People
Faculty
Dr. Roland Benoit
Principle Investigator
Dr. Benoit is the Principle Investigator of the Adaptive Memory Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is an Associate Professor at CU’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Institute of Cognitive Science. Before joining CU, Dr. Benoit was the head of the research group Adaptive Memory at the Max Planck Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Prior to starting his own lab, he received his Ph.D. from University College London under the supervision of Paul W. Burgess and conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow with Michael C. Anderson at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, UK, and with Daniel L. Schacter at Harvard University.
Contact Information:
Email: roland.benoit@colorado.edu
Post Doctoral Researcher
Frederik Bergmann
Post Doctoral Researcher
Frederik completed his PhD in the UK, where he worked at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge with Mike Anderson. In his PhD work, he used fMRI and multivariate methods to investigate the attentional mechanisms that underlie the intrusion of unwanted memories into awareness as well as the mechanisms that allow us to suppress and eventually forget them. After his PhD, Frederik continued research with Dr. Benoit in the Adaptive Memory Lab. Currently, he is interested in understanding how our brain suppresses and transforms memories and how memory interplays with attention, and emotion regulation. He also possesses a keen interest in how large language models can assist experimental psychologists, particularly in the generation, validation and selection of the optimal words and pictures for our experiments.
Contact Information:
Email: frederik.bergmann@colorado.edu
Doctoral Researchers
Alexander Barone
Graduate Student
Alex is a third year doctoral student in the Psychology and Neuroscience department. He graduated with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in Statistics and Data Science at Temple University in 2024. Currently, Alex's work centers around understanding how past episodic memories can shape future experiences. Additionally, he is interested in the neural systems supporting episodic and semantic memory. In his free time, Alex enjoys hiking around Boulder, reading a good book, and spending time outdoors with friends.
Contact Information:
Email: alex.barone@colorado.edu
Olivia Stine
Graduate Student
Olivia is a third year doctoral student in the Psychology and Neuroscience department. They graduated with a B.S. In Neurobiology from UW-Madison in 2021. From 2021-2024, Olivia was a research assistant at Butler Hospital's Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Rhode Island; they were on a study researching transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the inhibitory control network and, later on, a pilot study looking at an at-home brain stimulation device in firefighters. At CU Boulder, Olivia is excited to continue their interest in executive functioning, brain stimulation, and brain mapping within the Benoit Lab. In Olivia's free time, you'll find them reading a mystery, crocheting or knitting a gift, or outside learning to longboard.
Contact Information:
Email: olivia.stine@colorado.edu
Kyunghwan Chee
Graduate Student
Chee is a first-year doctoral student in the Psychology and Neuroscience department. Although his undergraduate major, Oceanography, is quite different from Psychology, he developed an interest in the field and went on to complete a postbaccalaureate program in Psychology at Columbia University, where he conducted research on event boundaries. Chee is interested in understanding how conceptual and perceptual differences affect memory suppression. Additionally, he is interested in the mechanisms that support memory encoding. In his free time, he enjoys running, watching movies, and watching dramas.
Contact Information:
Email: kyunghwan.chee@colorado.edu
Research Coordinator
Jesse Temes
Lab Manager
Jesse is the lab manager of the Adaptive Memory Lab. He graduated with a B.S. in Cognitive Science at UC-San Diego in 2022. Since graduating, he has spent time away from science to manage restaurant beverage programs, but is returning to the field to study how mental representations are stored in memory. He spends his free time reading fantasy novels, playing DnD, and exploring different cultural scenes with friends.
Contact Information:
Email: jesse.temes@colorado.edu
Undergraduate Researchers
Kira Wilhelmi
Kira is a Psychology major with a minor in business and leadership. Some of her research interests include memory and brain research, environmental impacts on mental health, and childhood development. Outside of school, Kira loves to ski, sail, hike, be outdoors, and spend time with her friends and family.
Contact Information:
Email: kira.wilhelmi@colorado.edu
Will Barnett
Will Barnett is a senior studying psychology and English literature. His research interests include memory suppression, and how pupillometry can provide insights into neuropsychiatric dysregulation. In his free time, Will likes to read and write fiction, cycle, play basketball and badminton, and listen to and (try to) play music.
