Dr. Itamar Lerner is a cognitive and computational neuroscientist and the Principal Investigator of the Sleep and Memory Computational Lab. His research interests include the effects of sleep on learning, hippocampal-dependent memory and its involvement in pattern recognition and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the brain mechanisms behind creativity and insight, associative processes in semantic memory in healthy and schizophrenic individuals, and language acquisition. Visit itamarlerner.com for additional information.
Emerson is a second-year PhD student in Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Emerson completed his Master’s in Psychology from UTSA and previously earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Organic Chemistry from the University of Mobile. He also holds a Master of Science in Biology from Auburn University. Emerson’s research interests focus on understanding the biological mechanisms involved in how sleep influences the development of stress and trauma, and how these processes contribute to disorders such as PISD.
Oscar is a second-year master’s student in Psychology fascinated by the intersection of sleep and MRI research. He’s interested in how sleep can act as a biomarker for understanding psychopathology. His curiosity centers on how sleep encodes memory and connects to psychological processes. With growing experience in neuroimaging, he aims to uncover how brain activity during sleep reveals the mechanisms behind memory and mental health.
Justique is a first year graduate student with the Masters of Science in Psychology program who plans to pursue a doctoral degree and a career in psychological research. She has a strong interest in Cognitive Psychology and the role cognitive functions play in sleep, memory, and psychological well-being. She has worked with the lab since 2023 and is continuing to gain research experience learning about the different facets of human mental processes.
Miranda is a Neuroscience PhD student at UT San Antonio. She completed her BSc in Chemistry and Neuroscience at the University of Notre Dame in 2020 and her MSc in Neuroscience at the University College London & the Francis Crick Institute in 2021. Her research interests include sleep-dependent memory consolidation, pattern detection, and learning probability distributions. To better understand information processing in the human brain, she also designs and implements machine learning algorithms in spiking neural networks. Broader career goals include researching sleep & memory across the lifespan, developing evidence-based tools to facilitate classroom teaching, and supporting education in secondary schools through community-based partnerships.
Aayushma is a second-year International Ph.D. Student in Neuroscience from Nepal. Graduated with a BSc. Double major in Biology and Chemistry in 2021 and right after, she held a Research Technician position in Burke Neuroscience Institute, NY where she was studying motor function. For her PhD, she wants to focus on questions about the role of sleep in cognitive function. If sleep can modulate memory and influence emotional regulation, how does it do so? Does sleep merely shift associative memory strength, or does it tune them according to specific rules? To address these questions, she hopes to combine fear-based behavioral paradigms with neural activity readouts. Visit aayushmakunwar.carrd.co for more information.
Brianna just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in psychology and is currently in her first year of her master’s. Her concentration isn’t too specific yet but she is really fascinated by the fear studies that are currently happening in the lab and how that interacts with sleep.
Sabrina is currently completing her post-baccalaureate studies and hopes to attend a Texas medical school in the upcoming year. She has been part of the lab for nearly four years, where she manages day-to-day operations and contributes to ongoing research. Sabrina is passionate about exploring how sleep influences memory processes and fear responses, and she enjoys applying scientific inquiry to better understand the brain’s complex relationship with rest and emotional regulation.
Mandy is a fourth-year, first-gen undergraduate student majoring in Pre-Med Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology, with the hopes of entering a PhD or MD/PhD program. She found interest in Dr. Lerner’s lab after attending his 3-day training program her freshman year. Mandy has a special interest in clinical trials and wants to research traumatic brain injury, the neurological effects of kidney diseases like DKD, and how generational trauma affects people’s development and lifestyle. Through her collective research in and outside the lab, she hopes her experience can help shape her future career endeavors.
Anvitha is an honors senior majoring in Pre-Medical Neuroscience with a minor in Business Administration. She started as a research assistant in the Sleep and Memory Computational Lab in September 2024.
Passionate about medicine and helping others, she plans to attend medical school after graduating in 2027 to become a pediatric neurologist. Her primary interests lie in cognitive neuroscience, particularly in the ways sleep affects memory and emotional reactivity. She’s excited to dive into these topics through her work in the lab and deepen her understanding of the brain and its specific functions.
Briana is currently an undergrad majoring in Psychology and minoring in Computer Science at UTSA. She found the lab after enrolling in Dr. Lerner’s Sleep and Memory class and finding an interest in the research and wanted a way to be a part of it. Briana plans on applying for a PhD for clinical psychology after graduation and hopes that all the different skills she’s learned in the lab will stay with her to help her in her future endeavors.
Laiba is a senior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology on the pre-medical track She joined the Sleep and Memory Lab because she is fascinated by how sleep plays a critical role in learning, memory, and overall brain function. This research inspires her to explore the brain more deeply as she pursues her goal of becoming a neurologist. Through this lab, she hopes to gain valuable experience in neuroscience research while contributing to discoveries about the relationship between sleep and cognition.
Sanayah is a first-year undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-medical track and minoring in Biology. She is a new research assistant in Dr. Lerner’s Lab as of Fall 2025 and is excited to deepen her understanding of the mind while also broadening her view of research. She plans to attend medical school after graduating with her Bachelor’s of Science in 2029 in hopes of becoming a pediatric neurologist.
Adella is a sophomore majoring in Pre-Medical Neuroscience. She joined this lab to delve deeper into the world of neuroscience and connect it with her love for medicine. Growing up, she was always inspired by and mesmerized with Doctors Without Borders, which opened her eyes to healthcare in conflict zones. She is curious about how war and trauma affect the brain over time, particularly epigenetic changes and their lasting effects on children and future generations. After graduation, she hopes to go to medical school and work with NGOs where she can combine medicine, neuroscience research, and international aid.
Davan goes by Dave to make everything easier.
