I received my PhD in 2015 from University of Southern California where I continued my research work as postdoctoral researcher and later joined the faculty (non-tenure track). My research interest is the neurobiology of decision making and self-regulation. One focus of that research is the impact of mindfulness training on children and adolescents. This was the topic of my dissertation. I published over a dozen articles, including the Adolescent and Adults Mindfulness Scale (AAMS, Personality and Individual Differences) that is being translated to several languages, and a review of mindfulness programs in schools (Psychology in the Schools). My other research consolidated and systematized our neuroscientific knowledge of the insula’s role in decisions and addiction by publishing two articles: an overall review of the insula cortex (IC) role in decision-making (Frontiers of Behavioral Neuroscience) and a focused review of IC role in addiction (Trends In Cognitive Science).
