Jessica A. Bernard, PhD
Lab Director
Bernard_CV
Google Scholar
Dr. Bernard is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University, and she is also affiliated with the Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience. She completed her graduate training at the University of Michigan, where she investigated motor and cognitive aging using neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. She then went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she conducted research on the cerebellum in youth at risk for psychosis. Dr. Bernard is especially interested in understanding how the cerebellum contributes to both motor and cognitive changes that occur across the lifespan, as well as in cases of psychiatric and neurological disease. She has received funding for her research from the National Institutes of Health and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. In her spare time, Dr. Bernard loves baking, cooking, her two crazy cats, and working out with her husband.
Graduate Students
Hannah Ballard
Hannah is a second year graduate student in the Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience program. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience at Baylor University in 2017 where she conducted overnight EEG studies to investigate sleep’s role in cognition. Currently, Hannah is interested in examining the influence of lifestyle habits on brain health and cognition, specifically with advanced age. In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano, doing yoga, and walking her two cats.
Bryan Jackson
Bryan is a second year PhD student pursuing a degree in Cognitive Psychology. He received a BS in Psychology from Texas A&M University in 2012. After graduating, Bryan worked as an IT Consultant for the university and started volunteering his time and technical expertise to the lab in 2015. Currently, he is interested in determining how and to what degree the cerebellum is involved in emotion regulation and cognition, with respect to individual differences in anxiety and depression. In addition to Dr. Bernard, Bryan is co-mentored by Dr. Annmarie MacNamara and involved in the Multimethod Affect and Cognition lab. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and playing with his dogs, and volunteers as a mentor in an LGBT mentorship program at the university.
Ted Maldonado
Ted is a third year graduate student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University. He completed his Master’s Degree in Psychological Science at Montana State University in 2016. There he investigated Working Memory Capacity’s role in deception in younger and older adults. At Texas A&M, Ted hopes to examine the cerebellum’s role in executive function and memory across the lifespan. In his spare time, he likes to golf, play soccer and swim.
Lab Staff
Sydney Eakin
Lab Manager
Sydney graduated from Texas A&M University in 2017, where completed her Bachelor’s Degree in English and Psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She was a research assistant in Dr. Bernard’s lab during her undergraduate career and returned for a full time position as the lab manager in May 2018. She plans to go back to school to investigate aging differences in both healthy and clinical population, with a specific interest in memory disorders. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, reading, and exploring new places.
Research Assistants
Catherine Atkinson
Catherine is a junior Psychology major. She is expected to graduate early and hopes to pursue a Master’s in counseling. In her free time she loves to spend time with family and friends. When she is not doing that she can be found binging Grey’s Anatomy.
Becca Bendele
Becca is a sophomore Psychology major with a neuroscience minor. She plans on going to nursing school and pursuing a job in the medical field. Becca enjoys watching baseball, painting and competing in archery.
Cassidy Carrasco
Cassidy is a junior Biomedical Science major and neuroscience minor from Amarillo, TX. She is studying as a pre-med student and hopes to pursue a career as a neonatal or pediatric surgeon. She is involved on campus as a Fish Camp staff member, as well as a member of a woman’s organization named Ryllies. In her spare time she enjoys reading, listening to music, spending time with friends and scuba diving.
Malin Chambers
Malin is a junior Psychology major from Boca Raton, Florida. She is studying as a pre-med student and plans to pursue a career in Neuropsychiatry. On campus, Malin is involved in the American Medical Student Association and Christian Healthcare Leaders club. In her free time, she enjoys calligraphy writing and painting with watercolors.
Kristin Eiland
Kristin is a senior University Studies major with a concentration in biomedical sciences with one of her minors being neuroscience. After graduation she plans to work as a phlebotomist before going on to nursing school. On campus she is involved with Project Sunshine and Phi Beta Chi. She loves spending time with her buddy and in her free time likes to play with her cat and bake cookies.
Ivan Herrejon
Ivan graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. There, he conducted research with animal models to investigate the role of dopamine in executive function and drug addiction and how diet affects drug sensitization. Currently, he is interested in the role of the cerebellum in executive function, motor, and cognitive processes. Outside of campus, he provides mental health support to individuals in a psychiatric hospital.
Katherine Jennings
Katherine Jennings is a sophomore Psychology major and neuroscience minor from Granbury, Texas. She plans to pursue a degree in Neuropsychology in the future. In her free time, Kate is involved in Class Councils and helps tutor for the Psychology department. When she is not at school, Kate enjoys playing with her dog Tess, traveling (She is studying abroad in Germany this summer!), and spending as many meals as possible at Rosa’s.
Joanna Kantara
Joanna is a sophomore Psychology major from Clear Lake, Texas. She is studying as a pre-med student and plans to pursue a career in Pediatric Psychiatry. She is a counselor for FLARE, a freshman leadership organization specifically for Liberal Arts majors, and spends her time working with, mentoring, and planning events for her freshmen when she is not studying or working in the LCMN lab. In her free time, Joanna loves to rewatch her favorite shows on Netflix, listens to and talks about Taylor Swift, and watches crime documentaries, such as Buzzfeed Unsolved.
Ashley Kilpatrick
Ashley is a freshman Psychology major and neuroscience minor. She currently serves as Assistant Social Chair for the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. When not studying or working on homework she enjoys spending time with her friends, watching Netflix, playing volleyball and traveling. Some of her favorite trips include visiting Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Las Vegas, and Washington D.C.
Abigail Miller
Abigail transferred to Texas A&M in 2018 and is a junior Psychology major and neuroscience minor. She is apart of Sisterhood of Aggie Mentors, where she mentor high school girls. She loves coffee, Netflix, true crime podcasts, and dogs! After she graduates she wants to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.
Allagash & Cahill
Lab Mascots
Allagash (Allie) and Cahill were adopted in Michigan, and have survived two roadtrips: first to Colorado, and then on to Texas. What they lack in cognitive abilities, they make up for with their balance abilities, and the ability to always land on their paws. They spend their days napping, snacking, chasing the occasional lizard, and providing moral support for the work in the LCMN lab. Sadly, we lost Cahill in November 2016, but he will always remain an honorary LCMN lab member.
Gidget
After the loss of our dear cat Cahill, we gained a new lab/family member with Gidget. Her current hobbies include jumping on counters, torturing her big sister Allagash, and playing fetch with her toy mice. She was adopted on New Year’s Eve (12/31/16) and is thankfully not at all phased by fireworks and other noise.
Alumni
Nadine Akari
Chris Gale
Carley Givens
James Goen (Lab Manager)
Xavier Goode
Hanna Hausman
Bethany Holley
Yeun Hur
Sarah Penoli
Isai Ramirez
Kristi Santiago
Destiny Villanueva