People

Principal Investigator

Kristen Kennedy, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator | kristen.kennedy1@utdallas.edu
Professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Center for Vital Longevity
The University of Texas at Dallas
Associate Professor of Advanced Imaging Research
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Post-Doctoral Scientist

Jessica Kraft, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Scientist | jessica.kraft@utdallas.edu

Jessica received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in May 2023 from the University of Florida in the lab of Dr. Adam Woods. Her dissertation work focused on the effects of a mild form of brain stimulation, called transcranial direct current stimulation, combined with cognitive training to improve cognition in older adults. Before that, she received her master’s at Penn State in August 2016 and was the neuropsychological testing coordinator at Hershey Medical Center. Her neuropsychometrist position involved administering neuropsychological batteries to assess for frontotemporal dementia. In her free time, Jessica enjoys sleeping, trying out new restaurants, doing jiu-jitsu, and playing with other people’s dogs.

Doctoral Students

Tzu-Chen (Jane) Lung, M.S.
Doctoral Student | Tzu-Chen.Lung@utdallas.edu

Jane graduated from the National Central University in Taiwan with an MS in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her master’s thesis focused on training and transfer effects of executive functions in both young and older adults in Dr. Erik Chang’s lab. After graduating, Jane worked as a research assistant in projects relating to older adults or MRI, which included: the improvement of sleep quality in institutionalized elderly; investigation of well-being in older cancer survivors; and arithmetical word problem-solving ability of children using MRI, where she worked with Dr. Ting-Ting Chang at the National Cheng-Chi University. Jane is interested in the relationship between functional and structural changes in the brain, and how these changes accompany the decline of cognitive functions. Jane enjoys reading, watching movies, running, and traveling outside the lab.

Naewoo (Neo) Shin, BSE
Doctoral Student | naewoo.shin@utdallas.edu

Neo graduated from Underwood International College – Yonsei University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Bio-Convergence. Neo worked as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. YoungSoo Kim, focusing on developing chemical compounds for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer’s biomarkers. Neo also interned for Dr. Byeong Seok Ye at Yonsei Severance Hospital and assisted in identifying biomarkers of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s mouse and rat models. Neo is interested in the relationship between health and environmental factors, structural brain changes, and the decline of cognitive functions in healthy and neurodegenerative elderly brains. Neo enjoys watching sports and anime and eating at new places.

Anna Thompson, B.S.
Doctoral Student | anna.thompson@utdallas.edu

Anna is a doctoral student in the cognition and cognitive neuroscience program at The University of Texas at Dallas. She works in the Kennedy Neuroimaging of Aging and Cognition Lab and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging Lab led by Dr. Kristen Kennedy and Dr. Karen Rodrigue. She received her BS in psychology and a minor in French in the spring of 2019 at the University of Iowa. Anna’s research interests are in how genetic and environmental factors influence changes in brain structure and cognition in older populations.

Zahra Zehtabi, M.S
Doctoral Student | Zahra.Zehtabi@UTDallas.edu

Zahra is a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Dallas. She earned her master’s degree from Tabriz University, where she developed a universal algorithm to predict memory and attention changes during women’s reproductive aging using machine learning. Her research interests lie in investigating aging and related cognitive changes through AI, with a focus on making scientific knowledge more practical. Outside of academia, she enjoys sleeping.

Lab Manager

Kinlie Gohl, B.S
Lab Manager | Kinlie.Gohl@UTDallas.edu

Kinlie graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s in psychology in 2024. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a research assistant studying prospective memory deficits in older adults. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D in clinical psychology studying the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in the treatment of mood disorders, specifically treatment-resistant cases. In her free time, she likes to cook, crochet, do archery, play video games, and go to karaoke with her friends.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Santhosh Diravidamani
Undergraduate Student | SanthoshKumar.Diravidamani@UTDallas.edu

Santhosh is an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas, majoring in neuroscience. He is planning to go to medical school and pursue an MD-PHD and become a doctor and a researcher. He likes learning about the various neurodegenerative diseases and what risk factors arise as a person ages. He also hopes to study how different technologies and imaging techniques can help diagnose neurological disorders earlier on with more accuracy. Santhosh loves listening to music and makes music in his free time. He also likes to play basketball.

Saesha Dravekar
Undergraduate Student | Saesha.Dravekar@UTDallas.edu

Saesha is an undergraduate student research assistant and is currently working towards her B.S. in Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas in the CV Honors program. She’s interested in researching and exploring neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s/Dementia and how environmental factors impact the aging brain. In her free time, she likes to rewatch her favorite shows Brooklyn 99 and Criminal Minds, or bake! She’s excited to be working in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging Lab led by Dr. Kristen Kennedy and Dr. Karen Rodrigue!