Weizhen Xie, PI

Dr. Weizhen Xie (Zane) directs the ICON lab at the University of Maryland, following postdoctoral training at the NIH/NINDS. He holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from University of California, Riverside. Prior to graduate school, he completed undergraduate education at Renmin University of China and received research training on Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology at University of California, Davis and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

The "Xie" family name means "Thanks" in Chinese. He feels extremely grateful to be able to work with and learn from so many fantastic students and scholars over the years (see below).

Weizhen Xie (Zane, 谢蔚臻); zanexie@umd.edu

Research staff

Yoojeong Choo, Postdoctoral Fellow

Yoojeong completed her doctoral training at the University of Iowa, after earning her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Yonsei University. She is interested in cognitive control—particularly error processing, motor inhibition, and their interaction with memory. Her research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive control and memory at fast time scales, with the long-term goal of applying this knowledge to modulate psychiatric symptoms such as chronic pain and OCD. Outside of research, Yoojeong enjoys cooking, playing bass guitar, and trekking in the mountains.

Joshua Macmillan, Lab manager (part-time)

Josh recently graduated with a B.S. in Neurobiology and Physiology from UMD. He is interested in neuroscience and cognitive research and is eager to analyze the collected data to gain deeper insights into these fields. Originally starting as a bioengineering student, Josh transitioned to the biology department to better pursue his passion for brain science and human physiology. Alongside his major, he is completing a minor in Global Poverty. Beyond academics, Josh serves as a group leader in the Maryland Mentor Corps, where he supports underprivileged students in Prince George’s County with literacy skills. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, listening to music, and practicing hydroponic gardening.

Graduate student trainees

Marne White, Ph.D. student in Cognitive and Neural Systems

Marne graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2021 with a degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences and a minor in Mathematics. After graduation, she did her post-baccalaureate research training with the Cognitive Control and Psychopathology lab at Washington University in St. Louis. She is interested in using brain stimulation to study the underlying neural mechanisms of cognitive control and memory. Marne's long-term goal is to apply this knowledge to better understand how these processes are disrupted in those who experience various neurological disorders.

Harry Green, Ph.D. student in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

Harry graduated from Temple University with a Major in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. He was also the lab manager for the Control and Adaptive Behavior lab at Temple University. Harry's research interests focus on memory encoding and retrieval mechanisms, particularly how these processes are influenced by social context. His work examines how individuals form, store, and recall memories in dynamic interpersonal environments, integrating behavioral data with neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI and EEG. 

Currrent undergraduate RAs

  • Asbah is pursuing a Neuroscience and Public Health double degree at UMD. She has previous experience at the Naval Medical Research Center's Neurotrauma lab, where she developed a keen interest in neuroscience-related research as she studied the effects of blast induced traumatic injury on the blood-brain barrier. She hopes to learn more about the impacts of age and various brain disorders on memory and learning, as well as its applications in translational medicine. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, playing tennis, and watching soccer with her friends! 

  • Daniel studies Neuroscience at UMD. His interest in neuroscience began in high school, in a psychology class, from learning about infamous experiments such as the Milgram and Stanford experiments to case studies about injuries to different parts of the brain. In the future, he is interested in pursuing further study into the pathologies of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Aside from academics, Daniel enjoys improvising on the saxophone, streaming shows online, spending time with friends, and playing intramural soccer.

  • Srihitha studies Physiology and Neurobiology with a minor in Humanities, Health, and Medicine at UMD. She has had previous research experience working in the Material Measurement Laboratory at NIST, researching Nanofibrillated Cellulose, and conducting her own independent research on Brain-to-Brain Transmission and its Impact on the Medical Field. She is excited to serve as a Research Assistant in our lab, to learn more about the vast field of neuroscience! In the future, Srihitha hopes to pursue medicine, to become a Physician specializing in Internal Medicine. Outside of school, she enjoys participating in Indian Classical dance and music, reading, and traveling with her family! 

  • Alena is majoring in Bioengineering with a minor in Neuroscience at UMD, and her research interests lie in the realm of neuroengineering. She wants to explore neural prosthetics and brain-computer interfaces in the future, along with the potential to reverse-engineer the brain to restore its functions. She is eager to use technologies like EEG and fMRI to better understand memory and cognition, learning from the basics and gaining insights to improve the lives of those with neurological impairments. Beyond academics, she enjoys creative hobbies, such as calligraphy and crocheting. She likes taking naps regularly, spending time with friends and animals alike, and trying out new activities (e.g., juggling and skateboarding).

  • Pranav is a second year Computer Science and Math student at UMD. He first gained exposure to programming in high school after taking AP CSA. His passion for research also stemmed around this time after doing a Machine Learning project at George Mason University, looking into binary visualization to develop a computer vision algorithm to flag malicious files. He looks to indulge more into Machine Learning work and work with novel technologies. His time away from school is usually spent playing basketball, watching sports, and listening to music. Lately though, he's been delving into game development, replicating basic one dimensional games such as Wordle and Flappy Bird.

Collaborators

Weiwei Zhang, Professor, University of California, Riverside

Kareem Zaghloul, Senior Investigator, NIH/NINDS

Chris Baker, Senior Investigator, NIH/NIMH

Alexander Ksendzovsky, Assistant Professor in Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Nils Fang Yang, Research Fellow, NIH/NINDS

Wilma Bainbridge, Assistant Professor, University of Chicago

Chaoxiong Ye, Academy Research Fellow, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

In memoriam

Bob Rosenthal, University Professor, University of California, Riverside

see Howard Friedman’s tribute to Bob at American Psychologist here

Lab Alumni

Graduate student trainees

  • Xinchi Yu, previous NACS graduate student, now postdoc at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Lyon, France (supported by the Fyssen Foundation)

Research Staff

  • Jenna Longbein, previous research associate at UM School of Medicine, now resident at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

  • Sanikaa Thakurdesai, previous research assistant/lab manager, now graduate student at University of Leeds

  • Jack Farley, previous research assistant/data analyst, now taking a gap year for academic and entrepreneurial pursuits