Lab Members

The primary goal of Dr. Kao’s research is to better understand the influence of health behavior and its associated biobehavioral correlates on human cognition and brain health. He is particularly interested in the acute and chronic effects of physical activity on behavioral and neuroelectric outcomes related to cognitive function during childhood and early adulthood. His research focuses include (1) the associations of different aspects of physical fitness (e.g., cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness) and motor competence with higher-order cognition such as executive function and memory, (2) the role of exercise parameters (e.g., mode, intensity, timing) on the relationship between exercise and cognitive function, (3) the development of physical activity interventions that can be implemented and integrated into real-world settings (e.g. school, workplace) for facilitating attention, learning, work productivity, and brain health.

Kyoungmin Noh

Kyoungmin graduated from Korea University with his Bachelor's degree in  Electronic Engineering and Physical Education in 2017. He then completed his Master's Degree in exercise physiology at Seoul National University in 2019. After graduation, he was a researcher at Seoul National University Hospital in the Radiology department.  In the fall of 2022, he began studying at Purdue as a doctoral student. The effect of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) on cognitive function including memory, attention, and executive function is his main interest. For his research, he plans to implement many enjoyable sports for people to improve their brain health.

Manuela Cortes Ospina

Manuela is from Medellín, Colombia, and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at EIA University. In the fall of 2023, she began her doctoral studies in Health and Kinesiology at Purdue University as a member of the PANCH Lab. Her research interests focus on the relationships among physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, brain function, and cognitive and emotional health. Since joining the lab, she has been involved in projects examining these relationships across different age groups, including children, young adults, and young women. For her doctoral work, she is particularly interested in understanding how the menstrual cycle influences neurocognitive and emotional outcomes in young women, with the goal of contributing to research that supports women’s health.