UT Dallas RA
For most of 2025-2026, Robert was working full time as a Lab Manager/Research Assistant in UT Dallas School of Brain and Behavioral Sciences’ Developmental Affective, Motor, Memory, & Imaging (DAMMI) Lab, under the supervision of Dr. Katherine Damme!
His duties included (but were not limited to) using Bash, R, and MATLAB to process and analyze structural and functional data using FreeSurfer, FSL, and the CONN Toolbox, both locally and remotely using UTDallas’ High Performance Computing cluster, Juno. He also developed a curriculum and taught a coding club for the lab’s undergraduates, teaching them R and Bash. As of June 2026, research papers are in review using the data Robert has derived from over 30,000 brain scans via Freesurfer comparing hippocampal volumes, estradiol levels, and prevalence of psychotic-like experiences during development. Keep an ear out for publishing announcements!
MSc Applied Neuroscience:
Completed with Distinction!
Highlights:
Completed MSc with Distinction in August 2023
Wrote Master’s Thesis titled “Evidence and Implications of Self-Distancing in Psychosis and Mindfulness Practices: A Narrative Synthesis”
Received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Student Performance in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Psychosis, for achieving the best grade of the nearly 300 MSc students taking the module
MSc Thesis:
“Evidence and Implications of Self-Distancing in Psychosis and Mindfulness Practices: A Narrative Synthesis”
More details available on Writing page.
LINK TO FULL TEXT:
Select Courseworks:
TOPIC:
Moncrieff and Middleton (2015) propose that ‘The current concept of schizophrenia is neither valid nor useful’. Evaluate the empirical basis for this claim, and what an alternative system could look like.
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TOPIC:
Discuss biomarkers in the context of a neurodevelopmental disorder introduced in this module (Epilepsy, Autism and Schizophrenia). Include in your discussion the relationship between the biomarker and the disorders’ aetiology/symptoms. Your essay should present data from relevant literature, discuss the concept of stratification biomarkers and findings from a variety of models and techniques. (Autism)
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TOPIC:
Critically discuss the following assertion:
The dopamine hypothesis is valid but insufficient to understand and treat schizophrenia.
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Stay tuned for career updates!