Personnel

Anjan Chatterjee

Professor of Neurology, Psychology, and Architecture
 anjan@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Anjan Chatterjee is a Professor of Neurology, Psychology, and Architecture and the founding Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics. He wrote The Aesthetic Brain: How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art and co-edited Neuroethics in Practice: Mind, Medicine, and Society and The Roots of Cognitive Neuroscience: Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychology. He has received the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology and the Rudolph Arnheim Prize for contribution to Psychology and the Arts. He is a founding member of the Board of Governors of the Neuroethics Society, the past President of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, and the past President of the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Society. He currently serves on the Boards of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and has served on the boards of Haverford College, the Norris Square Neighborhood Project and the Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

CV for Anjan Chatterjee

Eileen Cardillo

Associate Director
 eica@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Eileen Cardillo, DPhil is a cognitive neuroscientist and Associate Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics. She received her B.S. in Biological Psychology at the College of William and Mary and her doctorate in Experimental Psychology while a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. After completing her postdoctoral training at UC-San Diego and the University of Pennsylvania, Eileen served as the Patient Coordinator of the Focal Lesion Database at Penn’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. Her research investigates the cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting language comprehension, with a particular focus on metaphor and neuropsychological studies of patient populations. Other areas of interest include verbal creativity, aesthetic preference, and the cognitive and neural changes associated with contemplative practice.

Bella Bobrow

Center Manager
 isabella.bobrow@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Bella received her B.S. in Neuroscience from UC Santa Cruz, where she also studied art and architectural theory. At the PCfN, Bella supports daily operations, event planning, communications, and the administration of research studies. When not testing a new indie perfume she smells like darkroom chemicals or the inside of a beehive.

Jeffrey Vadala

Researcher
 jeffrey.vadala@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I am interested in human perception of landscapes and architectural spaces and how they shape both cognitive and cultural processes in contemporary and archaeological contexts. To explore this, my research utilizes virtual reality and augmented reality tools to explore the complexities of human perception at ancient Maya sites in the Yucatan and Belize. As the director of the Penn Neurology VR Laboratory, I currently work as a collaborator and software developer with the goal of bringing virtual and augmented reality approaches and experimental methods to neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and medical researchers. I owe my interdisciplinary approach and perspectives to my Ph.D. in anthropological archaeology which I received from the University of Florida in 2016 studying how the built and unbuilt landscapes at the Belizean site of Cerro Maya shaped human perception while structuring human and non-human relationships over time. I enjoy all things virtual, philosophy, playing music, making videos, and surreal humor.

Vicente Estrada Gonzalez

Postdoctoral Researcher
 vicente.estradagonzalez@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

When looking at artworks, viewers’ eyes collect pieces of information that are articulated into narratives. Such narratives are responsible, to a great degree, for the art viewer’s aesthetic experience. During my PhD (at the University of New South Wales in Australia), I used eye-tracking technology to study the spatial and temporal dynamics of visual information collected while viewing paintings. I’m also interested in how such dynamics vary as a function of the context and format in which paintings are encountered. At present, this is highly relevant to the art world because most human interactions with artworks are in a digital format. For this reason, my research has also focused on the difference between looking at paintings in the museum, in VR galleries and as digital reproductions. At the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, I am interested in how cognitive abilities and emotional states are influenced by nature-inspired designs in virtual reality. I completed a B.Sc. in Psychology at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, where I conducted basic research on the role of the endocannabinoid system in drug addiction. Outside the academy, I created a curatorial project named Mexico Sensible in 2013.

Vasiliki Meletaki

Postdoctoral Researcher
 vasiliki.meletaki@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Vasiliki is interested in how art and design can be used to promote wellness and facilitate emotion regulation in general and clinical population. Her research interests include among others the influence of expertise and psychophysiological characteristics in aesthetic and emotional experiences. Before joining the lab, she was in the Laboratory of Cognitive Neurosciences of CNRS in Marseille, working on interoceptive and psychological characteristics and bodily self on people with vestibular disorders. She received her PhD in Psychology from City, University of London investigating facial emotion perception and brain – body interactions on sensorimotor experts and specifically professional ballet dancers. Before that, she received her MSc. in Psychology from Coventry University where she fell in love with neuroscience investigating the neuroscience of creativity. Outside of the lab, you will find her dancing contemporary, traveling, baking, gardening, playing with her dog, or buying more books and plants.

Hannah Merseal

Postdoctoral Researcher
 hannah.merseal@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
 Hannah Merseal Website

Hannah is interested in the interaction of individuals' knowledge structure, expertise, and executive functioning when they are doing something creative: whether they are playing jazz, generating hypotheses, participating in an arts intervention, or solving a problem in the workplace. She uses neuroimaging and computational network science methods to examine these questions in diverse populations and environments. Hannah is also passionate about building research fairness and equity using open and reproducible methods, as well as conducting large-scale studies with representative sampling to inform policy decisions in education, healthcare, and workplace settings. Before joining the PCfN, she received her PhD in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University, where she worked in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Laboratory. In her down time, you can find Hannah playing jazz/funk music with many friends, tasting coffees, buying books, storytelling in an RPG, or spoiling her cat.

