ABOUT ME
Welcome to my website! My name is Amritha Harikumar. I am currently the lab manager at Rice University in the Neuroscience of Memory and Aging Lab. I am incoming PhD student to the Imaging Genetics and Informatics Laboratory to the Clinical Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience track at Georgia State University this fall. I hope to utilize my interdisciplinary training to understand aberrant neural networks in schizophrenia and mood disorders using a blended neuroscience and data driven approach.
RESEARCH INTERESTS // CLINICAL INTERESTS
Welcome to my website! My name is Amritha Harikumar. I am currently the lab manager at Rice University in the Neuroscience of Memory and Aging Lab. I am incoming PhD student to the Imaging Genetics and Informatics Laboratory to the Clinical Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience track at Georgia State University this fall. I hope to utilize my interdisciplinary training to understand aberrant neural networks in schizophrenia and mood disorders using a blended neuroscience and data driven approach.
RESEARCH INTERESTS // CLINICAL INTERESTS
- Clinical Neuropsychology // Cognitive Neuroscience
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
- Leveraging data science (R // Python // MATLAB) and applying it to neuroscience research
- Default Mode Network (DMN) and other aberrant neural networks in mood disorders
- Schizophrenia, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)
EDUCATION
- 2021, Incoming PhD student, Clinical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Concentration (NCN)
- Georgia State University | TReNDS Center, (Atlanta, GA, USA)
- Georgia State University | TReNDS Center, (Atlanta, GA, USA)
- 2018, Master of Arts, Psychology, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Track
- San Diego State University, (San Diego, CA, USA)
- 2015, Bachelor of Science, (Psychology); Minor: Biology
- The University of Tulsa, (Tulsa, OK, USA)
RESEARCH // WORK EXPERIENCE
- 2020- Present, Laboratory Manager and Coordinator, Leal Neuroscience of Memory and Aging Lab
- Rice University, (Houston, TX, USA)
- 2018- 2020, Clinical Research Coordinator II, Emotion and Social Neuroscience (ESN) Lab
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging || Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), (Boston, MA, USA)
- 2014-2015, Undergraduate Research Intern, Laureate Institute for Brain Research
- Savitz ANTIGEN Lab, (Tulsa, OK, USA)
- Savitz ANTIGEN Lab, (Tulsa, OK, USA)
INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES
When I have some free time to spare, I love to be active and enjoy running, yoga, and badminton! I also spend time with family and friends, and love to travel to different parts of the world. Growing up as an Indian-American raised in various states from Utah, California, and Oklahoma, I've also had a unique cultural experience visiting India during my summer holidays. It has enabled me to keep in touch with my Indian heritage, which I am incredibly proud of, as well as gain perspectives on different cultures.
Growing up in the United States in a first generation immigrant Indian family, I became fluent in my mother tongue, Malayalam, and spent months in India with family, as well as immersing myself in our culture. This dual perspective has enabled a more international focus both academically and socially, and I love to explore different cultures- whether it be learning a new language, tasting different types of ethnic foods, or simply attending international events!
When I have some free time to spare, I love to be active and enjoy running, yoga, and badminton! I also spend time with family and friends, and love to travel to different parts of the world. Growing up as an Indian-American raised in various states from Utah, California, and Oklahoma, I've also had a unique cultural experience visiting India during my summer holidays. It has enabled me to keep in touch with my Indian heritage, which I am incredibly proud of, as well as gain perspectives on different cultures.
Growing up in the United States in a first generation immigrant Indian family, I became fluent in my mother tongue, Malayalam, and spent months in India with family, as well as immersing myself in our culture. This dual perspective has enabled a more international focus both academically and socially, and I love to explore different cultures- whether it be learning a new language, tasting different types of ethnic foods, or simply attending international events!
SERVICE // SCIENTIFIC MENTORSHIP
Another big love of mine is community service, and I have been involved in volunteering since high school. It began with the Jenks High School Key Club, and spending time as a secretary from 2010-2011 helped shape my love for public service while developing a deep compassion for individuals.
Spending my time at Mass General was one of the most rewarding times of my life. Meeting people in our research study, gaining research experience, while serving as a volunteer coordinator for a resilience study recruitment event shaped my passion for scientific outreach. It also solidified my purpose to serve the greater community, while making sure science was communicated effectively and clearly to the public.
I am passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists, and take it as my mission to serve as a guide to young scientists, and my fellow peers from my experiences. At Mass General, I mentored our junior coordinators and interns from UMass and Boston University. Recently, I have signed up to be a STEM Pen Pal through the Letters to a Pre-Scientist Program for the Fall 2020 cycle. This program will match me with a young future scientist who would like to know more about science coming from an underrepresented minority. I also mentor undergraduate research students in my current lab at Rice, and have recently volunteered to serve as a committee member for the newly formed Mass General Hospital Post-Baccalaureate Association (PBA), an organization that helps post-bacc scholars find jobs, network, and apply to PhD programs successfully.
Another big love of mine is community service, and I have been involved in volunteering since high school. It began with the Jenks High School Key Club, and spending time as a secretary from 2010-2011 helped shape my love for public service while developing a deep compassion for individuals.
Spending my time at Mass General was one of the most rewarding times of my life. Meeting people in our research study, gaining research experience, while serving as a volunteer coordinator for a resilience study recruitment event shaped my passion for scientific outreach. It also solidified my purpose to serve the greater community, while making sure science was communicated effectively and clearly to the public.
I am passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists, and take it as my mission to serve as a guide to young scientists, and my fellow peers from my experiences. At Mass General, I mentored our junior coordinators and interns from UMass and Boston University. Recently, I have signed up to be a STEM Pen Pal through the Letters to a Pre-Scientist Program for the Fall 2020 cycle. This program will match me with a young future scientist who would like to know more about science coming from an underrepresented minority. I also mentor undergraduate research students in my current lab at Rice, and have recently volunteered to serve as a committee member for the newly formed Mass General Hospital Post-Baccalaureate Association (PBA), an organization that helps post-bacc scholars find jobs, network, and apply to PhD programs successfully.