last updated: August 8th, 2024

Principal Investigator

David V. Smith, Ph.D.

Dr. Smith is the Principal Investigator of the Neuroeconomics Lab at Temple University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. The work in the lab is supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute of Mental Health. For more about his background (including courses that he teaches), please see his faculty page and his current curriculum vitae.

david.v.smith [at] temple.edu

Doctoral Students

Jen Yang

Jen is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Cognition and Neuroscience program at Temple University. She is interested in the integration of social and non-social information during decision making across lifespan, and how such information processing is associated with cognition. Outside the lab, Jen enjoys crochet, collecting animal pictures, napping, and long walks.

jen.yang [at] temple.edu

Jimmy Wyngaarden

Jimmy is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Social Psychology program. He’s interested in the roles of social and non-social feedback in guiding judgment and behavior. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree from Appalachian State University. Outside of the lab, Jimmy enjoys playing basketball, running, and painting.

james.wyngaarden [at] temple.edu

Melanie Kos

Melanie is a first-year doctoral student in the Cognition and Neuroscience program. She is a joint member of the Neuroeconomics Lab and the Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab (PI: Dr. Chelsea Helion). She is interested in how our mental representations of social information contribute to our subsequent decisions, and how these representations change based on our internal bodily state and/or external environmental contexts. Melanie graduated with a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Dartmouth College. Outside of her research endeavors, you can find Melanie participating in trivia nights, scouting the best cocktail spot in Philly, or immersing herself in an audiobook.

melanie.kos [at] temple.edu

Derrick Dwamena

Derrick is a first-year doctoral student in the Cognition and Neuroscience Program. He is particularly interested in the neural mechanisms underlying economic and social decision-making, with a research focus on the complexities of choice overload and its impact on decision-making processes. Derrick earned his Master’s degree from Duke University, where he worked under Dr. Scott Huettel, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Michigan State University. Outside the lab, Derrick enjoys anime, bread, and napping.

derrick.dwamena [at] temple.edu

Shenghan Wang

Shenghan is an incoming first-year doctoral student in the Cognition and Neuroscience program at Temple University. They are interested in how top-down regulatory processes influence decision making and reward processing. They completed their master’s degree in neuroscience at Brandeis University and bachelor’s degrees in psychology at Western University (Canada) and economics at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (China). Outside of research, they love staying physically active, meditating, and learning new singing styles.

shenghan.wang [at] temple.edu

Research Staff

Avi Dachs

Avi is one of the two lab managers at the Smith Lab. He is responsible for recruiting participants for our studies, organizing lab outings, and moving the progress bar forward. He is known for his problem solving, innovation, as well as his excel and REDcap skills. Avi likes to spend his time learning new skills and drawing.

abraham.dachs [at] temple.edu

Cooper Sharp

Cooper is the other lab manager with the Neuroeconomics lab. He graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Temple University. His research interests include fMRI imaging methodology and trust during social and financial decision-making. Outside of the lab, Cooper enjoys plants, sushi, and expanding his sweater collection.

cooper.sharp [at] temple.edu

Undergraduates, Interns, and Volunteers

Ishika Kohli, Temple University undergraduate RA, LAURA scholar Fall 2022

Matthew McCormick, Temple University undergraduate RA

Ashley Hawk, Temple University undergraduate RA

Alayah O’Sullivan, Temple University undergraduate RA

Mariami Sakhiashvili, Temple University undergraduate RA

Collaborators

Lauren Alloy, Temple University (Professor of Psychology).

Eunice Chen, Temple University (Associate Professor of Psychology).

John Clithero, University of Oregon (Assistant Professor of Marketing).

Dominic Fareri, Adelphi University (Associate Professor of Psychology).

Tania Giovannetti, Temple University (Professor of Psychology).

Chelsea Helion, Temple University (Assistant Professor of Psychology).

Johanna Jarcho, Temple University (Assistant Professor of Psychology).

Bart Krekelberg, Rutgers University (Professor of Neuroscience).

Vishnu “Deepu” Murty, University of Oregon (Associate Professor of Psychology).

Vinod Venkatraman, Temple University (Associate Professor of Marketing).