Attention, Impulsivity and Regulation (AIR) Our Team | UC Davis MIND Institute

Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D., is a Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the MIND Institute and leads the AIR/ADHD Program. Her research focuses on understanding and improving attention and impulsivity in children and adults, particularly those with ADHD, using cognitive neuroscience and behavioral techniques. She is developing tech-based tools, like virtual reality games, to boost attention and self-control. Her work, which incorporates fMRI, eye-tracking, and other methods, has earned numerous NIH and federal grants supporting studies in ADHD, autism, and substance use disorders. She is active in training translational scientists across UC Davis Health and is the Director of the Clinical and Translational TL1 Postdoctoral Training grant, a member of the CTSC Kitchen Cabinet,  Associate Director of the Mentored Clinical Research Training Program and is the Director of the UC Davis Schools of Health Mentoring Academy.

Jared Borden, M.A., is the Research Coordinator for the Mapping Impulsivity's Neurodevelopmental Trajectory (MINT) study in the Attention, Impulsivity, and Regulation (AIR) Laboratory. He received a Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Physics from Colgate University and Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Catrina Calub, Ph.D., is a Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, working in the Clinical and Translational Science Center training program under Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D. She completed her pre-doctoral internship in a specialized healthcare program at Oregon Health and Science University and earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Her research is focused on understanding how behavioral, cognitive, and cultural factors relate to ADHD, with the aim of improving treatments for the condition. She received the 2022 CHADD Young Scientist Research Award for her work and potential contributions to ADHD research. Recently, she also received the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation ADHD Award to study early childhood risk and protective factors for outcomes in youth with ADHD using data from the NIH-supported ECHO program.

Jeramiah-Diane Bunac, serves as a Junior Specialist in the AIR Lab, supporting the Q-DATA (Quantifying Distraction and Attention in Teens in Academic settings) and the VRAM (Virtual Reality Attention Management) studies. She earned her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology and Psychology from UC Berkeley. Her research interests include attention, executive functioning, and neurodevelopment, particularly how
these factors shape adolescents' academic experiences and daily functioning. Through her work in the classroom with school-aged students, she became interested in how research can inform evidence-based interventions that support youth on a broader scale. She hopes to continue exploring the intersection of research and practice as she considers future graduate training in school psychology.

Prerona Mukherjee, Ph.D., holds a Master’s degree in Cognitive Science and a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, where her research focused on emotion and information processing in schizophrenia. With a background in computer science, she has extensive experience in the software industry.

Her research investigates the interaction between emotion and cognition, particularly regarding self-control and attention in conditions such as ADHD and schizophrenia. She is interested in enhancing outcomes like academic achievement and resilience through innovative tools, including smartphone applications and virtual reality. Additionally, she is active in mental health outreach and volunteering.