Staff Members
Paula Argueta, B.S.
Program Coordinator
Paula Argueta graduated from Birmingham-Southern College where she received a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. She previously worked as a medical interpreter at Children’s Hospital of Alabama where she facilitated communication between Spanish speaking families and healthcare providers. Paula is interested in research in autism spectrum disorder and internalizing behaviors. She plans to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.
Email: pargueta@uab.edu
Lucas Martin, B.A.
Program Coordinator
Luke graduated from the University of Alabama where he received a Bachelor’s of Art in Psychology and in Italian. He joined the CBrA lab as an undergraduate researcher and since 2023 has been a full-time research staff member. He is particularly interested in neuropsychology and linguistics, and plans to pursue a PhD in psychology.
Email: lmartin5@uab.edu
Jeevika Thota, B.Tech.
Jeevika is pursuing a Master of Science in Cyber Security at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering. She has experience in web development, AI, and machine learning, and is skilled in languages like C, C++, Java, and Python. With strong proficiency in Linux systems, she is well-equipped to assist with neuroimaging research tasks, including MRI data processing, quality control, updating file formats, and modifying scripts.
Email: jthota@uab.edu
Post-Doctoral Researchers
Elizabeth Valles-Capetillo, Ph.D.
Dr. Elizabeth Valles-Capetillo received her PhD from the Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurobiology, Institute of Neurobiology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Her PhD dissertation was: “Study of the identification of irony: the contextual cues that facilitate its detection and the cognitive processes and brain areas that make it possible”. Her research interests are the cognitive and neural bases of language and social cognition in people with autism, using neuroimaging techniques. Also, she is enthusiastic about using R Statistical Software. Currently, Elizabeth works mainly on the BrainREAD project.
Email: ecapetil@uab.edu
Pinar Demirayak, Ph.D.
Dr. Pinar Demirayak’s research area focuses on the extent of brain plasticity in human brain. Her recent work examines individual-specific brain plasticity in brain architecture and function by using MRI. She investigates the dynamics of the visual system in both autism and low-vision populations.
Email: pinarde@uab.edu
