Josh Cisler, Ph.D
Principal Investigator

Dr. Josh Cisler received a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in 2010. His research at that time focused on emotional and cognitive mechanisms that mediate anxiety disorders. He completed a clinical internship at the Medical University of South Carolina through the National Crime Victim Research and Treatment Center, where his research focused on understanding risk factors for psychopathology following trauma, with a particular focus on assaultive events (e.g., physical and sexual assault). He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Brain Imaging Research Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he received training in fMRI methodology and advanced computational approaches to imaging analysis. He was on the faculty of the Brain Imaging Research Center at UAMS from 2012-2016 and the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin Madison from 2016-2021. He joined the faculty of UT Austin’s Dell Medical Center in the Psychiatry department as the Associate Director of the Institute for Early Life Adversity Research. Most importantly, Josh is the proud owner of a golden retriever and a chocolate lab.

Shaira Berg, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Shaira Berg completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Cambridge, mentored by Professor Amy Milton and Professor Trevor Robbins, where her research focused on Behavioural Neuroscience. Her work investigated the effects of threat on learning in individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, using virtual reality experiments developed in collaboration with BAFTA award-winning video games studio Ninja Theory. At UT Austin, she continues to pursue her research interests in threat learning and mental health in the Dunsmoor and NeuroTap Labs, with a focus on PTSD, fear extinction, neuroimaging and computational neuroscience methodologies. Shaira is involved in the creative scene outside of her academic research and enjoys producing and writing for film and theatre.

John Leri, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

John completed degrees in Psychology at Pennsylvania State University (BS) and the University of Florida (PhD). His research program has used an evolutionary lens to elucidate the biological mechanisms by which the social environment impacts health. In turn, he is interested in developing interventions that can be used to improve human health and well-being.

Eva (Eve) Cullins, B.S.
Ph.D. Student

Eve graduated from Purdue University in 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology (concentration: behavioral neuroscience) and a minor in Biological Sciences. At Purdue, she worked as a research assistant in multiple labs but ultimately completed her thesis in the lab of Dr. Julia Chester, investigating early life impacts on alcohol use in a selectively bred line of mice. Following graduation, she worked as an IRTA fellow at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Dr. Vijay Ramchandani’s Human Psychopharmacology Lab, where she homed in on her interest in clinical neuroscience. In August 2024, Eve started her Ph.D. at UT Austin in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program. She has joint membership in the MAIN and NeuroTap (PI: Dr. Josh Cisler) labs, where she is involved in a study investigating the effects of acute alcohol on decision making in adults with or without PTSD. Going forward, she is interested in using computational modeling and neuroimaging to further explore the relationship between decision-making, alcohol use, and PTSD. In her free time, Eve enjoys playing guitar, bouldering, and spending time with friends’ cats.

Luna Malloy
Research Coordinator

Luna graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She has previously worked as a Lab Manager at UT Austin’s Children’s Research Center and as a Research Specialist at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. She is interested in how specific trauma characteristics (age of trauma, frequency, type, etc) influence changes in brain structure.

Paige Broski
Research Coordinator

Ali graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Biology. He is interested in seeing how early childhood and generational trauma impact the brain as an adult, especially in minority and underprivileged people. He plans on pursuing an M.D. and wants to work in the field of Psychiatry.

Mehr Chaudhary
Research Coordinator/ Trauma Clinic

Isabella graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Business. She was previously a research assistant in the PsyBrain Lab within the TRACK-TBI Network at UT Austin and was also part of a research team on sleep and memory at UT Austin. She  plans on pursuing a PhD in cognitive neuropsychology in the future.