Teaching & Mentoring

I have taught courses for advanced undergraduate students and mentored junior scholars at varying stages of training. I strive to create an equitable, safe, and engaging learning experience for all, both in traditional classrooms and online. My mentorship focuses on fostering curiosity, critical and independent thinking, and the ability to connect the dots.

ANT/NBB317 Human Social Neuroscience (Fall, 2020, Dept. Anthropology, Emory University) 

As primates, we are unusually social mammals. We devote extensive cognitive effort and resources to managing and maintaining social relationships. Indeed, the need to interact skillfully with others may well have been one of the key selective pressures shaping the evolution of the human brain and mind. Social neuroscience is a burgeoning discipline that explores how our brain helps us navigate complex social environments. It has witnessed an explosion of research aimed at understanding the neurobiological systems that support human social cognition and behavior. This course will review and synthesize this growing body of research coming out of the fields of cognitive neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, and experimental animal research. This is an upper level, interdisciplinary course that integrates perspectives from anthropology, psychology and neuroscience. In this course, we will discuss the neural mechanisms supporting various aspects of human sociality. By the end of the semester, you will be able to answer the following questions: 

• What is social neuroscience, and what imaging techniques do social neuroscientists use? 

• How do our brains process social cues such as face and body?

• What happens in our brains when we evaluate and form impressions of others? 

• What are the neural mechanisms that help us understand others' movements, feelings, and beliefs?

• What are the neurophysiological mechanisms that help us bond with others?

• What are the neural mechanisms underlying positive and negative social interaction?

• What are the neural representations of "us and them"?

• How does our brain represent and learn complex social networks?

• What are the neurological/psychiatric conditions that hinder the function of the social brain?

• What are the broader impacts and implications of findings in social neuroscience?

The Evolving Science of Social Neuropeptides 

This course introduces the dynamic and evolving science of oxytocin (OT), a molecule that has been at the center stage of the neuroscience of mammalian sociality. We'll trace the journey from OT's initial characterization as a simple reproductive hormone to its more complex and often contradictory roles in social behavior. As we examine this progression, we'll see how scientists have reconciled conflicting evidence to develop more nuanced and sophisticated theories of OT, moving beyond the popular "love hormone" label to a deeper appreciation of OT as a key modulator of human biology, psychology, and development. This course bridges multiple levels of analysis, integrating knowledge from genetics, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, with insights from social psychology and evolutionary biology. You'll not only gain a deep understanding of OT's diverse functions but also learn how the scientific process itself unfolds, driven by new data, public perception, methodological critiques, and the continuous refinement of theoretical models. This is an upper-level course that uses the study of oxytocin as a lens to understand both 1) the neuroendocrine basis of human social cognition and behaviors, and 2) the nature of scientific inquiry. We will examine:

• The Science of Oxytocin: We will review the basic biological characteristics of OT, its synthesis, and its established roles in reproduction and stress regulation, setting the stage for understanding its later-discovered social functions.

• The Evolution of Scientific Theories and Methods: We will critically analyze the progression of OT research, from its early formulation as a "prosocial" or "love hormone" to the emergence of contradictory evidence that cannot be adequately explained by such characterizations. We will examine how this led to the development of new, more inclusive theories. We will also explore key methodological critiques that have advanced the field, such as the debate over peripheral versus central OT effects and the challenges of replication. Lastly, we will critically examine ongoing attempts to synthesize evidence across various levels of analysis (e.g., molecular, cognitive, behavioral, and evolutionary) to develop more comprehensive models of OT and its social functions.
  
  

In short, this course explores what oxytocin is and its functions, as well as a case study of how science evolves and matures around this topic. By the end of the course, you will be able to engage critically with and address questions such as:

• What are the historical and current accounts of social and non-social functions of OT, and why is OT implicated in such a broad range of complex phenotypes in mammals?

• How does the scientific community (fail to) reconcile competing findings and refine its theories over time?

• What are the strengths and limitations of the different methods used to study oxytocin?

• How do genetic and environmental factors shape the individual variability observed in the oxytocin system?

• What does the study of oxytocin across different species reveal about the evolution of social behavior?

• How does OT interact with other neuromodulators or hormones, such as dopamine, serotonin, and sex hormones, to modulate social cognition and behavior?

• How might insights from OT research inform our understanding of conditions like autism and psychopathy?

• What questions do we need to ask ourselves to critically evaluate evidence and synthesize it to advance scientific theories?

• How can we communicate effectively with non-experts to minimize the gap between science and its public perception?

Please contact me for the full syllabus of the course!

