Welcome to my website! My name is Amritha Harikumar.
I am a PhD student (Clinical Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience track) at Georgia State University. I am mentored by Dr. Vince Calhoun, while being clinically supervised by Dr. Vonetta Dotson. I hope to utilize my interdisciplinary training to understand aberrant neural networks in schizophrenia and mood disorders. I hope to achieve this by using a blended neuroscience and data driven approach with Independent Components Analysis (ICA).
I am a PhD student (Clinical Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience track) at Georgia State University. I am mentored by Dr. Vince Calhoun, while being clinically supervised by Dr. Vonetta Dotson. I hope to utilize my interdisciplinary training to understand aberrant neural networks in schizophrenia and mood disorders. I hope to achieve this by using a blended neuroscience and data driven approach with Independent Components Analysis (ICA).
EDUCATION //
- August 2021-Present, PhD, Clinical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Concentration (NCN)
- Georgia State University | TReNDS Center, (Atlanta, GA, USA)
- May 2018, Master of Arts, Psychology, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Track
- San Diego State University, (San Diego, CA, USA)
- May 2015, Bachelor of Science, Psychology; Minor: Biology
- The University of Tulsa, (Tulsa, OK, USA)
RESEARCH // WORK EXPERIENCE
- August 2020 - July 2021, Laboratory Manager and Coordinator, Leal Neuroscience of Memory and Aging Lab
- Rice University, (Houston, TX, USA)
- June 2018 - June 2020, Clinical Research Coordinator II, Emotion and Social Neuroscience (ESN) Lab
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging || Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), (Boston, MA, USA)
- June 2014 - May 2015, Undergraduate Research Intern, Laureate Institute for Brain Research
- Savitz ANTIGEN Lab, (Tulsa, OK, USA)
INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES // INTERNATIONAL GOALS
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. Other hobbies include reading, photography, blogging, and writing (journaling, non-fiction, occasional poetry).
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 traditional first generation immigrant Indian family, I became fluent in my mother tongue, Malayalam, and spend 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!
My dual cultural background directly influences my clinical and research interests. Post PhD and after getting established, I would like to partner with organizations in India and the US to destigmatize mental health, educate individuals on neuropsychology / neuroscience, and work with individuals in both communities to improve mental health initiatives.
I would also like to be a data science consultant working with industry partners to study neuroscience from a big data perspective! I am currently in the process of finessing my knowledge in scripting languages such as R, Bash, and MATLAB to be used in large scale neuroimaging analyses. I hope to grow these skillsets during my PhD.
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. Other hobbies include reading, photography, blogging, and writing (journaling, non-fiction, occasional poetry).
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 traditional first generation immigrant Indian family, I became fluent in my mother tongue, Malayalam, and spend 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!
My dual cultural background directly influences my clinical and research interests. Post PhD and after getting established, I would like to partner with organizations in India and the US to destigmatize mental health, educate individuals on neuropsychology / neuroscience, and work with individuals in both communities to improve mental health initiatives.
I would also like to be a data science consultant working with industry partners to study neuroscience from a big data perspective! I am currently in the process of finessing my knowledge in scripting languages such as R, Bash, and MATLAB to be used in large scale neuroimaging analyses. I hope to grow these skillsets during my PhD.
SERVICE // SCIENTIFIC MENTORSHIP
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.
I also have mentored undergraduate research students and have recently volunteered to serve as a committee member for the newly formed Mass General Hospital Post-Baccalaureate Association (PBA). This is an organization that helps post-bacc scholars find jobs, network, and apply to PhD programs successfully.
Since 2020, I have served as a peer mentor to an international student with PsychInOut, a newly formed community serving both domestic and international students trying to get into the competitive world of clinical psychology.
As of 2022, I have mentored over 15+ students, both domestic and international students attempting to gain admission to clinical psychology programs across the world. Beginning August 2022, I will also serve as a Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) mentor at Georgia State University; the goal being to help a BIPOC / under-represented minority student interested in graduate school gain valuable experience under a PhD student.
In addition to assisting with mentorship, I also have recently signed up to volunteer for the ENIGMA-U initiative which helps offer free neuroimaging material / courses for underrepresented minorities, first-gen, rural and broadly students from around the world with difficulties accessing such material.
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.
I also have mentored undergraduate research students and have recently volunteered to serve as a committee member for the newly formed Mass General Hospital Post-Baccalaureate Association (PBA). This is an organization that helps post-bacc scholars find jobs, network, and apply to PhD programs successfully.
Since 2020, I have served as a peer mentor to an international student with PsychInOut, a newly formed community serving both domestic and international students trying to get into the competitive world of clinical psychology.
As of 2022, I have mentored over 15+ students, both domestic and international students attempting to gain admission to clinical psychology programs across the world. Beginning August 2022, I will also serve as a Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) mentor at Georgia State University; the goal being to help a BIPOC / under-represented minority student interested in graduate school gain valuable experience under a PhD student.
In addition to assisting with mentorship, I also have recently signed up to volunteer for the ENIGMA-U initiative which helps offer free neuroimaging material / courses for underrepresented minorities, first-gen, rural and broadly students from around the world with difficulties accessing such material.
