PROFESSOR SPOTLIGHT - Professor Liljeholm

SPOTLIGHT - PROFESSOR LILJEHOLM

This week's spotlight was with Professor Liljeholm. She is a professor in the Cognitive Sciences and teaches courses PSYCH 140L, graduate fMRI methodology, and a range of graduate seminars. Their current research is on the effects of addiction on human decision making. Specifically:

1. What happens when you perturb our body's system through addiction or psychopathology?
2. How does this affect learning and decision making?
3. What do these behaviors tell us about the system itself?

Here's what they said!

What research lab does she work in?
Professor Liljeholm runs the Learning and Decision Neuroscience Lab.

What advice does she have for a student who wants to join your lab? 
There are three steps that are pertinent to follow if you want to join ANY research lab:

1. Go to the Lab Website
2. Read the three most recently published papers, try to understand what the papers are doing and WHY they're doing it
3. Send an email, describing WHY you are interested in that line of research

What skills do you need to join this lab?

1. CODING CODING CODING
   1. It doesn't matter what coding language you learned or how you learned it!
2. An intrest and willingness to learn new skills

** These skills will help you to join any lab in any line of research, even when you apply for graduate school


What was your favorite topic or project you've worked on?
She has developed her own theory on the role of agency on goal directed decision making. If youre interested, you can read her papers on the topic here!!


What type of industry jobs can you pursue with this line of research?

1. Many Cognitive Scientists in this research will go into data science and analysis
2. Others have gone to Law School to work in Property Law
   1. Can also work in a law firm as an expert
3. Be an expert in decision making for consumer behavior (Have input in marketing and advertising)

HER ADVICE FOR YOU: 

1. Focus on what you are interested in
2. Utilize all of the tools you have at your disposal (here at UCI) to achieve your goals 
3. While you need good numbers to get into a good graduate school, your application is wholistic! Don't beat yourself up, nothing is the end of the world.