AJ Simon

AJ is an Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program PhD student in Todd Constable’s lab. Broadly, his research is focused on modeling brain-behavior relationships with the intention of improving diagnostic methods and treatment personalizations. To do so, he is applying machine learning methods to fMRI-derived measures of neural network functioning to map network properties to cognitive and clinical assessments.

His interest in neuroscience was initially sparked as an NCAA wrestler at SF State where he experienced the benefits of mental training on athletic performance. After graduating with a BS in cell and molecular biology in 2015, he pursued this interest academically by working at Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center at UCSF devoted to researching and developing cognitive enhancement therapies. There, he studied the effects of exercise, meditation, and video game training on cognitive control and healthy neural network functioning. He developed an interest in precision medicine when he noticed that these interventions often had variable effects in heterogeneous clinical populations (e.g., ADHD).