Vanessa graduated from Scripps College where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience, with an emphasis in Cognition and Behavior, Cum Laude. She is interested in using neuroimaging techniques to understand cognitive functions of the brain in both health and disease, specifically in applying these methods to reveal endophenotypes or biological markers in psychopathology. She joined the lab during the summer of 2010 in hopes of gaining more research experience in a clinical setting.
She is also significantly interested in programming and analytical techniques involved in computing large amounts of data. She is currently taking courses at UCSC Extension to strengthen those skills and apply them to research in the lab.
When not coding and looking at brains, Vanessa enjoys going to shows, listening to music, lounging in the park, and camping.