People
Lab Director
Jennifer MacCormack, Ph.D.
Dr. Jennifer MacCormack is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Trained as a social psychologist & neuroscientist, her research broadly investigates how the body via the brain shapes both interoception (perception of internal bodily changes) and social affective life. To date, her research has been supported by the National Institute on Aging, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the National Science Foundation.
Before coming to UVA, Jenn completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Neuroscience in 2020 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a secondary concentration in Quantitative Psychology—and received her B.A. in Psychology from North Carolina State University, with additional concentrations in Anthropology and Linguistics.
When not in the lab, Jenn can be found hiking, running, or plant identifying along the many beautiful local trails in the Charlottesville area, reading historical fiction and nonfiction, or playing board games with friends and family.
Doctoral Students
Lauren Beliveau
Lauren is a first year PhD student in the Social Psychology program at UVA. She graduated from Elon University in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Peace and Conflict Studies where she studied parenting and youth emotion regulation. She then worked at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center where she studied pain and aging in special populations. Lauren is interested in affect, interoception, and self regulation. Outside of work, you can find her doing yoga, watching Grey’s Anatomy, discovering new places, and shopping local.
This could be you!
Interested in working in the VAIL as a PhD student? Read more about how to apply or get involved.
Research Assistants
Grace Allen
Grace is a second year pursuing a Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience major at UVA. She is interested in how external factors can impact our internal emotions and neurological function. After graduating, Grace hopes to continue her education in a graduate program. In her free time, she enjoys camping, cooking, playing tennis, outdoor adventures, and music.
Sophia Asefi
Sophia is a second year Biostatistics major on the Pre-Med track at UVA. She is interested in how brain-body interactions and health relate to aging and interceptive development. After graduating, Sophia hopes to go to medical school and pursue a career as a trauma surgeon. In her free time, she loves to spend time outdoors, watching reality TV with her roommates, and cook new foods.
Ava Bagherian
Ava is a third year majoring in Biology and minoring in Bioethics at the University of Virginia. She is interested in medical justice and the brain-body relationship. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in psychiatry. In her free time, she can often be found at the gym.
Lulu Barron
Lulu is a fourth year double majoring in Psychology and English at the University of Virginia. She is interested in social relationships, art therapy, and how the body records experiences. After graduating, she intends to get a psychology degree and work in a clinical practice. In her free time, she can often be found with her friends or outside, reading, or running.
Anna Boyarinova
Anna is a third year Psychology major and Biology minor at UVA. She is interested in human cognition and its resulting behavior and physiological effects. After graduating, she hopes to pursue further education in the Psychology field in graduate school. In her free time, she partakes in hiking, painting, board games, and watching true crime documentaries.
Nathan Ferns
Nathan is a second year Biology major at UVA. He is interested in the neural representations of interoception and cognition. After graduating, Nathan hopes to pursue medical school and continue research. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing soccer, and going on trips with friends.
Caroline Gilman
Caroline is a third year student at UVA who plans to major in biology on the pre-med track. In the VAIL, she is interested in how varying bodily states influence the brain and mind. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in pediatrics. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, hiking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Harjot Kaur
Harjot is a fourth year Cognitive Science major at UVA. She is interested in brain-body interaction and how each contributes to our feelings, emotions, and behaviors. After graduating, Harjot hopes to continue her education by pursuing a graduate degree in computational biology. In her free time, she enjoys painting and spending time with her friends.
Gianna Latorre
Gianna is a third year student in Behavioral Neuroscience at UVA. She is interested in brain-body relationships and psychopharmacology. After graduating, Gianna hopes to pursue further education and earn either her MD in Psychiatry or PhD in Psychology. She is completing a Distinguished Majors Project (DMP) in Neuroscience in the VAIL. In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with friends and family.
Amanda Lee
Mandy is a third year Cognitive Science major at UVA. In the VAIL, she is currently interested in studying brain-body relationships as it relates to stress and emotion in decision-making. After graduating, Mandy hopes to attend medical school. In her free time, she enjoys all things arts and crafts, spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, traveling, movie/game nights, and volunteering as an EMT in Charlottesville
Jessica Lin
Jessica is a third year student pursuing either a Biology and Psychology double major or a neuroscience major with a minor in Entrepreneurship. In the VAIL lab, she is interested in studying interoception, how hunger affects the body, and neuroimaging. After graduating, she hopes to attend dental school and become an orthodontist. In her free time, she loves to spend time with family and friends, eat good food, volunteer at the UVA Dental Clinic, and picnic on the Lawn.
