People
Meet Our Team
Qiong Zhang
Principal Investigator
Dr. Zhang is an assistant professor in the Psychology Department and the Computer Science Department and directs the Memory Optimization Lab.
| website | CV | qiong.z@rutgers.edu |
Hemali Angne
Graduate Student, CS Department
Hemali is funded by NSF through the Rutgers Robotics SOCRATES program. They completed their bachelor’s in Computer Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science. They use computational modeling to study human memory by placing it in realistic settings, including studying it as people interact with each other and studying it with naturalistic stimuli. They also like musical theatre, board games, and reading high fantasy.
| website | hka22@scarletmail.rutgers.edu |
Charlotte Cornell
Graduate Student, Psychology Department
Charlie received her B.S. in Mathematics and Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Her research focuses on how one’s surroundings influence their memory and how this may vary for different individuals. Outside the lab, Charlie enjoys kayaking and playing the piano.
| CV | charlotte.cornell@rutgers.edu |
Si Ma
Graduate Student, Psychology Department
Si earned her bachelor’s in Geographic Information Systems and then entered NYU’s Psychology M.A. program. She is interested in understanding how motivation influences memory. Specifically, she focuses on exploring how reward affects memory with the help of computational modeling and EEG. In her free time, Si enjoys spending time with her friends and reading.
| website | si.ma@rutgers.edu |
Nikolaus Salvatore
Graduate Student, CS Department
Nikolaus earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and a M.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He spent 3 years working at the NSF SHREC center for reconfigurable computing, where he developed computer vision applications for space situational awareness. Now he is pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at Rutgers University where his research interest is using models of human memory to improve memory and decision-making in AI/ML architectures. In his free time, Nik enjoys video gaming, reading old sci-fi/fantasy, and tinkering with new AI/ML models.
|nds113@scarletmail.rutgers.edu |
Jennifer (Yun-Chen) Hung
Graduate Student, Psychology Department
Jennifer (Yun-Chen) received her bachelor’s in Cognitive Science and Data Science from University of California, San Diego and is now pursuing her PhD in Psychology here at Rutgers. She is broadly interested in cognitive modeling and reverse engineering the human memory and its underlying representations. Beyond research, she enjoys trying different matcha lattes, watching musicals, and exploring new running routes!
| website | yh1242@scarletmail.rutgers.edu |
Joe Butta
Undergraduate Student, Psychology Department
Joe Butta is a junior at Rutgers University double majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science and minoring in Music. He is interested in further understanding and developing computational theories and models used to describe how the human mind instantiates cognitive functions, particularly memory and perception. In his free time, Joe enjoys reading and working as a DJ and staff member for his local college radio station.
| jmb968@scarletmail.rutgers.edu |