Current Graduate Fellows
 | Yaxin Liu Yaxin Liu (pronounced as Yak-sin) is a 6th year PhD candidate in the Lourenco Lab at the Department of Psychology. She received her undergraduate degree (Honors B.Sc) from the University of Toronto in psychology and cognitive science. Her research interests include visual perception of objects, intuitions about physical space, and gender differences in spatial cognition. She is currently working on her dissertation on gender differences in spatial performance, using behavioral paradigms and computational modeling. Specifically, she investigates the mechanisms underlying the mental capacity of rotating and manipulating objects in mental space, and how emotions affect such ability across genders. Outside of the lab, she is passionate about promoting gender equality in children and adults. She has two cats who occasionally play her piano. |
 | Jessica Root Jessica Root is a 6th year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience program. She grew up in Nashua News Hampshire and moved to Atlanta to complete her B.S. in Neurobiology and English from Emory. After Emory, she continued on to the National Institutes of Health where she completed a post baccalaureate fellowship identifying novel genes associated with stuttering. In her graduate work as a member of the Kukar lab. She is interested in understanding lysosomal dysfunction underlying neurodegenerative disorders particularly, the role of granulins and progranulin in the lysosome. The lab uses in vivo AAV transduction, protein purification, and molecular biological techniques to investigate these exciting questions. Outside of lab, Jessica enjoys trying new recipes, backpacking, and checking out live music around Atlanta. |
 | Devon Thurman Devon Thurman is a PhD candidate in Emory’s Department of Political Science. Broadly, her work addresses how legal institutions shape access to justice for politically marginalized groups in the United States. Her current research focuses on whether and how the procedures used to detain and deport immigrant respondents conflict with values in the American system of constitutional law. |