About Us
The Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab investigates the computational principles by which the human brain supports intelligence, learning, and flexible decision-making. We’re interested in how the brain makes sense of different experiences and turns them into useful knowledge. We study how it builds internal models of the world—mental structures that help us reason, predict what might happen next, and make smart decisions in new situations.
Our research combines behavioral experiments, neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, OPM-MEG, and EEG), and computational modeling, including both normative models and neural networks. By integrating approaches from psychology, neuroscience, machine learning, and behavioral economics, we aim to understand how the brain represents concepts, learns structural relationships, and makes novel inferences.
People
Join Us
1. Undergraduate Research Opportunities
CCN Lab is seeking motivated undergraduate students from any department who are interested in gaining hands-on research experience. Our lab investigates how the brain supports learning, decision-making, and flexible behavior, using tools from cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, and computational modeling. We welcome students from a wide range of academic backgrounds. If you’re excited to contribute to a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment, we encourage you to reach out!
As an undergraduate researcher, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Work with lab members to collect behavioral and neuroimaging data
- Learn how to analyze the data you helped collect
- Join lab meetings and journal clubs to discuss state-of-the-art research in cognitive neuroscience
Commitment & Expectations:
- This is an unpaid position, but we ask for a commitment of at least 3 hours per week
- We expect students to take ownership of their role and contribute responsibly to ongoing projects
This opportunity is especially valuable for students considering graduate programs in cognitive neuroscience or related fields. Prior coursework in neuroscience and/or machine learning is helpful, though not required. Please note that while we’re excited to support student involvement, our capacity to provide meaningful research experiences is limited by available resources. If we’re unable to offer you an active role right away, you are still warmly invited to join our lab meetings and journal clubs, where we discuss cutting-edge findings in neuroscience and cognitive science.
Also note that most of our work is experimental and data-driven. If you’re only interested in purely theoretical research, this may not be the best fit. That said, we deeply value curiosity, collaboration, and a strong desire to learn.
To apply, please email your CV to spk@vt.edu, and include:
- Research experience
- Related coursework (e.g., Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer science, Machine learning, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, and/or Physics)
- Programming skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R, Julia, etc.)
2. For additional position openings, please check here:
Open positions