every TV show and movie she can while eating anything sugary.
E-mail: fml42@gsbs.rutgers.edu
Sergej Grunevski | PhD Student
Sergej received his B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Kansas in 2019. Prior to starting his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, he worked with Drs. Tim Pleskac and Richard Yi on decision-making studies in participants with addiction and in healthy controls. Outside of work, Sergej enjoys learning to play the piano and staying in touch with family in Macedonia.
E-mail: sergej.grunevski@rutgers.edu
Alina Smirnova | Undergraduate Research Assistant
Alina is currently an undergraduate student at Rutgers University, where she is pursuing dual degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science. Her academic focus centers on the neurological aspects of cognition, with a precise interest in how decision-making is influenced in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Alina is thrilled to join the ADN Lab, where she will have the opportunity to actively contribute to research that can positively impact many. In her free time, she indulges in painting and traveling to different destinations like Germany and Portugal.
E-mail: as3432@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
Helena Mattar | Undergraduate Research Assistant
Helena is currently an undergraduate student at Rutgers University where she is pursuing a BA in Cognitive Science, on the Cognitive Neuroscience track, with a minor in Biological Sciences. Her academic interests focus on the clinical applications of cognitive and computational neuroscience. Helena Is enthusiastic to further develop her understanding of decision making as a member of the ADN lab. In her free time, Helena enjoys attending concerts and crocheting.
E-mail: hm536@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
Errol | Seeing-Eye Puppy-in-training
Errol is a black Lab cross (75% Labrador Retriever/25% Golden Retriever). He is excited to become a guide dog for his future person. Here in the Konova lab, Errol is learning basic obedience while being socialized to a variety of new experiences. In his spare time, Errol enjoys playing fetch, going on walks, and eating lots of kibble.
Former Lab Members
Luisa Echeverry | Undergraduate Research Assistant
Syed Sarwar | Undergraduate Honors Thesis Student
Richard Goyette | Undergraduate NeuroSURP Summer Student
Sahar Hafezi | Clinical Research Coordinator
Lindsay Ahn | High School Intern
Maëlle Gueguen, PhD | Postdoctoral Fellow
Lauren Keating Reidy | Research Assistant
Hyeonjin Cathy Kim | Visiting PhD Student
Murium Whala | Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kathryn Biernacki, PhD | Postdoctoral Associate
Ananya Kapoor | Graduate Research Assistant
David Lau | Undergraduate Research Assistant/Programmer
Akshita Kumar | Undergraduate Research Assistant/Project SUPER Fellow
Dhruv Govil | Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant
Josh Zhao | Accelerated BA/MD Student
Michael Park | MD Student
Darla Bonagura | Lab Manager
Joany Xue | Undergraduate Research Assistant
Melanie Ruiz | Aresty Research Fellow
Robert Laumbach | Aresty Research Fellow
Gabriela Silguero | Undergraduate Research Assistant
Yash Nisar | Graduate Research Assistant/Programmer
Adaugo Chikezie | Undergraduate Honors Thesis Student
Rhea Kanwar | Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mingwen Dong | Senior Research Assistant, Neuroscience PhD Student