Our Research Team
Gaelle E. Doucet , Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Gaelle.Doucet@boystown.org
Dr. Doucet is the Director of the Brain Architecture, Imaging and Cognition (BrAIC) Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Caen-Basse Normandie in France in 2010. From 2010 to 2017, she completed two postdoctoral fellowships focusing on the impact of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders on the brain architecture. Dr. Doucet was an assistant professor in psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York, NY), before joining to Boys Town National Research Hospital. Her work involves the investigation of the brain architecture and its relation to cognition in health and disease and she has developed expertise in the use of resting-state fMRI to characterize the brain functional organization.
Attakias Mertens, Postdoctoral Fellow
Attakias Mertens obtained his PhD in Psychology/Neuroscience and Behavior at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2023. Since he joined the BrAIC Lab, he is interested in using resting-state and task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to predict behavior and cognition. Overall, his goal is to implement these techniques to study the changes in executive functioning throughout the lifespan, including impacts seen in development, healthy aging, and neurological disorders.
Lauren Foley, Research Assistant
Lauren is a research assistant in the BrAIC Lab. Her role involves participant recruitment and running studies. Additionally, she is responsible for collecting data and administering and scoring neuropsychological tests for various studies in the lab. Her current research interests involve the development of literacy and language acquisition in children during development. She hopes to eventually pursue a Ph. D in cognitive neuroscience with a focus on language/literacy. Outside of the lab, she can be found baking in her kitchen or participating in fencing.
Derek Pavelka, Research Assistant
Derek Pavelka is a research assistant in the BrAIC lab. His role is to analyze resting-state fMRI, cognitive, and behavioral data by using various computational and statistical methods. He received his Bachelor of Science in mathematics and political science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2022 and is currently finishing a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from there. His future goals include entering an MD/PhD program where he can further pursue a career in both clinical and research settings.
Hannah Khama, Research Assistant
Hannah Khama is a Research Assistant in the BrAIC Lab. Her role is to recruit participants and run cognitive and behavioral assessments during studies. She received her B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Biology and a concentration in Mental Health. Hannah's goal is to obtain a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling whilst pursuing research in Neuroscience and Mental health.
