Meet the Team

Dr. Tanvi Thakkar

My academic background focuses on neural and perceptual mechanisms of binaural hearing (i.e., “hearing with two ears”) and behavioral outcomes for patients with cochlear implants. I received my B.S. at the University of Maryland in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience, and my Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Communication Sciences and Disorders. My research is rooted in field of neural and perceptual mechanisms of binaural hearing (i.e., “hearing with two ears”) and focuses on understanding the sensory perception of binaural cues to create better health outcomes for patients with bilateral cochlear implants. My research lab is focused on understanding how individuals with typical hearing, hearing impairment, and listeners with cochlear implants make predictions and listen actively in a variety of auditory contexts, also known as “predictive coding.” I hope to create various predictive coding paradigms to understand how individuals, particularly with hearing impairments, might use different strategies in real-world, complex listening environments, such as noise or reverberation.

Dr. Thakkar's CV

Lian Lewis

I am a senior with a psychology major and minors in professional and technical writing and neuroscience. I am new to learning about sound localization and auditory science, although I was introduced to the idea in Dr. Thakkar's class and found it fascinating. Within the lab, I am interested in studying how cognitive load is related to multimodal integration, and how those findings may be applicable on a larger scope. In my free time, I like reading, listening to music, and watching movies!

Annika Carvell

I am a freshman majoring in Psychology on the Pre-PA track at UW-La Crosse. I received the Eagle Apprenticeship Award, which has granted me the opportunity to work with Dr. Thakkar on her research in the CHAD Lab. I am new to this field of study and am super excited to learn more about auditory sciences and how that relates to the healthcare field. Outside of school, I enjoy playing volleyball, baking, hanging out with family and friends and spending time outdoors!

Megan Wallrath

I am a third-year psychology major with a minor in interpersonal communication. Dr. Thakkar was my professor for PSY 331: Research Methods and after pursuing an auditory-based project in that class, I approached her about joining CHAD lab. Post-graduation from UWL, I hope to continue into a graduate program regarding clinical counseling work and outside of academics, enjoy going for walks and chatting with friends!

Ruth Uelmen

I am a junior majoring in psychology and minoring in criminal justice. I am new to the field of auditory science, and I am excited to learn more through research in the CHAD lab. I am looking forward to the hands-on research experience that will help me better understand auditory science and other psychology research after college. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, getting coffee with friends, and spending time outdoors!

Colten Pergande

I am a senior currently studying psychology, with a minor in Interpersonal Communication. In my free time, I love to weightlift and backpack wherever I can. While I am new to the field of auditory science, I am driven and excited to learn more- particularly about binaural beats and meditation! Throughout this experience, I look forward to working closely with the team and Dr. Thakkar to meet my goals and grow as a researcher.

Community Hearing Day Project Members

Mason Schuld

I am a Junior majoring in Psychology at UWL. I was completely new to learning about auditory science, but found it super fascinating last semester when I took Dr. Thakkar's Psychoacoustics class. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be working with Dr. Thakkar and I look forward to expanding my knowledge on auditory sciences! In my free time, I enjoy running/staying active, going boating on the river, and spending quality time with my friends and family!

Jack Lecheler

I am a junior at UWL majoring in Psychology with a minor in Interpersonal Communication. I was introduced to auditory science in Dr. Thakkar’s Psychoacoustics course, which sparked my interest in the field. I’m excited to continue building my understanding of the auditory system through research and organizing the Community Hearing Day. Outside the classroom, I enjoy reading, traveling, spending time outdoors, and playing card games!

Brooklyn Bohman

I am a senior double majoring in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication. I became interested in auditory science after taking Dr. Thakkar's Psychoacoustics class last semester. I am grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to learning more about the auditory system and organizing the Community Hearing Day! In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors, spending time with my family, friends, and dog, and reading!

CHAD Lab Alumni

Serena Fincher

Serena graduated with a psychology major with a neuroscience minor in May of 2025. She is interested in all things neuroscience and hearing, so she was very happy to be working in Dr. Thakkar's lab. She hoped to learn more about cognitive hearing processes. Particularly, she worked on a pitch differentiation project in her last semester to discover the impact of bilateral hearing. Serena's other time is often occupied with reading classic novels, hiking, or doing crafts.

