People
Cameron Ellis, Ph.D. (he/him)
Hi everyone! I am the Principal Investigator for the Scaffolding of Cognition Team and am an Assistant Professor at Stanford University. I earned my Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University. I am driven to understand the development of the human mind and cherish the opportunity to experience awe every day. If you would like to know more about me, visit my personal website.
Team Manager
Marianne Lacsamana, MS (she/her)
Mar earned her MS in Forensic Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. Her past research includes the efficacy of police procedures as well as the effects of forensic interviews on maltreated children. Her passion truly lies with child advocacy and creating a learning environment for children with developmental disabilities to thrive along their neurotypical counterparts. She is extremely excited to be a part of the SoC Team! For fun, Mar enjoys trying new foods (the spicier the better!), eating ice cream any time of the day, and watching videos of cute baby animals and their shenanigans!
Research Assistant
Alfredo Ornelas, BS (he/him)
Fredo received his B.S. in Cognitive Science from UC Merced. At UC Merced, he worked on projects ranging from building deep learning models, bilingual perception of phonemes, to software development. He is interested in utilizing machine learning to develop real-world solutions, technology, and treatments to help people overcome daily obstacles more seamlessly. Outside of the lab, Fredo enjoys soccer, making music, and rocket league.
Graduate Student
Emily Chen, BA (she/her)
Emily is a Psychology PhD student in the Scaffolding of Cognition Team, interested in questions related to how the development of the human brain gives rise to infant cognition in the domains of vision, language, and social reasoning. Before coming to Stanford, she worked as a lab manager at MIT with Rebecca Saxe, studying questions related to language development in toddlers and scene processing in infants. She received by Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from McGill University, where she studied an eclectic mix of subjects that included Data Science, Computer Science, Public Health, Urban Planning, and Neuroscience (her official major and minor combination was Urban Systems Geography and Cognitive Science). In her free time, she is a violinist, singer, coxswain, cook, and avid walker.
Graduate Student
Sarah Shi Tung, BS (she/her)
Sarah is a first-year Psychology PhD student and she is interested in investigating the underlying mechanisms behind experience-driven plasticity in infancy. Before this, she went to Cal Poly SLO, studying psychology and biology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys art and watching reality tv shows.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kenny Jose Cepeda Ramos (he/him)
Kenny, a proud member of Stanford’s undergraduate class of ’26, is currently working towards his BS in Computer Science with a focus on Human Biology. Hailing from the vibrant Bronx, New York, Kenny proudly represents his Afro-Latino roots as a Dominican. When he’s not immersed in academics, Kenny indulges his passion for gaming, sports, and binging long TV series. He aspires to leverage his knowledge and skills to craft innovative solutions at the intersection of technology and human biology.
Want to join the team?
For those interested in applying, you are encouraged to read our manual to get an idea of what it will be like to join the team. If you want to learn more about our open positions, please read the descriptions below:
We are not recruiting graduate students for the 2023-2024 cycle.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellows
The SoC Team is looking to recruit a funded Post Doc, with applications open until the space is filled. A Post Doc will primarily conduct fMRI with awake infants while studying perception, attention, and/or learning. There are numerous experiments that are planned in these areas (and more), but interested teammates are encouraged to suggest their own ideas.
The research involves a range of skills, including fMRI data collection (on the GE platform), computer coding (Python, Matlab, Javascript, Bash) for experiment design and analysis, and comfort in interacting with infants and families. Expertise in one or more of these skills is required for consideration, although it is expected that no candidate will have experience in all domains. Moreover, the successful applicant is expected to meet the following criteria: enthusiasm and creativity for their research program, and evidence that they can work well in a team setting.
Since the team is just starting, there isn’t currently anyone to talk to about what I am like as a mentor. Applicants who make it through the initial round of consideration will have the opportunity to privately talk to my former mentees and learn what I am like as an advisor.
The salary for this position will be approximately $75,000. This salary will increase to keep up with the cost of living. Currently, two years of funding are available; however, during that period, additional grant funding will be sought to bring that to 4 years of funding.
Postdocs with partial or full funding will be more closely considered. Funded salary will be bumped to meet or exceed the standard rate.
Stanford Undergraduate Research Assistants
Fall 2023 UGRA position has now been filled. Applications will be reviewed again either in the Winter or the Spring of 2024.
Undergraduate Research Assistants will support the infant fMRI research we do by assisting with scans, helping with preprocessing the data, and supporting research tasks.
Successful applicants will show the following:
- A demonstrable interest in developmental cognitive neuroscience research or other questions we ask
- Evidence of trustworthiness and persistence
- Computational and technical skill, usually shown through course work in computer science or data science
- A warm personality and generous spirit
All undergraduate research assistants are compensated for their time, either with course credit or with money. This is necessary for equity reasons: some students don’t have surplus time to volunteer, so to avoid favoring those that have that luxury this rule is set. This means that space for research assistants is limited in the team. Research assistants are expected to work 5–10 hours per week during the semester, with opportunities available to research full-time in the summer.
When offered the UGRA position, the candidate will be asked to review and sign our Responsibilities, Expectations, and Benefits Contract before beginning.
If you are interested, please reach fill out this UGRA application. If you have any questions, feel free to email Mar (marlac@stanford.edu) or Dr. Ellis (cte@stanford.edu).
Team affiliates
Members of the Stanford community are welcome to collaborate with the SoC team as an affiliate. Infant fMRI involves intricate data collection that takes a long time to get trained in. People are welcome to collaborate with this level of commitment, but collaborations can take on lesser forms. For instance, secondary analyses of research data are possible. Moreover, research that does not focus on infant fMRI but is in our wheelhouse is also encouraged.