Mariola Paruzel-Czachura

Postdoctoral Researcher
 mariolaanna.paruzelczachura@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
 Mariola Paruzel-Czachura Website

I am a moral psychologist educated in psychology and philosophy (Ph.D.) who is extremely interested in aesthetics and morality. Specifically, how our perception of others’ beauty shapes our perception of their morality and vice versa – how morality shapes beauty. This includes not only understanding the beauty but also the ugliness. That is why I study facial attractiveness, including the perception of people with anomalous faces and scars. Before joining ChatLab, I studied prisoners’ moral judgments at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain (Bekker Scholarship, NAWA). I am also related to the University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland), my alma mater. Privately, I love surrealist art, fashion, and traveling. I am a happy wife and mum of two wonderful sons.

Rodin Bantawa

Undergraduate Researcher
 rodinb@sas.upenn.edu

I’m an undergraduate student exploring the intersection of psychology, art, and data to shape our everyday experiences. Whether I’m researching the impact of aesthetics on well-being or getting hands-on behind the scenes in theatre, I’m all about discovering the hidden layers that make life beautiful. When I’m not studying, you might find me wandering through cemeteries, snapping polaroids, or heading off to a spontaneous debate tournament. I love slow mornings with a good cup of tea, painting, and traveling to new places. Randomly in the middle of a day, you’ll likely catch me slow-looking out my window, savoring the small details that often go unnoticed.

Nicholas Han

Medical Student
 nicholas.han@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I am a Craniofacial Clinical Research Fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and MD candidate at Perelman School of Medicine. Before medical school, I studied mechanical engineering at Case Western Reserve University. I am particularly interested in how various surgical procedures can restore optimal function and quality of life, including how these procedures can impact psychological wellbeing and public perception. In my spare time, I enjoy playing piano, running along the Schuylkill, and spending time with my dog (Sandy) and cat (Patty).

Izzy Lee

Undergraduate Researcher
 ilee800@sas.upenn.edu

I am an undergraduate at Penn pursuing a B.A. in Architecture on the pre-med track. I started sculpting in middle school, and this has shaped how I view the world around us. I'm interested in exploring the intersections between art, architecture, and the brain. Outside ChatLab, I am the Creative Director for Penn Class Board (student government), the Education Chair for Divers@Penn, and Outreach Chair for Penn Habitat for Humanity. Some of my favorite hobbies are scuba-diving, sculpting, and going on foodie adventures!

Darlene Leohansson

Undergraduate Researcher
 darleo@sas.upenn.edu

Darlene is an undergraduate at Penn pursuing a degree in Neuroscience on the pre-medical track, as well as a minor in Fine Arts. She is excited to explore the impacts of aesthetic experiences on the human mind through interdisciplinary research at the intersection of her interests. Darlene considers herself a jack of all trades when it comes to art, engaging in everything from dance, to wheel throwing pottery, to film photography. Outside of the classrooms and studios, you can find her junk journaling, sipping on some boba, and enjoying her home city of Philadelphia.

Mayank Patel

Medical Student
 mjp438@drexel.edu

I am a first year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine. I received my Bachelor’s in biomedical engineering but have always had an interest in neuroscience leading me to work at Avid Radiopharmaceuticals during my undergrad where I spent time learning about the brain and Alzheimer’s detection through the use of PET scans. My interest in ChatLab arose from wanting the answers to how we judge people and my current research is looking into how people perceive facial expressions, using functional near-infrared spectrometry. Outside of school and research, I love biking, gardening, cooking, and listening to podcasts.

Nora Youn

Undergraduate Researcher
 norayoun@sas.upenn.edu

I am an undergraduate at Penn studying cognitive science, psychology, and visual studies (aiming for a B.A. in at least one of these!). I'm interested in exploring how it is that our mind processes and produces aesthetic experiences/objects (including moving experiences, beautiful things, and everyday aesthetics), which is why I'm interested in neuroaesthetics specifically. My other involvements include marketing, neuromarketing, mentoring as an RPA for CURF, dabbling in graphic design, and composing/performing for Penn Compose. Outside of school, I love food/cooking adventures with friends, simple logic games like sudoku and minesweeper, makeup, film music, and seeing visual artworks.

Lucas Kelly

Artist-in-Residence
 lucaskelly77@gmail.com

Kelly’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States and throughout Europe. His work has been the subject of multiple solo and group exhibitions, most notably in the survey of abstract painting “The Painted World” at PS1 MoMA. In 2019 Kelly was named as the inaugural artist in residence at the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics. A full professor in Visual Arts at Mercer County Community College, Kelly holds a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and a MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts. He is a member of the Tiger Strikes Asteroid network of artists, and his studio is in Philadelphia.

Judith Schaechter

Artist-in-Residence
 judithschaechterbizz@gmail.com
 Judith Schaechter Website

Judith Schaechter lives and works in Philadelphia. Her work is collected internationally and is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Victoria and Albert in London and the Hermitage, among others. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005 and her work was in the 2002 Whitney Biennial. 1n 2013, Judith was inducted to the College of Fellows of the American Craft Council. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Glass Art Society in 2022.

In 2020-21, Judith’s work was the subject of a retrospective exhibition organized by the Memorial Art Gallery of Rochester, NY, which traveled to the Toledo Museum and the Des Moines Art Center.