Rick Betzel, Principal Investigator

Office: MIDB, Room 2-310

Email: rbetzel [at] umn [dot] edu

Personal website | Google scholar

Nathan Labora, PhD Student (GPN)

I am a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and joined the lab in the summer of 2025. Broadly, I’m interested in how individuals' brain networks are organized, how they differ across people and how they change or remain stable over time. I am also interested in understanding brain network organization across multiple scales and subdivisions. I am interested in exploring network neuroscience approaches and novel data acquisitions to try to answer these questions. Before coming to UMN, I earned my B.S. in Neuroscience from Florida State University and worked as a research coordinator in Dr. Caterina Gratton’s lab, where I contributed to multiple precision functional mapping projects. Outside of the lab, I enjoy trying new coffee shops, reading and watching horror books and movies, and spending time with my black cat, Mary Shelley, named after the author of Frankenstein.

Vibin Parakkattu, PhD Student (CogSci and PBS, Clinical Science track)

Over the course of my career, I aim to contribute towards improved noninvasive diagnostics and treatments for neuropsychiatric diseases. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/ Psychology (valedictorian) from SUNY Stony Brook University and my Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Over the years, I have worked in a variety of settings, including healthcare, the medical device industry, and academic research. I have studied and worked in a variety of fields as well: bioengineering management, scientific/technical marketing, neuro-electrophysiology, patient safety, clinical neuroscience, neurobiology, and social psychology. I hope to leverage my diverse experiences as I explore psychopathology using tools from control theory and network neuroscience for my dissertation research. Outside of lab, I enjoy making gourmet ice cream and practicing bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form.