People

Mike did his graduate work at the University of Toronto under the joint supervision of Professors Colin MacLeod and Jay Pratt. Upon obtaining his Ph.D. in 2005, Mike became a Killam postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia working in the lab of Professor Alan Kingstone and collaborating with Professors Jim Enns and Todd Handy. He joined the University of Nebraska - Lincoln faculty in the fall of 2007 where he conducts research on vision, attention, memory, and perception (hence the lab acronym).  He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2013 and Full Professor in 2018.  He served as an Associate Editor at JEP:HPP from 2013-2014 and was the Editor-in-Chief of Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics from 2015-2021. He loves referring to himself in the third person. Mike's CV can be found HERE (Updated 6/21/2021)

Joshua Zosky: Graduate student

Josh's interests lie in the realm of perception, but focus more on the edges of perceptual experiences. Although most perceptual experiences are based on generally accurate representations of the external world, sometimes inaccurate reconstructions occur. He is interested in why that happens, and how to leverage perceptual inconsistency for cognitive gains. In order to study perception, he used a variety of technologies: EEG, eye tracking, fMRI, and virtual reality. His research interests include--but are in no way limited to--Brain Computer Interfacing (BCI), EEG data processing, eye tracking, experimental design, co-registration of fMRI/EEG/eye tracking data, developing intervention/rehabilitation technology, and machine learning/deep learning.

He has a bachelor's degree in English--with a focus on Modern Literature and pretentious dinner conversation. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology--with a minor in Biology. He is currently in the Psychology-Neuroscience & Behavior graduate program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Most of Josh's work can be found on his website(https://imnotamember.github.io/) and ResearchGate profile(https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joshua-Zosky-2).
He has an amazing daughter that he'll gladly inundate you with photos of her being an adorable toddler. Josh used to have lots of hobbies and interests. Those are currently on hiatus for the next ~17 years, until his daughter leaves home to start her quest for world domination (or college I guess).

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshua_e_zosky
Professional Website: https://imnotamember.github.io/
ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joshua-Zosky-2

Mengzhu Fu: Graduate student

Mengzhu is currently part of the Social and Cognitive program in the Department of Psychology at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Iowa where she earned her bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Music.

She has a broad interest in studying different aspects of visual attention (e.g., object-based attention, selective & sustained attention, visual search), with a particular focus on how attention operates in dynamic contexts,  what its capacity is, and how it may be influenced by other bottom-up and top-down factors. Her research uses a variety of behavioral methods, eye tracking techniques, and virtual reality. During her spare time, Mengzhu enjoys watching animes, making desserts, playing the piano and swimming.

Justin Frandsen: UCARE Student 

Justin Frandsen grew up on a hog farm in western Nebraska. With his wildly different perspective from most psychology students, he decided on UNL to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology hoping that he could focus on the study of cognitive psychology and bring new ideas to the table. Justin has been part of VAMP Lab since he was a freshman starting out in the FYRE program and then moving to the UCARE Program which he is currently a part of. Justin takes part in a collaboration between VAMP lab and a software engineering group headed by Dr. Bonita Sharif. After graduation, Justin wants to continue his academic career by moving into a cognitive psychology graduate program. 

Outside of the lab, you will probably find Justin rock climbing, hiking, camping, or at the dog park with his best buddy. He has a Border Collie x Blue Heeler pup named Phillip (Philly) Cheese Steak who he loves to spend time with and take on adventures.

Josh Magee: UCARE Student

Josh M. is a student of many skillsets. Josh has a degree in automotive technology and field experience in paint and bodywork. Josh has two years of formal theatre training from the Johnny Carson School of theatre and Film and professional experience in design and carpentry. Josh has over three years of professional mediation experience including juvenile restorative justice, family mediation, small claims mediation and mediation coaching at the UNL law college. 

Josh’s research interest areas are focused on the understanding and improvement of the methods that people learn and comprehend new information. As an undergraduate student at UNL Josh has worked as a research assistant on seven separate research studies to their conclusion, one study that is currently ongoing and will start on a new collaboration study in the fall of 2021. As of summer of 2021, Josh has ran a grand total of 286 participants as an undergraduate research assistant at UNL.

Outside of work and school, Josh does not have much free time but does enjoy various video and writing projects.

Zach Cole: VAMP Lab Affiliate

Zach has taken the long road to and through academia. Zach has bachelor’s degrees from Washington State University in both Kinesiology and Psychology. Since graduating, Zach has worked as a technician on the Washington State Department of Transportation Geotechnical Drill Crew, and as a counselor at the Child Study and Treatment Center at Western State Mental Hospital. In 2014, Zach enrolled at Ball State University to complete his M.A. in Cognitive and Social Processes. This experience led to another job opportunity managing Dr. Cindy Bukach’s research lab at the University of Richmond, which set him up for his current role as a Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience and Behavior program of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Psychology.

Zach’s research interests involve the use of EEG/ERP, fMRI, eye tracking, and other behavioral methods along with cutting edge methods and analyses such as brain-computer interface and deep learning to probe the cognitive and neurological mechanisms of endogenous and exogenous attention and executive function with respect to physical and mental health, and health-related behaviors.

Outside of work, Zach enjoys working out, playing rec sports (flag football, softball, basketball, volleyball), taking his pup out on adventures, and is an avid golfer.

Zach can be found on Twitter @neurophysicole, or check out his personal website: www.neurophysicole.com

Evan Lintz: VAMP Lab Affiliate

Evan hails from Connecticut, where he earned his B.S. in Psychology from Eastern Connecticut State University. Before transitioning to academia, he served 8 years in the Marine Corps, eventually attaining the rank of Sergeant, then spent the better part of two decades in multi-unit retail management. He is currently a 5th year graduate student in the cognitive psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Evan’s research interests include basic perceptual processing, similarities and differences between internally and externally directed attention, and working memory subprocesses. His current focus is aligning cognitive theories of working memory with a plausible neural substrate. He approaches these topics from a variety of angles, with methods including behavioral, EEG, fMRI, and machine learning. 

In his ever-diminishing spare time, Evan enjoys motorcycle racing, playing golf, cooking, and gaming

Audrey Denning: FYRE Student

Audrey grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and came to Nebraska to pursue my bachelor's in psychology with a focus on research. She graduated high school as valedictorian and earned her International Baccalaureate diploma. As a college freshman, she does not have much of her career planned out, but is excited for her journey at UNL and the VAMP Lab. Outside of school, Audrey enjoys camping, baking, and puzzles.

Kaitlyn Meier: FYRE Student

Not leaving her hometown, Kaitlyn is working to get a bachelors degree in Psychology with a possible double major in Secondary Education. Starting her college career in The Career Academy at Southeast Community College with the K-12 pathway, she found a love for psychology. She is very excited to have the opportunity to be working in the lab and getting some hands on experiences with the experiments. Along side working as a FYRE student, Kaitlyn is also an intern with the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center wrestling program. In Kaitlyn's free time, she likes to read triller/mystery novels, drink way too much coffee, and eating lots of ramen noodles.