Contact Information:
Email: william.barnett@colorado.edu
Elias Santamaria
Elias is a psychology and neuroscience double major. His research interests include understanding the mechanics of learning and memory, as well as reading about novel treatments to disorders such as PTSD or ADHD. In his free time, you can find him at the gym, outside exploring nature, or inside playing video games with his friends.
Contact Information:
Email: elias.santamaria@colorado.edu
Ashlyn McGregor
Ashlyn is a Neuroscience and Psychology double major. She is interested in the neural mechanisms of learning and memory along with neural plasticity. Outside the lab, Ashlyn enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, and working on all kinds of crafts. She hopes to continue in the path of research.
Contact Information:
Email: ashlyn.mcgregor@colorado.edu
Lauren Brams
Lauren is a psychology major with an interest in clinical work. In the lab, she is particularly interested in both memory suppression and episodic simulation. In her free time, she loves to sing and write songs, go for walks, and spend time with her family.
Contact Information:
Email: lauren.brams@colorado.edu
Max Waldron
Max is a psychology and pre-medical student. His research interests include memory and attention as this is seen in a clinical setting and brain development. Outside of the lab Max enjoys skiing, sailing, and attending live music with friends and family!
Contact Information:
Email: max.waldron@colorado.edu
Maya Deitrick
Maya is a Psychology and Neuroscience double major on the pre-health track. Her main research interests focus on memory and neurological disorders, with an emphasis on women’s health and childhood development. In her free time, Maya enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with friends.
Contact Information:
Email: maya.deitrick@colorado.edu
Amy Berliner
Amy is a Neuroscience major with a minor in Public Health. Her academic interests include clinical neuroscience, learning and memory, and neural mechanisms behind mental illness. In her free time, she loves hiking, live music, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.
Contact Information:
Email: amy.berliner@colorado.edu
Levi Taylor
Levi is a double major in Psychology and Neuroscience. His research focuses are memory suppression, memory improvement, and the application of memory science to therapeutic interventions. In his free time, he enjoys fitness, spending time with loved ones, and discovering great places to eat.
Contact Information:
Email: levi.taylor@colorado.edu
Emma Gregoire
Emma is a neuroscience major on the pre-med track. Her research interests include the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory and the pathology of neurodegenerative disorders. Outside of the lab, Emma enjoys hiking with her dog, doing puzzles, and watching TV with her roommates.
Contact Information:
Email: emma.gregoire@colorado.edu
Madison McCarley
Madison is a Neuroscience and Psychology double major. Her research interests explore the neural correlates and cognitive processes underlying learning and memory, with a particular interest in how these processes develop during childhood. In her free time, Madison enjoys traveling, skiing, and reading.
Contact Information:
Email: madison.mccarley@colorado.edu
Sophie Weisberger
Sophie is an environmental studies major with minors in business, Spanish, and environmental design. She is interested in how mental disorders impact memory suppression and the cognitive processes behind decision-making and motivation, particularly in a sustainability context. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, thrifting, and skiing!
Contact Information:
Email: sophia.weisberger@colorado.edu
Patrick Ash
Patrick is a Psychology major interested in the relationship between memory and music, with particular emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases and disability. In his free time, Patrick enjoys hiking, running, playing piano, and reading.
Contact Information:
Email: patrick.ash@colorado.edu
Moya Goodiel
Moya is a psychology student with research interests in Clinical, Cognitive, and Forensic Psychology. She is particularly focused in memory suppression, learning, and long-term effects of trauma on memory. In her free time, she enjoys singing and playing guitar with her friends, spending time outside reading a good story, baking delicious pastries, and embroidery.
Contact Information:
Email: moya.goodiel@colorado.edu
Lily Stephens Halleslevens
Lily is a junior majoring in Psychology, minoring in Political Science, and pursuing the Interdisciplinary Honors Certificate. Her academic interests include clinical and cognitive psychology, with a particular interest in understanding the cognitive processes underlying memory, information processing, and decision-making. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family.
Contact Information:
Email: lily.stephens@colorado.edu
Marlee Fenske
Marlee Fenske is a double major in Psychology and Neuroscience, whose research interests explore connections between traumatic experiences and neurological health. She is interested in memory suppression, behavioral psychology, and the complex, instinctual ways the brain uses memory for daily functioning. Outside of research, she enjoys being in the mountains and spending time with loved ones.
Contact Information:
Email: marlee.fenske@colorado.edu