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

Annika Carvell

I am a junior majoring in psychology on the pre-OT track. I am a recipient of the Eagle Apprenticeship Award, which has granted me the opportunity to work with Dr. Thakkar on her research in the CHAD Lab. I have really enjoyed learning more about this field through my work with Dr. T and cannot wait to learn more! The specfic work I have been involved in include cochlear implantation in adults and occupational hearing loss. Outside of school, I enjoy playing volleyball, baking, hanging out with family and friends and spending time outdoors!

Ruth Uelmen

I am a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in criminal justice. My work in the CHAD lab the last two semesters has been focused on the impact audio type has on listening effort. Specifically, I have been observing how pleasant and unpleasant sounds impact cognitive load, which is directly applicable to college students who listen to music while studying. In my free time outside of school, I enjoy reading, spending time outside, and getting coffee with friends!

Hailey Schock

I am a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in criminal justice. I am an honors psychology student and recipient of the Undergraduate Research and Creativity grant, allowing me to work with Dr. Thakkar and discover more about research with the CHAD lab! I have enjoyed the opportunity to be mentored by Dr. Thakkar on my research project investigating how racial stereotype adherence influences hiring preference, impacting the job market and economic position for Black Americans. Outside of research, I enjoy hiking, reading, and baking sourdough bread!

Anna Schlueter

I am a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in neuroscience. After learning about cochlear implants through the American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Class (SPE 207) here at UWL, I developed a strong interest in the research being conducted by Dr. Thakkar through the CHAD Lab. I am excited to contribute to the lab’s ongoing projects while gaining valuable, research experience. Outside of academics, I enjoy thrifting, going for walks, and trying new coffee shops.

Cole Carlson

I am a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in criminal justice and legal studies. After attending Dr. Thakkar's Community Hearing Day, I felt inspired to join her research lab. I am eager to gain hands-on research experience as well as to continue collaborating with Dr. Thakkar as I prepare for graduate school. Outside the lab, I enjoy hiking, playing guitar, and cheering on the Denver Broncos (at least when they're winning).

Alejandro Ortiz

Hailey Plourde

I am a senior majoring in psychology and double minoring in neuroscience and communication, writing, and critical reasoning. This is my first year being a part of the CHAD Lab and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Thakkar and all other lab members. I am looking forward to learning more about auditory research and gaining experience for graduate school. I am super interested in psychological research, specifically cognitive load and biopsychology. Outside of school, I am a part of the UWL Competitive Dance team! I also enjoy spending time with my friends and going to concerts!

CHAD Lab Alumni

Lian Lewis

Lian graduated in May of 2026 from UWL with a psychology major and minors in professional and technical writing and neuroscience. She was a lab manager for the CHAD Lab in Spring of 2026, and was introduced to the concept of sound localization and auditory science in Dr. Thakkar's class and found it fascinating. Her work in the lab included working on a study involving captioning and content difficulty affect comprehension and listening effort as well assisting with many other studies and events going on in the lab. Within the lab, she was primarily focused on studying how cognitive load is related to multimodal integration, and how those findings may be applicable on a larger scope. In her free time, she likes reading, listening to music, and watching movies!

Colten Pergande

Colton graduated with a major in psychology and a minor in Interpersonal Communication in May of 2026. Throughout his experience in the CHAD Lab, he enjoyed working closely with the team and Dr. Thakkar to meet his goals and grow as a researcher. In his time in the lab, he worked with fellow team member Ruth Uelmen on a study involving the affects of consonant and dissonant sounds on cognitive load, which he presented at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium in May of 2026. In his free time, he loves to weightlift and backpack wherever he can.

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 worked in the CHAD lab in 2025 and majored 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.

Megan Wallrath

Megan graduated from UWL in May of 2026 with a degree in psychology and a minor in interpersonal communication. She joined the CHAD Lab after having Dr. Thakkar for PSY 331 in which she pursued an auditory-based project in that class. She helped with many technology related topics in the lab and is now attending a graduate school in clinical counseling work. Outside of academics, she enjoys going for walks and chatting with friends!

Emma Breuer

Emma graduated from UWL in May of 2026 with a major in psychology and a minor in literary and cultural studies. She joined the CHAD Lab as a research assistant because she was passionate about learning through research and was new to this area of research with the goals of learning more about how the brain processes sound through auditory stimuli and how that stimulus can trigger symptoms in various medical conditions. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, hanging out with friends, or spending time at the art studio.

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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