Welcome!

Research in the Social, Cognitive, & Environmental Neuroscience (SCENe) Lab examines how features of the physical and social environment affect individuals’ brains and their behavior.

We investigate the negative effects of heat stress and air pollution, as well as how interacting with natural spaces can improve our physical and mental health. Our research employs an environmental justice lens, working with community organizations to examine how place-based interventions may address the compounding effects of economic marginalization and environmental racism.

In order to ensure the ecological validity of the research, we work to implement, create, and validate research methods that allow us to “take the lab outside”, such as browser-based tasks, mobile neuroimaging (fNIRS), and experience sampling techniques.

We advocate for and prioritize the use of open science practices, including the ethical sharing of data and study materials, providing open and reproducible code, and pre-registering data collection and analysis plans.