He majors in philosophy here at UT San Antonio, and he’s looking to minor in Psychology as well.
The mind and brain are super interesting to him, and he could sit and ramble for hours about all the weird things our brains do, or on a more metaphysical note, where our minds even come from in the first place! Is it just an experience which is hallucinated through signals? Are we actually ghosts in our bodies? Despite the uncertainty of any real answer, he thinks they’re fun questions to dig into!
Emily is majoring in Neuroscience and is expected to graduate in 2028.
She is passionate about neuroscience and is dedicated to continuing her education and experience in the field. She’s interested in the functions of the neurons and the brain. After she attains her bachelor’s degree, she aims for grad school to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience. She attended the 3-day research training program and was immediately interested in becoming involved with the lab. She’s excited to learn and gain hands on research experience in Dr. Lerner’s lab!
Cleo is a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in psychology. They joined the Sleep and Memory Computational Lab to pursue their interest in the cognitive and computational neuroscience of memory, with particular curiosity about how sleep contributes to memory consolidation. Cleo will be contributing to the lab’s EFRI BRAID project on temporal scaffolding, which connects to a longstanding personal interest in artificial intelligence. After graduating in 2027, they plan to pursue a PhD in neuroscience focused on memory and cognition.
Davi is a junior majoring in Neuroscience with a concentration in Pre-Med and is expected to graduate in Spring 2028. After previously participating in a study conducted by the lab, he joined the research team to gain hands on experience and further explore his interest in REM sleep and its effects. He is especially interested in understanding the relationship between sleep, memory, and cognition, as well as how neuroscience research can contribute to advancements in medicine. After graduation, Davi plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a neurologist.
Aiden is a Neuroscience major on the pre-med track. He joined the Sleep and Memory Lab at the beginning of this summer, and he really enjoyed being a part of it so far. He loves being able to take things he’s learned in his classes and actually apply them to the work we do in the lab. He also works as an EMT, which has made him even more passionate about going to medical school. He’s noticed that sometimes what he learns in the lab helps him think differently as an EMT, and his experiences as an EMT also help him approach things in the lab from a different perspective.
Joel is a third year, first-gen undergraduate student majoring in psychology! He is a new research assistant in Dr. Lerner’s lab joining us in the Fall of 2026. He plans on graduating in the fall of 2027 with hopes to pursue a master’s degree focusing on methodology and psychometric studies. After participating in a study in this lab back in 2024, Joel became fascinated with the process and wanted to learn more about it. Joel is extremely excited to learn more about the human mind and how it correlates with sleep!!
An undergraduate in Psychology, Markus aspires to be a Clinical Psychologist, primarily researching Dissociative Disorders and Personality Disorders. He is an RA for the EMS study and is the number 1 clinical question haver. He wants to understand the why, how, and what if in a lot of things, always reaching out to make simple things as complicated as possible (because what is psychology without the infinite complexity?). He hopes to be able to work with kids and adolescents to do early prevention treatment against Dissociative and Personality disorders, finding new ways to assess and treat for a more successful prognosis before they are met with adulthood.
Johanna is a third-year undergraduate majoring in Psychology on a pre-nursing track. She plans to graduate in the fall of 2027 while simultaneously attending her first semester of Nursing school. She later plans to enlist in the Navy medical branch. After having the opportunity to visit the lab, she instantly became interested in the processes of sleep and its effect on our daily life’s. Johanna has always had a heavy interest in all things psychology especially when it comes to forensics, behaviors, and dreams! She is a first-year researcher assistant looking to gain experience and deepen her knowledge in psychology and research!
Emely is a junior majoring in pre-medical biology. She is fascinated by how the brain works and how it shapes everyday things like learning, memory, and mood, which is what drew her to the sleep and memory lab. She is still exploring different areas of research to see what fits her best, and she sees this lab as a chance to learn how studies are designed and carried out. Her long-term goal is to become a dermatologist, and she believes research experience will strengthen her skills in critical thinking and working with data. She is also interested in how sleep connects to overall health, which she sees as important for her future work as a physician.
Sam is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying neuroscience and chemistry on the pre-med track. She joined the Sleep and Memory Computational Lab in Fall 2026 to learn more about how sleep influences learning and cognitive function. In addition to her work in the lab, she is an EMS professional, an experience she hopes will allow her to bridge her clinical and research interests as she prepares for medical school and potentially a PhD.
Beverly joined The Sleep and Memory Computational Lab in the Spring of 2022. She previously completed her bachelor’s degree in biology in 2012 through WGU and decided to change focus, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology at UTSA before continuing to a master’s program. Her research interests involved memory consolidation during sleep and the external influences which may hinder or bolster the consolidation process.
Emily was an undergraduate Research Assistant in The Sleep and Memory Computational Lab and started in September of 2020. During her time as a Research Assistant she was given the opportunity to help set up the lab, review grant proposals and train incoming Research Assistants. Under Dr. Lerner’s leadership she gained a deeper understanding of sleep and its function, as well as deepening her passion for research.
James first began working with Dr. Lerner as an undergraduate in February 2020. During this time span, he experienced coding in Python and JavaScript using PsychoPy to write experiments, used in his own research as well as other master’s students. He also had the opportunity to help develop lab protocols that will be used in the lab’s research with PSG and EEG-based experiments. In addition, James gained experience with applying for grant proposals and had a firsthand education on sleep and sleep research.
Sarah is a second-year master’s student in The Sleep and Memory Computational Lab, which she joined in June 2020. Under Dr. Lerner’s supervision, she is working on her Master’s thesis examining how sleep affects temporal pattern recognition and insight, and particularly how slow-wave sleep during naps influence the integration of proximal events into a single memory. She is excited to continue fulfilling her passion for research and psychology!