People

Nina F. Dronkers is an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Psychology and an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Davis in the Department of Neurology. She is a former Research Career Scientist and Director of the Center for Aphasia and Related Disorders with the Department of Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System.

Dr. Dronkers’ research and clinical interests have always focused on understanding the speech, language, and cognitive disorders that occur after injury to the brain. She and her colleagues have worked extensively with individuals who have aphasia to understand the relationship between areas of the brain affected by injury and the speech and language disorders that ensue. Using novel techniques, Dr. Dronkers and her colleagues have isolated numerous brain regions that play critical roles in the processing of speech and language, as well as how these relate to other cognitive skills. Her latest work involves analyzing the structural connections that contribute to language and cognitive processing through advanced work with diffusion neuroimaging.

Alexis is a 3rd year PhD student in Cognitive Neuroscience at UC Berkeley. She is advised by Dr. Nina Dronkers. She is interested in language recovery post-stroke as well as the study of music in the brain. Alexis graduated from George Washington University in 2018 with a B.S. in Public Health. She spent her first-year post-grad working on a startup for baby brain development. She’s now assisting Dr. Dronkers and Dr. Ivanova with their current research. Alexis also volunteers at the VA in the Center for Aphasia and Related Disorders stroke support group. Her dissertation work is is focused on the neural mechanism of song production versus speech production.

Anjelica just graduated from UC Berkeley in the Spring of 2022 with a double major in Molecular Neurobiology and Biological Anthropology and a minor in Early Learning Science and Child Development. She is currently starting her Masters degree in Epidemiology, with an emphasis in neuroepidemiology, at Columbia University. Anjelica splits her time between UC Berkeley’s Aphasia Recovery Lab – where she has worked since early 2020 – and an epilepsy focused lab at UC San Francisco. Anjelica will be applying to medical school in the upcoming year and is thrilled to see where she ends up… In the meantime, she continues to be a loving dog-mom to her two basset hounds, Winston and Florence.

Sandhya has graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Cognitive Science and Linguistics. Over the years, she has been involved with various research in Cognitive Neuroscience from working memory to sleep. She has always been very interested in language and cognition. This combination gives a unique insight into both domain-specific and domain-general aspects of the brain. She is interested in researching the tie between language and working memory, particularly in the contexts of language disorders and bilingualism. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in a few years after honing her research interests further.

Vanessa is a UC Berkeley undergrad graduating in 2023. She is majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and minoring in Bioengineering. She is interested in the cognitive changes associated with the treatment of aphasia. She also has a strong passion for reducing disparities in healthcare. Her current honors research investigates whether exercise, in conjunction with traditional Speech-Language Therapy, improves recovery for people with aphasia. In the future, Vanessa hopes to earn an MD degree and conduct clinical research. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys walking with her two dogs, playing tennis, and embroidering.

Jaeleene graduated from UC Davis in September 2022 with a BS in Cognitive Science- Neuroscience Emphasis and a minor in Psychology. She joined the lab in August 2021, and is currently working with Primary Progressive Aphasia data. She is also a Junior Specialist at UCSF doing Multiple Sclerosis research. Jaeleene is interested in studying neurodegenerative diseases and hopes to pursue a PhD in Neuropsychology in the future.

Vera Wheatley is a current class of ’25 UC Berkeley undergraduate working towards a BA in Psychology alongside two minors in Human Rights and Science, Technology, & Society. Paired with her passion for examining the human brain and helping others to understand their own, she has recently deepened her involvement in the community as a caseworker and volunteer income tax assistant for the Student Legal Clinic and explores this interest on a more conceptual level as a research apprentice at the Berkeley Judicial Institute. Upon graduation, she hopes to attend law school, balancing both a commitment to people-centered public service and the utilization of an empirically-rooted, neuroscientific lens throughout her career.

Devan Melwani is a current first-year at the University of California – Berkeley, studying Molecular and Cell Biology and Cognitive Science with a minor in Data Science. He is part of the exercise project in the lab and is interested in Neuroscientific research, especially around sleep!

Kiely Bol is a third-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Psychology with a neuroscience focus and Disability Studies. She is dedicated to pursuing a Clinical Psychology PhD degree with a specialization in neuropsychology. Kiely’s ultimate professional goal is to become a clinical neuropsychologist actively engaged in both clinical practice and research, specifically targeting midlife and older adults.

Her research interests encompass neuro rehabilitation, cognitive impairment, healthy aging, neurodegenerative disorders, the neuroanatomical underpinnings of memory and cognition, and sleep. Outside of her academic pursuits, Kiely enjoys songwriting, singing, listening to podcasts, and working out.

Rableen Ghuman is a current first-year at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Neuroscience with an emphasis on the neurobiology of disease. As he aspires to pursue a combined MD-PhD program, he aims to investigate the intricacies of Neurodegenerative Disease in a career in clinical research.

His research interests lie in the neuroanatomy of musical associations related to speech and cognitive functioning in the hopes of providing more valuable knowledge for the production of future therapies in neurogenerative diseases. Outside of academics, Rableen enjoys jazz improvisation with his saxophone, playing volleyball and badminton, and recently picked up a new hobby of playing spike ball with friends.

Diana is a fourth year majoring in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been helping since Spring of 2023 is the process of data entry and editing the lab website. Additionally, she is interested in neuroscience and is on the pre-nursing route, hoping to go to nursing school after graduating.

Jessica Lawien was a psychology post-baccalaureate student at UC Berkeley. Jessica was interested in music’s effect on the brain as well as compensation methods of the right hemisphere after damage to the left hemisphere. She has since moved back to Wisconsin to further her nursing career.