ZVR Lab

@zvrlab.bsky.social

196 Followers 635 Following

@urneuroscience.bsky.social research lab of @zvr-bsj.bsky.social @urochestersmd.bsky.social, dedicated to understanding #discriminationlearning and #psychopathology using #VR, #MRI, and #ML. Happy to connect with the research community on Bluesky!

A group of smiling people, including Abigail Bossa, PhD Candidate and ZVR Lab member, stand and kneel as they pose for a group photo in an office space with a sign in the background reading NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.
Photo of Saishruthi Donthula (Sai), a woman with long dark hair wearing a white lab coat and holding VR goggles, standing in front of the ZVR Lab sign and smiling.
Picture of Ben Suarez-Jimenez, smiling while wearing a white Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience lab coat and VR goggles. ZVR Lab sign is in the background.
Flyer for University of Rochester Young Investigator Extramural Seminar Series (NEUROYES) with text reading: NEURO-YES Visiting Speaker (Hosted by Neuroscience dept) Julia Gauberg, MSc, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Neurobiology University of California San Diego Thursday, February 5, 2026, 10:00-11:00 AM 3-6408- K-307 Auditorium (In-person only) NFIA links neuromuscular circuit assembly to metabolic resilience in motor neurons
Abigail Bossa stands in front of a large projector screen in an auditorium, holding a microphone while delivering her 3-Minute Thesis to the audience. Slide text: "From Brain Scans to Solutions: Understanding How Trauma and the Environment Shapes the Brain, Abigail Bossa, PhD Candidate in Translational Biomedical Science. Background & Importance: Trauma can lead to emotional distress and PTSD; Some people stay mentally healthy and resilient to PTSD symptoms; Others experience behavioral changes and live in a constant state of fear. Research Focus & Methods: Identifying brain changes that protect people from the development of PTSD; labeled illustrations of VR goggles and an MRI machine; Socio-economic factors & the environment. Ultimate Goal & Implications: Biomarker for Resilience; Guide personalized interventions; Trauma prevention strategies & policies.
Image of a word cloud in the shape of the letter Z, with the words representing the core values of ZVR Lab, including Kindness, Respect, Accountability, Accessibility, Collaboration, Empathy, Curiosity, Honesty, Academic Integrity, Appreciation, Acknowledgement, Safe Space, Quality over Quantity.
Five people walk down a hallway, dressed all in black and wearing badges reading FBI (Functional Brain Investigators).
Graphic reading "100 years School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Rochester" featuring the 1850 Meliora shield logo.
Image of a large wall mounted computer monitor with text reading "THANK YOU, SHREYA!!! WE'LL MISS YOU!!" and various photos of of Shreya at poster presentations, the UR PREP Symposium and in the ZVR Lab with lab members.
Shreya Bavdekar stands at the lectern delivering her PREP research findings at the PREP Symposium. Presentation slide shows a venn diagram describing the relationship between trauma exposure and sleep disturbances. Where trauma exposure and sleep disturbances intersect is the question "Sleep disturbances may be both a cause and consequence of PTSD?"
Six people stand and pose for a photo at the URMC PREP Symposium on June 17, 2025. From left to right, Brook Melon, PREP Program Coordinator, PREP Program Directors Elaine Smolock and Jacques Robert, Caitlin Sharp (Shreya's Bench Mentor), Shreya Bavdekar (holding her program completion certificate), and our favorite PI (and Shreya's Mentor), Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez.
ZVR Lab members pose for a photo outside on a sunny day, in front of a tree on the University of Rochester Campus. From left to right, Shreya Bavdekar, Skylar DeWitt, Caitlin Sharp, Tanya Garg, Abigail Bossa, and Melanie Snell.
Melanie Snell, wearing a white lab coat and holding VR goggles, stands next to the ZVR Lab sign, smiling.
Two women, Tanya Garg and Abigail Bossa, in grey pants and black shirts, stand together and smile for a photo next to a stand-up banner reading "May 22-25, Washington, D.C., Welcome to APS 2025 Annual Convention.
Wide view of the graduation stage, outside on a sunny day, with two large viewing screens on the left and right. Faculty and speakers sit to the left and right of the lectern. A large crowd is seated in chairs outside, with the graduates seated in front of the stage.
Lab group selfie, with seven people smiling. From left to right: Shreya Bavdekar, Tanya Garg, Caitlin Sharp, Kendal Jordan, Mary Halvorsen, Abigail Bossa, and Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez.
Photos of award winners with text about awards reading "Jean Setenet, Meliora Scholarship / Skylar DeWitt, Merritt and Marjorie Cleveland Fellowship / Joanne Chiu, Ivring L. Spar Fellowship Award / Thomas Delgado, Joan Wright Goodman Dissertation Fellowship / Elizabeth Plunk and Sarah Yablonski, Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student / Luke Shaw, Nominated for Vincent du Vigneaud Award / Matt Adusei, Nominated for Wallace O Fenn Award"
Slide with picture of a group photo of NGP students, with text: Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP) / A diverse, interdepartmental program consisting of ~93 faculty presenting >30 basic science departments, clinical departments and research centers / 71 graduate students (62 current plus 9 NGP Recruits for Fall 2025) / 13 students just finishing their first year / 10 PhDs in Neuroscience awarded in last year"
Woman stands at lectern on auditorium stage with ASL interpreter next to her and people viewing a presentation slide reading "Coordination, Conventions, and Collective Intelligence"/ Dora Biro / Collective Cognition Lab / Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences / Neuroscience Retreat April 25, 2025
Two men on stage in auditorium shaking hands as a crowd looks on from the seats. Krishnan Padmanabhan awards Matthew Adusei the 2025 Robert Doty Prize for Outstanding Dissertation.
Man at lectern on stage in an auditorium with people seated, looking at presentation slide on screen with a picture of a man with dark hair and glasses, reading "The 2025 Peter Shrager Award/ Douglas S. Portman, PhD.
