Communications Committee

Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, heading the Educational Neuroimaging Group (ENIG). She is also an Associate Professor (PAR) at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Between the years 2013-2021, Dr. Horowitz-Kraus was appointed an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine, at the University of Cincinnati and the Scientific Director of the Reading and Literacy Discovery Center in the Department of General and Community Pediatrics at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

In her research, Dr. Horowitz-Kraus focuses on the involvement of executive functions during word reading and fluency as part of the Simple View of Reading model in typically and atypically developing children with reading difficulties. As reading difficulties may stem from environmental and genetic factors, Dr. Horowitz-Kraus's approach examines the involvement of executive functions in reading acquisition and remediation using a nature-nurture perspective using a variety of neuroimaging techniques tools.

I am a cognitive neuroscientist. My research focuses on adolescent neurocognitive development and decision-making. I am especially interested in (real life) risk-taking behavior and social influence on risk-taking behavior. In my work, I utilize a multi-method approach in which I combine neural measures, hormone assessments, behavioral tasks and daily diary measures as real-life assessments of behavior. 

In different research projects I investigate the factors that are related to increases in risky decision making in adolescence and which individuals are particularly vulnerable to adverse consequences due to excessive risk taking. Ultimately, my work will help build a better understanding of adolescence and can inform broader ways in which we can help support or intervene in adolescent development to get adolescents on the best possible trajectory towards independence.

I am post-bac Software Engineer and Data Analyst with Dr. Theodore Satterthwaite at the University of Pennsylvania. While initially interested in journalism, I became drawn to neuroscience through the course of my education. I studied Psychology and English (non-fiction) at Brown University, where I grew increasingly interested in the brain-behavior interface. I also developed a passion for computational approaches towards questions of abnormal behavior. As a result, I completed my undergraduate thesis on interventions targeting different cognitive mechanisms implicated in depression via a Drift Diffusion Model.

At UPenn, I grew to appreciate more neuroscience-based approaches to research. Currently, my research focuses on neuroimaging approaches towards cognitive mechanisms that are transdiagnostic in nature. My most recent work (which I presented at the 2023 Flux Congress meeting!) examines how individual differences in delay discounting in youth might be related with dorsal prefrontal cortex connectivity. As a trainee, I believe that Flux presents an excellent opportunity to connect with collaborators, mentors, and peers, as well as familiarize oneself with the latest work in the field.

Hello, my name is Christina Lutz and I am currently a Neuroscience PhD candidate in the Developmental Neuroimaging Group headed by Prof. Silvia Brem at the University of Zurich. I have long been fascinated by the brain and its roles in health and disease – particularly in cognition, language, memory, sleep, and mood. My PhD project involved a big study with around 100 elementary school children with poor and typical reading skills. What especially attracted me to the project was the clinical and translational aspect. The study combines basic research (trying to better understand reading disorders) with the evaluation of a possible therapeutic application (an app-based reading training). Currently, I am evaluating and analyzing the results, focusing predominantly on electroencephalography (EEG).

All my life, I’ve been intrigued with language(s), culture(s), and communication. I strongly believe that communication is an essential and integral part of science and our society as a whole. We have so much to gain from interacting and sharing knowledge and experience with each other, be it across different labs, disciplines, or countries. Therefore, I am excited to be a part of this great initiative and team, to share knowledge and to promote exchange across borders.

Hi everyone! I am a Neuroengineering and Medicine post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. In my current work with Dr. Ted Satterthwaite, I study the effects of early life experiences and environments on neurocognitive development. I completed my PhD in Neurosciences at Stanford University with Dr. Leanne Williams, where I investigated neuroimaging correlates of attention impairments in adults with psychiatric illness.

During graduate school, I was co-president of NeuWrite West, a science communication organization bringing together an interdisciplinary group of writers and neuroscientists. I believe communication is key to the success of our society, both in exchanging new ideas and in sharing our research findings.

I am a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Temple University and my research integrates clinical research, cognitive neuroscience, and quantitative methods for translational goals. I use person-specific and subgrouping methods to parse neural heterogeneity and examine how brain-behavior relationships can be studied at the level of the individual, rather than group. With a particular focus on reward functioning and large-scale brain networks, my ultimate goal is to use precision fMRI for individual-specific predictions of psychopathology and treatment response in adolescents and adults.

I am passionate about science communication as brain and behavioral sciences are important to every person. It is our responsibility to bring science to communities that have long been underserved and increase its relevance in policymaking.

I am a doctoral student in the Human Development and Quantitative Methodology program at the University of Maryland (UMD), working with Dr. Rachel Romeo in the Language, Experience, and Development (LEAD) lab. In my research, I'm interested in understanding how children's early language experiences shape their brain, cognitive, and socio-emotional development. I'm particularly curious about early protective factors, such as bi/multilingualism, and how a variation in children's language environments can potentially buffer against socioeconomic disadvantage and serve as a promotive factor for developing academic skills.

In my work, I aim to use my research to inform interventions, support learning for children and families from various backgrounds, and share our research findings with broader communities of people while also learning from their day-to-day experiences. I'm excited to be part of the Flux Sensitive Periods Podcast production team as this means I get to contribute to sharing our science with our listeners while continuing to learn from our amazing developmental cognitive neuroscience community. 

Lauren Wagner is a PhD candidate and NIH Predoctoral Fellow at UCLA. Working with Dr. Mirella Dapretto, Lauren’s doctoral work has focused on using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the brain’s early role in language acquisition and neuropsychiatric development during infancy. After finishing her PhD in early 2025, as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Leanna Hernandez Lauren will apply cutting-edge methods in genetics and neuroimaging to large-scale datasets to investigate the relationships between genetically regulated expression and neurobehavioral development in early infancy.

Passionate about science outreach, policy, diplomacy, and communication, during grad school Lauren participated in numerous policy projects, Hill Days, and science outreach initiatives, and completed a 6-month diplomacy internship with the prestigious Meridian International Center. She has cultivated extensive experience in leadership, team management, grantsmanship, and project oversight through roles such as Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning neuroscience education platform Knowing Neurons, Science Diplomacy Chair of the National Science Policy Network, and founding director of the Neuroscience Communication Affinity Group at UCLA. Lauren is excited to contribute to the Communication Committee’s mission of increasing Flux’s reach and visibility to policymakers and the public!

I am a doctoral candidate in the Educational Neuroscience program at Vanderbilt University, working with Dr. Laurie Cutting (and many additional wonderful colleagues!) in the Education & Brain Sciences Research Lab. My research interests lie in the development of white matter microstructure (the "highways" of brain signal transmission) and its role in academic performance in children. More specifically, I am particularly fascinated by relationships between white matter microstructure and concurrent/future performance and intervention in reading and math, and changes in both.

I truly hope that my work will inform educational practice and policy in both the diagnosis and treatment of learning difficulties. I am so excited to be part of the flux communications committee, to help disseminate the amazing research that our incredible developmental cognitive neuroscience community is conducting, to ultimately try to effect widespread positive change — and make the world a better place!