Neuroscience of Morality

Across cultures and throughout history, people have developed systems of values, norms, and practices to guide decisions about right and wrong. This constellation, often referred to as morality, is a defining feature of human sociality. But how does the brain enable us to make these moral judgments and behave accordingly? And how do social, cultural, and evolutionary contexts shape the neural processes that underlie them? In recent decades, neuroscientists have combined theories and methods in psychology, philosophy, anthropology, and social/cognitive neuroscience that address these questions and illuminate the proximate mechanisms of morality. This course will review and synthesize these findings, examining how moral cognition emerges from interactions between emotion, reasoning, learning, and social context, and its implications for contemporary ethical challenges. This is an upper-level course that integrates perspectives from psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and neuroscience. We will examine 1) core information processing in the brain recruited during explicit moral decision-making and other-regarding behaviors, 2) how these processes intersect with broader social and emotional functioning in the brain, and 3) conditions under which moral cognition is biased. We will draw primarily on both classic and contemporary research involving healthy adult participants in North America. However, the developmental and comparative literature will also be provided and discussed. By the end of the semester, you will be able to engage critically with both the empirical and conceptual foundations of the field, and address questions such as:

• How do we define morality, and how does the neuroscience of morality fit within broader disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, and evolutionary science?

• What methods are used to study the moral brain, and what are their strengths and limitations?

• How have historical case studies and psychological theories shaped modern moral neuroscience?

• What are the neural bases of cooperation, fairness, and other prosocial behaviors, and how do these compare with those observed in other species such as non-human primates?

• How do “fast” emotions and “slow” deliberation interact in the brain to resolve moral dilemmas?

• How does our brain learn moral and prosocial values?

• How do social capacities like empathy and theory of mind guide or hinder our moral and legal judgments?

• How does the brain’s representation of the self-concept relate to our moral identity?

• How do individual differences, interpersonal dynamics, and cultural contexts shape moral cognition?

• How can insights from moral neuroscience inform responses to contemporary challenges and ethical issues such as AI, moral enhancement, education, climate change, and poverty?

Please contact me for the full syllabus of the course!

• PSYCH 6271, Topics in Biopychology: Mechansims of Social Behavior (2025)
  Topic: “Grandmaternal caregiving and OXTR methylation,” (Cornell University, Instructor: Drs. Alex Ophir, Marlen Gonzalez)

• NSCI 4050, Cognitive Neuroscience (2025)
  Topic: “Emotion,” (University of Toledo, Instructor: Dr. Elissar Andari)

• HD 3210, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (2024)
  Topic: “Perception.”  (Cornell University, Instructor: Dr. Marlen Z. Gonzalez)

• HD 3210, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (2023)
  Topic: “Emotion.” (Cornell University, Instructor: Dr. Marlen Z. Gonzalez)

• MBC 600, Center for Mind Brain and Culture Research Group Seminar (2022)
  Topic: “Gene-culture coevolution of pro-social norms” (Emory University, Instructor: Dr. Dietrich Stout and Dr. Lynne Nygaard)

• ANT 201 Concepts and Methods of Biological Anthropology (2018)
  Topic: "Studying the Evolution of Brain Size in Humans" (Emory University, Instructor: Dr. Craig Hadley) 

• ANT 201 Foundations of Human Behavior (2018)
  Topic: "The Moral Brain" (Emory University, Instructor: Dr. James K. Rilling and Dr. Adrian Jaeggi) 

• Undergraduate honors project 

  • “The role of partner support in emotional regulation during infant crying: implications for stress buffering and cognitive functions" (Experimental design and data curation and analysis), Georgetown University (2025-Present).

  • “When Community Calms the Mind: Perceived neighborhood Social Cohesion Moderates the Impact of Social Anxiety on Working Memory Performance" (Data curation, analysis, and writing), Cornell University (2025-Present).

  • "Frustration Responses of Single Mothers to Prolonged Infant Crying" (Study design, data curation, data analysis), Emory University, (2021-2022).

  • “Neurobiology of adult caregiving” (Data curation, analysis, and writing), Emory University (2021-2022).
    
    

• Master’s thesis

  • “Differentiating risk from reward motivation in decision making” (Data analysis), Cornell University (2023-2024).
    
    

• Other research projects 

  • Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program project. titled, “Approach Motivation as a Moderator of Campus Spatial Use and Belonging Among Underrepresented Students” (Conception, experimental design), Cornell University (2025-Present).

  • Scholarly Inquire and Research Experience (SIRE) project titled, “Neurobiology of adult caregiving and its modulation by an intervention designed to increase cognitive empathy” (Data curation, analysis and writing), Emory University (2022-2023).