Shreya Bavdekar, with long dark hair and glasses, discusses her research poster with a group of four attendees in a wood paneled ballroom at the NGP retreat. Poster title: "Exploring the Effects of Trauma Exposure and Sleep Disturbances on Learning in a Threatening Environment."
Tanya Garg poses for a photo next to her research poster, entitled "The Role of Trauma in Shaping Attention and Threat Expectancy: A Virtual Reality Threat Conditioning Experiment"
Five people stand for a photo in a wood-paneled ballroom next to a research poster. From left to right: Tanya Garg, Caitlin Sharp, Abigail Bossa, Shreya Bavdekar, and Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez.
Outside the Memorial Art Gallery main entrance, a large sign reads “Welcome to the Annual Neuroscience Retreat Presented by the Neuroscience Graduate Program” and features the logo for the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester.
Abigail Bossa stands at the lectern (left) delivering her dissertation update presentation. An ASL interpreter stands to the right. On the screen is a presentation slide, entitled "Neural Circuit Model - Threat" with a figure detailing the locations of brain regions (Prefrontal cortex, Medial prefrontal cortex, Ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and Amygdala) and the figure title "Brain Structures Involved in Dealing with Fear and Stress. An infographic next to the figure includes four boxes: "Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regulates amygdala function by inhibiting it when there is no threat"; "Post Trauma the mPFC fails to inhibit amygdala function"; "Hyperactive amygdala"; and "Reactions to neutral stimuli, startle responses and hypervigilance".
Abigail Bossa smiles and poses for a photo at the ACTS 2025 Conference, next to her research poster, entitled “Investigating sociodemographic influences on trauma exposure and neural alterations in young adults”
ZVR lab members smile and pose for a selfie with our favorite PI, Dr. Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez, in the lab. In the background, a mounted monitor with a blue background and the University of Rochester logo, white boards, and a window with a view of the Medical Center outside.
Infographic with pictures of Robert Doty, PhD, smiling and wearing glasses and a white button-up shirt and red tie, Elisabeth A Murray, PhD, also smiling and wearing glasses and a black blazer, and the University of Rochester logo. Text reads: "Department of Neuroscience presents: The Elizabeth Doty Lecture. Elisabeth A. Murray, PhD, Chief, Section on the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH. "Prefrontal amygdala interactions in social cognition and decision making." April 16th, 2025 at 4:00PM. ZOOM Meeting ID: 967 0502 9846, Passcode: 465643.
Tanya Garg, wearing a black shirt and beige skirt, smiles in a sunlit atrium next to her research poster, entitled "Dissociation Between Threat Expectancy and Physiological Arousal in Trauma-Exposed Individuals: Evidence from a Virtual Reality Threat-Conditioning Task."
Dr. Nathan Smith, wearing a NY Yankees baseball cap, smiles and points to Dr. Cory J White as they pose for a photo together after Dr. White's research presentation, "Evaluating how HIV infection and antiretroviral therapies impact brain lipid metabolism".
Tanya holding a microphone in front of audience members, next to presentation slide reading "There is a dissociation between cognitive and physiological responses to threat in TE individuals, but not in TN individuals". (TE=trauma exposed; TN=trauma naive)
Professional photo of Cellas Ari'ka Hayes smiling, with the text: NEURO-YES Visiting Speaker, Cellas Ari’ka Hayes, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow /Propel Scholar, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Thursday, April 10, 2025, 4:00 – 5:00PM, SMD 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Aud (In-person only)
Professional photo of Cory J White smiling, with text: NEURO-YES Visiting Speaker Cory J. White, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow | NIH Blueprint D-SPAN K00 Fellow, Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Thursday, April 3, 2025, 4:00 – 5:00PM, SMD 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Aud (In-person only). Talk title: Evaluating how HIV infection and antiretroviral therapies impact brain lipid metabolism.
NEUROYES banner image of a blue brain and network on a black background with the text reading "University of Rochester Young Investigator Extramural Seminar Series NEUROYES A Joint Program of The Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Diversity Commission and Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
Eric Garr at lectern during February 20 NEUROYES, presenting "Learning cause and effect with the help of mesostriatal dopamine" with slide titled "Is conditioned responding sensitive to contingency?"
Graphic for MLK address held at the University of Rochester on Friday, February 7th featuring a photo of Giancarlo Esposito, reading: "2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address, features a conversation with Giancarlo Esposito, Award-winning director and actor from Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.
Skylar standing in front of the ZVR Lab sign, wearing a white lab coat and VR goggles.
Drs. Nathan Smith, Gabriela Manzano Nieves, Manuel Gomez-Ramirez, Ben Suarez-Jimenez, and Gabriella Sterne stand for a photo after the NEUROYES seminar.
Group photo of the ZVR Lab featuring Shreya, Caitlin, Ben, Kendal, Evelyn, Abby, and Claire standing in front of a research poster, with images of VR goggles and a computer with an MRI image of a brain
Flyer for NEURO-YES visiting speaker Gabriela Manzano Nieves PhD MPA, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Dept of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York NY, presenting on “Divergent reward cue representations in prefrontal cortex underlie developmental differences in reward-seeking”, Thursday, January 9, 2025 from 4 to 5pm in SMD 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Aud (In-person only)
Abby stands next to ZVR Lab sign wearing a lab coat.