Emily Luong
Emily is a third year Neuroscience major at UVA. In the VAIL , she is interested in studying the brain-body relationship, specifically the interconnection between stress and the body. After graduating, Emily hopes to attend medical school and become a neurologist. In her free time, she enjoys Yelp recommendations, working out, traveling, going to concerts, and spending time with family and friends.
Mary Holland Mason
Mary Holland is a second year potentially majoring in Neuroscience or Psychology at UVA. She is interested in studying the physiological interconnections of stress, emotion, and behavior. After graduating, she hopes to pursue graduate school for science. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and trying new Ben & Jerry’s flavors.
Isabelle Ngo
Isabelle is a fourth year at UVA, pursuing a Biology major and a Psychology minor. In the VAIL, she is interested in investigating brain-body relationships, the role of aging on bodily states, and interoception. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in dermatology. When not in the lab, Isabelle loves dancing, filming and editing vlogs, and spending time with her friends and family.
Izah Qureshi
Izah is a third-year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Philosophy at UVA. She is interested in the concept of how bodily sensations and states can shape not just our emotions, but also our decision-making processes and social dynamics. After graduating, she hopes to pursue Psychology further and go to graduate school for Cognitive Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys playing chess, hanging out with her friends, and being with her Siberian Cat.
Samantha Reynolds
Samantha is a third year Psychology major on the Pre-Med track at UVA. She is interested in investigating how the awareness of the body affects one's decision making. After graduating, Samantha plans to further her education and attend medical school to pursue a career in pediatric psychiatry. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar, cooking, and spending time with her dog.
Abrielle Robare
Abrielle is a first-year Cognitive Science and Behavioral Neuroscience double major at UVA. She is interested in the broader mind-body relationship, especially how bodily representations change over time. After graduating, Abrielle hopes to pursue higher education, likely in the medical field. In her free time, she enjoys performing and studying music, dancing, reading, and trying new foods.
Ryder Robins
Ryder is a second year student pursuing Neuroscience at UVA. He is interested in how the brain processes stimuli and stressors and the ways in which those influences are reflected. After graduating, Ryder hopes to attend medical school with the intention of pursuing sports medicine. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, listening to music, and being with friends.
Emma Shin
Emma is a second year at UVA majoring in Psychology. She is interested in the relationship between hunger and emotions, and the role that physiological states play in affecting one's actions. After graduating, she hopes to go to medical school and become a dermatologist. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with friends.
Kite Wenderoth
Kite is a 4th year Psychology major at UVA. They are interested in how interoceptive awareness affects emotion generation and perception. After graduating, Kite hopes to conduct research for a year or two before applying to PhD programs in Clinical Psychology. In their free time, they enjoy singing, trivia, playing video games, D&D, and hanging out with their cat, Doomfist.
Walker Wright
Walker is a third year Psychology major and Statistics minor. He is interested in the factors that affect humans' well-being and capacity for self-regulation. In the VAIL, Walker is completing a Distinguished Majors Project (DMP) in Psychology investigating the connection between hunger and measures of self-regulation. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology by becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). In his free time, he bodybuilds, hikes, and goes to church.
Research Consultants
Fluffles
Fluffles is a research consultant for the VAIL, with expertise in eating behaviors. As a gourmand, he is open to tasting any food or even things that might be food. But he is especially partial to cheese and plants. When not assisting with research, he enjoys long naps, co-cooking, being babied by his family, and learning how to speak squirrel. His favorite game is hide-and-seek.
Foxy
Foxy is a research consultant for the VAIL, with expertise in social anxiety and social attachment. As a gentle soul, he is anxious around strangers and dogs but deeply bonded with his family. When not assisting with research, he spends his time avidly watching birds, having vocal conversations with his family, and staying fit through recreational gymnastics. His favorite game is playing fetch with special toys.