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.

Chun-Hao Wang

Dr. Chun-Hao Wang is a visiting scholar from the Institute of Physical Education, Health, and Leisure Studies at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan. His research focuses on applying cognitive neuroscience approaches to sport and exercise science. Over the past six years, Dr. Wang has collaborated closely with Dr. Kao, fostering a strong academic partnership. During his visit at Purdue, Dr. Wang aims to further strengthen the connection between Purdue and NCKU while introducing innovative research methodologies that may lead to future collaborations.

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 Medellin, Colombia and completed her Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from EIA University. During her undergraduate studies she was involved in the research and design of a system to estimate wellbeing based on physiological signals. She started her doctoral studies at Purdue University the fall of 2023.

Aaron Kuznik

Aaron is from Orono, Minnesota and completed his bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in 2024. During his undergraduate studies he was selected for a scholarship program to acquire his master’s degree in Exercise Psychology at Purdue University. Once his degree is completed he will later return to the athletic department at USAFA to teach and apply his knowledge to working with student athletes. Aaron began his master’s degree in the fall of 2024 in the Department of Health and Kinesiology. While at Purdue he will be studying the effects of high intensity interval training on cognitive and executive function in the brain.