LAB DIRECTOR
Dr. Joseph Schmidt received his Ph.D. in Experimental & Cognitive Psychology in 2012 from Stony Brook University. After receiving his doctorate, he spent two years as a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of South Carolina’s Institute for Mind and Brain. After his Postdoctoral position, he spent over a year as a Research Support Specialist at SR Research.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Natalie Paquette is a doctoral candidate in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology program. She received my first M.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at George Mason University and her B.S. in Psychology and minor in Cognitive Science at the University of Central Florida. She has since received her second MA here at UCF in Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology. Her research interests include examining the neural underpinnings of memory and attention to assess how they affect broader cognitive function. She also utilizes eye movements as a metric for visual cognition and evaluating how expectations or similar cognitive processes impact search performance and behavior. Her applied experiences range from evaluating squad level performance in field training spaces to performing usability assessments on training systems & devices across multiple branches of the military. Overall, she is working to identify aspects of human performance that can be optimized or leveraged for improved performance in real world tasks. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, trying new hobbies, playing with my two black cats, or just catching up on shows & movies.
Phuoc Thai is a third-year Ph.D. student at the University of Central Florida’s Attention and Memory Lab. Her current work examines how users interact with generative AI systems using eye-tracking methods, alongside applications of generative AI and machine learning in fields like healthcare, productivity tools, and user experience in general. Outside of research, she enjoys creative pursuits such as art and music, traveling, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Grace Sinclair is a second-year PhD student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology program. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Florida with a minor in Aging Sciences. Her current research examines how information in the periphery is integrated across the tasks of reading and visual search through the use of eye-tracking. She is interested in exploring visual perception and attentional processes by examining eye movements, with fascination in how people use visual input to inform cognitive processes. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.
LAB MANAGER
Sarah Grillo is a senior at UCF on the general psychology track and is minoring in sociology. Her research interests include self-awareness, perception, and personality. She joined the lab in Fall 2024 as an RA then became the lab manager in Summer 2025. After graduation, she plans to earn a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology. Her goal is to pursue a career in academia, where she can teach and continue her research. Outside the lab, Sarah is the Historian for Psi Chi and is also in the TRG lab with Dr. Mouloua. In her free time, she enjoys riding her long board, relaxing in her hammock, and hanging out with her friends.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Christine Maymo is a senior at the University of Central Florida studying Psychology on the Neuroscience track. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually become a professor, combining her love of learning with a career in research and academia. In addition to school, she works as an optometric technician. Christine enjoys sewing, learning guitar, trying new Peruvian recipes from her grandma, exploring vintage shops, and spending time at the beach.
CJ is a Junior Bio Med major, with a minor in Psychology. His current research interests are in neuroimmunology and neuroscience. Outside of the Attention and Memory Lab, he recently participated in an REU at Columbia University, where he got to explore the molecular and cellular basis of memory consolidation in fear-conditioned mice before and after sleep. He aspires to pursue a career in academia and obtain a PhD in the field of Neuroimmunology.
Meera Puthukkudy is a junior majoring in Psychology on the Neuroscience track with a minor in Cognitive Sciences. Her research interests lie at the intersection of neuropsychology and cultural psychology. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, crocheting, and spending time with her friends and family. Meera plans to pursue graduate school in clinical psychology or neuropsychology as her future career path.
Lucinda Cantrell is a senior at the University of Central Florida studying Health Sciences with a minor in psychology. Her research interests involve dementia and cognition stemming from her previous work in nursing homes. In the future, she plans to attend medical school. Outside of the lab, she enjoys true crime podcasts, cycle classes, reading, and sweet treats.
Matthew McGovern is a junior at the University of Central Florida, majoring in Psychology. His research interests are in clinical and cognitive psychology. Outside of the lab, he recently participated in an SRP at USF, where he investigated parents’ use of restrictive mediation. He plans on pursuing graduate school and working his way into academia.
Madison Shorb is a second-year clinical psychology major! She plans on getting her PhD in clinical psychology and eventually wants to work in her own clinical practice for children and deaf clients. She is currently interested in researching different communication methods in therapy for deaf individuals. Madison is in the Marching Knights and Tau Beta Sigma, a band service sorority! In her free time, she loves to write, hang out with her friends, and listen to music!
Sayuri Gajaria is a sophomore studying clinical and neuro psychology at University of Central Florida. Her interests lie in clinical, cognitive and neuro psychology. She joined the lab to learn more about cognitive psychology and human factors. In the future, she wants to get a PhD in psychology, with a specialization in the clinical track. Outside the lab, she is secretary for Active Minds, and research coordinator for ForgetYouNot. In her free time, she enjoys reading novel, writing poetry, and enjoys going on runs while listening to some music.
LAB ALUMNI
Dr. Steven Ford received his Ph.D. from the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology program here at UCF. He received his bachelor’s in psychology from the University of South Florida, where he became interested in cognitive neuroscience while examining the effects of reward motivation on attentional selection. Since beginning at UCF, he has developed two main lines of research. The first examines how we use spatial and functional relationships between objects to guide search. The second is an attempt to find objective, passively collected behavioral markers of usability to enhance usability benchmarking. In addition to these core research areas, he has worked on numerous side projects related to category learning and search, adaptive training, perceptions of artificial intelligence, and several user experience projects. He has also participated in internships with Axon Enterprise and the Office of Naval Research in addition to roles as a research assistant for the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division and user experience researcher for American Plant Exchange. Outside work, he enjoys playing guitar, practicing meditation, and spending time with his wife and daughters.
Dr. Ashley Ercolino received her PhD from UCF in the Spring of 2023 in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology with a concentration on Cognitive Neuroscience. During her time at UCF, she used eye-tracking and electrophysiological techniques to investigate the interactions between visual attention, learning, and memory. Currently, she is a Senior Research Associate at Design Interactive where she works on a wide breadth of projects involving human-systems integration and XR technologies.
Dr. Michael Miuccio graduated from the Attention and Memory Lab with a PhD in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology in 2023. During his time working with Dr. Schmidt, his research focused on visual attention and memory, specifically looking at how mental representations that guide our attention in visual search can be measured and observed in different conditions. His dissertation examined whether these mental representations could be observed in the coupling of theta and gamma brain waves. As his graduate school tenure came to an end, he started working at the Kennedy Space Center as a Human Factors Engineer. Currently, he works for a consultant company as a Human Factors Engineer in coordination with the Veterans Health Administration.
Dr. Stephen Adamo received his Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience in 2016 from Duke University under the guidance of Dr. Stephen Mitroff. During that time, he also studied abroad at Virje University and The George Washington University. He then spent two years at The George Washington University as a postdoctoral researcher under the guidance of Dr. Stephen Mitroff and Dr. Sarah Shomstein in the psychology department, and Dr. Rachel Brem in the radiology department. He will start as an assistant professor of Cognition & Neural Systems at The University of Arizona in Fall 2024.