Nathan Ward – Principal Investigator

Dr. Ward’s research is focused on understanding and improving the ability to manage multiple streams of information (i.e., multitasking) both in the lab and in real-world settings. His work aims to unpack the cognitive mechanisms that support multitasking, such as task switching and dual tasking, as well as to understand whether these and other mechanisms are differentially engaged across the lifespan. To this end, he uses several approaches, ranging from simulated environments to speeded response times, in order to assess real-time multitasking performance in younger and older adults. He also relies on interventions like cognitive training, exercise, and low-current brain stimulation to modulate how people multitask under a variety of scenarios, and he is also interested in the impact of technology on cognition more broadly. Dr. Ward can be reached at: nathan.ward@tufts.edu

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Thomas Wooten – Graduate Student

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Kayla Sansevere – Graduate Student

Kayla is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology. Kayla earned a BA in Psychology from Arcadia University in 2020. As an undergraduate, Kayla immersed herself in research experiences within various disciplines throughout her undergraduate university and external research facilities and hospitals. Most notably, she was a NSF-sponsored research fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and studied the relationship between executive functions and risky driving behaviors in young drivers. Kayla has received national recognition for her research as a graduate student, primarily as an honorable mention for the NSF GRFP (2021), and as an undergraduate as a Barry M. Goldwater National Scholar (2019). Broadly, her research interests center around the extent of human cognition and performance in complex situations, particularly those that promote multitasking. Her most current and specific research interest includes the (in)efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and similar methods for cognitive enhancement and how individuals’ outcome expectations can influence the effectiveness of such methods. In her free time, Kayla enjoys admiring her plants and her cat Samwell, reading every novel and novella in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (one day we will get The Winds of Winter), and playing board games. Kayla can be contacted at kayla.sansevere@tufts.edu

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Julie DiCarlo – Graduate Student

Julie is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Psychology Department. Her background is primarily in neurorehab, studying motor systems neuroscience after stroke including using neuroimaging and neurotechnology (e.g., non-invasive brain stimulation). Julie’s research is focused on investigating individual differences in attention control across different outcome measure classes. She is also interested in the influence of attention control on goal-directed actions including probing neural mechanisms. In her free time, Julie can almost exclusively be found with her dog, Maui! She also enjoys traveling, snowboarding, and golfing. She can be reached at: julie.dicarlo@tufts.edu

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Sydni Nadler – Graduate Student

Sydni is a second-year graduate student in the Joint PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Science program. She graduated from The George Washington University’s Honors Program with a B.A. in Psychological & Brain Sciences and Criminal Justice in 2022. As an undergraduate, Sydni was awarded a Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowship and a Sigelman Undergraduate Research Enhancement award for her research as a member of the GW Visual Cognition Lab. Following graduation, she spent a year working as a Junior Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and taught a number of undergraduate courses focusing on cognition and the brain. Sydni is broadly interested in the role individual differences play in cognitive performance and how these may play out in an applied setting. In her free time, Sydni can be found playing tourist across the Boston area or curling up with her cats, Two and Three. She can be reached at sydni.nadler@tufts.edu

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Hannah Hart-Pomerantz – Graduate Student

Hannah is a first-year graduate student in the Psychology PhD program. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Cognitive Science in 2020. As an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant and lab manager in Dr. Nicolas Davidenko’s High Level Perception Lab. Following graduation, she spent a few years working as a senior research coordinator on a variety of cognitive performance projects at Tufts. Hannah is broadly interested in understanding how stress, cognitive load, and non-invasive neurostimulation impact cognition and decision making, and how this can be applied in real-world settings. In her free time, she enjoys exploring places to hike outside the city, playing soccer, and fostering cats. She can be reached at Hannah.Hart_Pomerantz@tufts.edu

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Parisa Arastu – Undergraduate Research Assistant

Parisa is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Engineering Psychology. She is particularly interested in child development and the application of behavior in human factors engineering. She hopes to pursue a career in either this or speech and language pathology. In her free time, Parisa enjoys singing, exploring Boston, and building puzzles.

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Charlotte Conroy – Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Chisom Nnam – Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kailey Takaoka – Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kailey is a junior in the School of Arts & Sciences majoring in Biopsychology and on the Pre-Med track. She is interested in neurorehabilitation and recovery post-stroke specifically understanding neural mechanisms underlying these processes and exploring approaches to enhance recovery. Outside of the lab, Kailey enjoys playing tennis, running, spending time with friends and family, listening to music, and baking.

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