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Julia P

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Washington University in St. Louis

Expertise

psychology, neuroscience, biology

Bio

Hi! My name is Julia and I'm currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience. I'm broadly interested in motivation and cognition -- how does the piece of meat in our head control our desires, decisions, and everyday behavior? The project I'm working on currently focuses on the neural circuitry underlying how we process uncertainty in the world around us, and what motivates us to seek out information to resolve uncertainty. Outside of the lab, I keep myself busy tending to many critters -- cats, chickens, houseplants, and a garden. I also enjoying reading, cooking, making art, and exploring places to eat.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

What drives you? Informational podcast

Have you ever wondered how the people in your dream job got to where they are today, or what the most interesting, cutting-edge questions are in your favorite subject? Through this project, you can find out -- and create a resource to help others learn the same. I will guide you through designing a question to drive your podcast, designing the structure of a 3-episode series, and researching and reaching out to experts in your field of interest. Then for the fun part -- you will talk to them about what interests you. You will gain skills in qualitative research, interviewing, and audio production.

Write (or illustrate) a literature review

Literature reviews are research overviews that provide a summary and discussion of a particular subject. They are often used by researchers to get a bird's eye view of a particular question. I can work with you to find a topic that interests you in biology, psychology, or neuroscience. I will teach you how to search through primary literature using database search engines, and how to read research papers in order to pull out important information. You will produce your own 2-4 page literature review. You will gain skills in qualitative research, reading research papers to understand their significance, and scientific writing. Alternatively, you can create a comic, illustration, or poster that similarly synthesizes the information you have researched.

Coding skills

Matlab

Languages I know

Chinese, conversational

Teaching experience

I have mentored undergraduate students working in my lab. I guide them through a project that contributes to one of the larger projects currently running in the lab, and teach/guide them through learning about the scientific literature, collecting and analyzing data, developing bench skills, and presenting their work.

Credentials

Work experience

New York University (2017 - 2019)
Lab Manager

Education

New York University
BS Bachelor of Science (2017)
Neuroscience
Washington University in St. Louis
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Neuroscience

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