Katie Steinke

Katie is a Senior at UWL and is majoring in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. After taking one of Dr. Thakkar's courses, she discovered an interest in auditory sciences and gained exposure through her time spent gaining hands-on experience in the CHAD lab. Outside of school, Katie enjoys playing the acoustic guitar, hiking, painting, and spending time with my family fly fishing.

Afonso Klein

Afonso worked with the CHAD lab in 2024 while he was a senior psychology and philosophy double major at UWL. He says that being part of CHAD not only gave him the opportunity to acquire research experience, but he also learned about such a relevant field along the way! Afonso is glad that his time here could contribute to Dr. T's research and the field of neural and perceptual mechanisms of binaural hearing. Outside of school, Afonso likes to workout and do board sports (surf, snowboard, etc). The photo above is at his local beach back home, called Tramandaí.

Zoe Schmidtknecht

Zoe worked in the CHAD Lab her freshman and sophomore year. She majors in business management with a psychology minor. Zoe received the Eagle Apprenticeship Award her freshman year, which granted her the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research with Dr. Thakkar. She was very grateful for her time in the CHAD lab team and enjoyed learning all of the ins and outs of cognitive hearing and devices along with the behind-the-scenes workings of the lab. Outside of school, she enjoy reading, listening to music and podcasts, going to the gym, and crocheting.

Addison Schoepski

Addison graduated in December 2024, and her plan is to likely travel for awhile, and after that she wants to work her way up to being a financial advisor, specializing in behavioral finance. During her semester in the lab, Addison worked on a project studying the effects of consonant and dissonant sounds on cognitive processing in different age groups. Outside of school, Addison likes to go on hikes, runs, travel, and spend time with family and friends.

Alyssa Nesseim

Alyssa graduated from UWL in May 2024 with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. She was highly interested in learning more about neuroscience and cognitive science after hearing Dr. Thakkar speak about her work. That's what inspired her to collaborate with Dr. Thakkar on research, and she directed a project with Brianna that examined how reverberation differed for those with cochlear implants vs those without one. In her spare time, Alyssa likes to read, bake, go to the gym, and hang out with her family.

Brianna Poller

Brianna majored in psychology with a minor in at-risk child and youth care and graduated from UWL in May of 2024. She enjoyed doing research in a class taught by Dr. Thakkar and was excited to have the opportunity to do research alongside her in the CHAD lab. Her main goals were to expand her research skills for future educational endeavors and have a chance to publish research. She worked together with Alyssa in studying the effects of reverberation in cochlear implants and how it affects sound localization. Brianna enjoy cooking, running, and spending time with friends and family.

Skyler Wisse

Brayden Heath

Jarett Knoepker

Jarett graduated in May 2023 with psychology major and a neuroscience minor, but stuck around to help Dr. Thakkar on a grant over the summer of 2023. Inside the hearing lab, Jarett was interested in sound source localization and lateralization, but he was still new to auditory science and learned about new topics every day. Learning about auditory science was rewarding, especially learning about how cochlear implants work and how electric hearing differs from acoustic hearing. The progress made in cochlear implant listening comes from a variety of disciplines including audiologists, electrical and mechanical engineers, neuroscientists as well as speech and hearing disorder researchers, which he did not know before he began in Dr. Thakkar’s lab. Outside of the lab, Jarret enjoys staying active by hiking or biking around the bluffs in La Crosse and reading leisurely about non-fiction topics.

Emma Rydell

Emma graduated in May 2023 with a psychology major and a sociology minor. She moved back to Milwaukee to further her education by attending Carroll University for her master's degree in Behavioral Health Psychology. She was first introduced to sound localization in a neuroscience class with Dr. Thakkar. She enjoyed the content a lot and was a neuroscience teacher assistant the next semester. Each week in the lab, she learned something new relating to sound localization and furthered her understanding of the workings of cochlear implants. She was very honored to do her first research project within the CHAD Lab, and looked forward to understanding the deeper workings of cochlear implants and testing subjects each week.

Mackenzie Taylor

Mackenzie majored in psychology and music performance, graduating in 2023. Her project "Impact of Distractors on a Cognitive Task: Implications for the ADHD Population" was accepted to be presented at the 2023 Midwest Psychological Association conference in Chicago.

Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and valuable contributions!

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