People

Benjamin is the lab director and Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences (starting Fall 2026). Before joining the UMass faculty, he earned a BS in cognitive neuroscience from Brown University, a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Chicago, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at UC Berkeley and the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. He studies how cognition is constructed by experience.

Vitória (she/her) graduated from Minerva University (2026) in Psychology and Neuroscience. She is from Brazil and lived and researched in 6 countries during undergrad, which inspired her interest in how culture impacts cognitive, social, and moral development. She strongly believes in Open Science, science communication, and more diversity in academia. Outside of the lab, she is a foodie, loves traveling, and reading in cute coffee shops.

Gracie is a PhD student in the Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience program. Before coming to UMass, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and worked as a research assistant and later a lab manager in the Cognitive Origins Lab. She is interested in the origins and development of numerical cognition.

The lab is seeking a talented graduate student to start in the Fall of 2027. Applicants should have excellent written and oral communication, quantitative and technical skills (i.e. basic statistics in R, programming), organizational abilities, and motivation to learn. The most competitive applicants will also have relevant research experience in cognitive science or related fields. Please see this FAQ before reaching out with questions.