People

Joel Snyder, Ph.D. (he/him) is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and current Associate Editor at Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. He was also founding director of UNLV's Neuroscience Ph.D. program. He began studying perception as an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where he did an honor’s thesis on plasticity in the visual system. While at UCSD, Joel was exposed to two excellent courses on music psychology and these inspired him to pursue this area of research. Following his Ph.D. study at Cornell University, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto and in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at Harvard University. Along the way, Joel has pursued interests in many topics--mostly related to auditory perception--which you can read about on our Publications and Research pages. Email Joel

Fu-Lien (Frank) Wu, Ph.D. (he/him) is a post-doctoral researcher collaborating with Drs. Szu-Ping Lee, Joel Snyder, and Hyunhwa Lee to study people with lower limb amputation. His research interests are focused on the biomechanics, neuroscience and physical therapy in people with lower limb amputation or other impairments. Frank was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He earned a BS in Physical Therapy at National Taiwan University and found his enthusiasm for clinical research. Frank later recieved his Ph.D. in Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology at National Yang-Ming University (current National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University). His dissertation developed the clinical and biomechanical predictors for predicting the effectiveness of foot orthoses and taping in treating people with plantar heel pain. Email Frank

Maggie McMullin, M.A. (she/her) is a graduate student in the Psychological & Brain Sciences PhD program studying with Dr. Joel Snyder in the Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. She received her BS in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Parkside where she discovered her interest in studying auditory perception while working with Dr. Melissa Gregg. Maggie was awarded the Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship to fund her studies on the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying natural auditory scene and object processing. In her free time, Maggie enjoys playing guitar, cooking, hiking, and traveling.

Email Maggie 

Dan Berkowitz (he/him) is a 2nd year grad student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences program studying with Dr. Snyder. He moved to Las Vegas last summer to join the lab from Boston, where he had been living for the last 5 years. There, he finished his undergrad at Tufts University with a double major in Cognitive & Brain Sciences and Music, graduating in 2021. He stayed at Tufts for an extra year, earning a Master’s Degree in Data Analytics before joining the ACNL last year! His research currently focuses on the sensation of groove in music and other forms of audio-affective processing, and he is also working on replicating a study as part of the #EEGManyLabs consortium. In his free time, Dan enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering with pals, listening to metal music, playing trombone, and cuddling with his cat Zebby. Email Dan

Rodica Constantine (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences program studying with Drs. Erin Hannon and Joel Snyder. She holds a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Music from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a piano pedagogy certificate from Carnegie Mellon University. Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of music and language perception and acquisition across development. Additional interests include auditory scene analysis and perceptual restoration in audition. Aside from research, she enjoys playing and teaching piano, songwriting, and hiking.. Email Rodica

David Vollweiler, M.S. (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences program working with Dr. Erin Hannon and Dr. Joel Snyder. He is from Long Island, NY and holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Data Analysis in Social Sciences from the University at Buffalo, SUNY. There, he studied the association between involuntary musical imagery (commonly referred to as “earworms”) and musical abilities in the Auditory Perception and Action Lab under the advisement of Dr. Peter Pfordresher. He has been interested in music since childhood and has learned to play the trumpet and sing. He is interested in the role auditory imagery plays in musical abilities. Outside of school and research, he enjoys going to concerts, traveling the world, and exploring Las Vegas. Email David

Jordan Sundara, B.S. (she/her) majored in Biology at UNLV and is currently in the process of applying to medical school. Although originally from California, she has lived in Las Vegas since she was in middle school. She plays flute and bassoon and enjoys learning new instruments. She plans on becoming an internal medicine physician, hoping to volunteer at clinics that provide free or low-cost medical care to underserved communities. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crocheting, and watching hockey or football! Email Jordan

Soleil Hebel, B.S. (he/him) graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a B.S. in Neuroscience, a minor in Philosophy, and achieved Honors Baccalaureate in the Honors College. He is currently in the process of applying to graduate school to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology, whether that path takes him into therapy or a career as a university professor. He recently moved to Las Vegas to start a new chapter in his education and personal life. In his spare time, Soleil enjoys playing games in virtual reality, listening to records, building model kits, playing the Legend of Zelda series, and reading manga. Email Soleil

Jumelle Tukay, B.S. (she/her) majored in Biology and minored in Neuroscience at UNLV. She is currently about to enter into her 2nd year of medical school at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. She is researching under Dr. Szu-Ping Lee and Dr. Joel Snyder to study motor skill acquisition in lower limb amputees. Her current interests in medicine include the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, but she is still exploring other fields as she continues to learn more about medicine. Jumelle was born and raised in Las Vegas, and in her free time loves to play fingerstyle guitar, travel, play video games, cook/bake, and spend time playing with her two kittens Moku and Milo. Email Jumelle

Alexis Miller, B.A. (she/her) majored in Psychology at San Diego Miramar College before she transferred to Texas State University to finish her bachelor's degree. She worked as an EMT, a trauma technician, and behavioral health technician knowing she had a deep-rooted passion in helping others and a respect for the medical community. She conducted research for her undergraduate honors thesis that focused on EMS first responders and the potential implications of workplace violence on mental health. From that exposure to research during her undergraduate studies, she knew she wanted to continue gaining experience and knowledge in research. Alexis is currently working towards pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a concentration in law. Outside of work and research, she enjoy’s traveling, exploring national and state parks, and reading everything from memoirs to historical fiction. Email Alexis