https://www.clayspacelab.com/researchteam daily 0.75 2026-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/1705086184220-8ANJG6386FHJQGGT3U2G/SPACE+IS+THE+PLACE+1.jpg Research Team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/178fb5cf-b481-4e9b-bc61-0d80e4dde31b/team-icon2.jpg Research Team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/6f68f0dc-7342-4cd1-8068-51304492f93a/Clay.jpg Research Team - Clayton E. Curtis, PhD Principal Investigator, Lab Director I’m a Professor at New York University’s Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science. In general, my lab studies the neural mechanisms that support spatial cognitive abilities. [Email] [GitHub] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/97eb4498-a144-4f20-a3fa-600e20f35b84/Nathan.jpg Research Team - Nathan Tardiff, PhD Postdoctoral Associate Human behavior can be both remarkably flexible and surprisingly rigid. I research how cognitive flexibility is regulated in memory and decision-making, using behavioral, computational, physiological, and neuroimaging methods. In the Curtis lab, I'm identifying factors that determine the quality of our working memories, which is critical for understanding how these memories are used to support decision-making and other higher-order cognitive processes. [Email] [LinkedIn] [GitHub] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/aa1670eb-5b7e-4777-a7ef-cc13b301719d/Zhengang.jpg Research Team - Zhengang Lu, PhD Postdoctoral Associate The human mind possesses the remarkable ability to hold and manipulate information even in the absence of an external stimulus. My research is centered on studying memory guided visual behaviors through the lens of neuroimaging. In the Curtis lab, I focus on understanding how the information represented in memory evolves over time by visualizing the changing format of neural representation. [Email] [LinkedIn] [GitHub] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/b121948c-9e69-43b4-bcb2-3547a5b5fb0d/Sarah.jpg Research Team - Sarah Master Doctoral Candidate Working memory is a limited and costly cognitive resource. How do people decide when to use this resource? How much control do they have over its use? As a doctoral student in the Curtis lab, I'm using fMRI, eye-tracking, novel behavioral paradigms, and computational modeling to study how people allocate working memory resources. [Email] [LinkedIn] [GitHub] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/42a979d0-a12c-43ca-a944-612d4930c399/Mrugank.jpeg Research Team - Mrugank Dake Doctoral Candidate I am a PhD candidate interested in understanding the role of early visual cortex in working memory. I am using pRF mapping, eye-tracking, MGS, and TMS coupled with EEG, for the same. [Email] [LinkedIn] [Website] [Github] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/e0909f89-3c3c-4164-97b8-209cef1ec3b7/Zoe.jpeg Research Team - Ziyi “Zoe” Duan Doctoral Candidate What is the nature of working memory representations? How do our brains transform perceptual representations into working memory and use working memory to guide our behaviors? In the Curtis lab, I am combining fMRI, eye-tracking, psychophysics, and computational modeling to investigate these amazing questions! [Email] [LinkedIn] [Website] [GitHub] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/9537ca02-e512-4cfe-988e-dbc1cd7188c5/Hannah.jpg Research Team - Wing Kwan “Hannah” Chu Doctoral Student How does the brain make use of its fixed neural architecture to carry out a variety of cognitive functions? I am interested in using fMRI and computational modeling to investigate the mechanisms of working memory, the role that different brain regions play in its instantiation as well as the relationship between perception and visual working memory. [Email] [LinkedIn] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/a7de27e0-2a0c-4a72-9ada-32a2244974d4/Jean.jpg Research Team - Jean Chrisphonte Masters Student As a Masters student with a background in Psychiatry and Biopsychology, I am pursuing a career in Neuropsychology in the Curtis lab. I am currently learning neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI to study psychiatric disorders such as Schizophrenia and researching Computational Psychiatry in collaboration with the New York State Psychiatric Institute. [Email] [LinkedIn] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/428328f6-63e7-4cc2-be86-9f131456d040/Michael.jpg Research Team - Michael George Lab Manager and Research Assistant Postbac with degrees in psychology and philosophy, primarily interested in the cognitive science of language, thought, and meaning. For now I oversee administrative duties for the lab and assist the team with data collection and processing. My largest current project consists of reformatting the lab’s corpus of anatomical data to enhance its interoperability and reproducibility. [Email] [LinkedIn] https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews daily 0.75 2026-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/1516554709614-KNUUCMQN2QU0B03YXJRU/earthrising2.jpg News https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2026/3/24/zhengang-lu-awarded-grant monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2026/3/9/introducing-dr-sarah-master- monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/5f8a3d7d-3f05-4c84-9e81-3e6fc2446e52/IMG_2612.jpg News - Introducing Dr. Sarah Master !! - New doc on the block! We’re thrilled to announce that Sarah Master has successfully completed her thesis defense!! We couldn’t be more proud of everything she has accomplished and the brilliant scientist she has become. Next up for her is a position as a post-doctoral researcher in Hamburg, Germany! Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Sarah! https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2026/1/21/nathan-tardiff-awarded-nyus-trailblazer-fellowship monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2026/1/21/clay-to-teach-at-nyu-abu-dhabi-campus monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2026/1/21/zoe-duan-awarded-gsas-dissertation-fellowship monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/8/14/hsin-hung-li-makes-cover-of-science-advances monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/ae398fa8-7953-46ad-b34b-25edbc44e5ca/sciadv.2025.11.issue-15.largecover.jpg News - Li et al. (2025) makes cover of Science Advances issue https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/6/28/dake-and-curtis-2025-in-the-news monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/5/29/li-et-al-2025-featured-in-neuroscience-news-article monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/5/29/mrugank-awarded-internship-at-meta monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/4/11/zoe-duan-and-mrugank-dake-to-present-at-ccn monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/5/29/mrugank-wins-award monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/5/29/sarah-master-granted-internship monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/8/6/shanshan-li-wins-best-talk-prize monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/5/29/yuyang-granted-max-plank-internship monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2023/10/29/ohio-state-university-assistant-professor-hsin-hung-li- monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2025/5/29/grace-welcomed-to-meta monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2022/2/1/a-new-publication-from-the-curtis-lab-and-the-ma-lab-has-been-featured-in-quanta-magazine monthly 0.5 2025-03-31 https://www.clayspacelab.com/labnews/2018/03/15/ucsb-assistant-professor-sprague monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://www.clayspacelab.com/home daily 1.0 2025-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/1508703976150-90MS5IEWZRS7LEJWB9NH/brainmap-desktop.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/49ab2763-55cf-44ea-b6a3-d8b8a6dd2177/brainmap-mobile-vertical.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.clayspacelab.com/publications daily 0.75 2026-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/1508690727974-QRQW4VBMIRRWIO8NJ7DM/publications2.png Publications https://www.clayspacelab.com/software daily 0.75 2025-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/1542309508975-T7Y3NP5WO40LG2CK36ZX/example_run.png Software - iEye MATLAB toolbox for interactive display and automatic analysis of eye-tracking data from memory-guided saccade experiments. Interactive version (used in Mackey et al, 2016a; 2016b; Mackey & Curtis 2017): [GitHub] Automated scoring (active development, currently in use): [GitHub] Documentation available in most functions, in addition to README on GitHub. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/1542310780210-J5YE6URVWJJGNHH1WKYQ/IEM.jpg Software - IEM MATLAB tutorials for implementing inverted encoding model (IEM) analyses: [GitHub] Commentary by Tommy, Masih, and others in eNeuro: [Web] or [PDF] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/08b59f6b-a8b2-45f1-a93f-dab2fd5c3302/vis+field+maps.png Software - fMRI preprocessing & analysis AFNI scripts for preprocessing multiband fMRI data. Procedures will be described in detail in forthcoming preprints and publications. Data processing involves: (1) surface reconstruction from T1 & T2 high-resolution anatomical images using Freesurfer, (2) standard spatial preprocessing steps (unwarping, motion correction, registration to anatomical images, surface smoothing, projection into volume space) using AFNI, (3) standard temporal normalization steps (linear detrending, conversion to percent signal change per voxel) using AFNI, and (4) additional custom processing, including computation of receptive field model parameters and multivariate analyses, using custom MATLAB and Python scripts, detailed below: Preprocessing scripts: [GitHub] (requires Freesurfer 6.0, AFNI, vistasoft) Utility functions for extracting timeseries from nii files, etc (MATLAB): [GitHub] Tools for GPU accelerating large-scale linear regression problems (e.g., ‘grid fits’): [GitHub] (requires CUDA-compatible NVidia GPU and Windows or Linux computer) Custom version of vistalab’s vistasoft package for GPU-accelerated RF model fitting: [GitHub] (requires [gridfitgpu]) ––––––––––––––––––––––––– Currently under development: Python module to perform model-fitting directly on subject’s native surface https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59d0fb1d3e00be69b7bda6fa/1542312297003-3MSBPCG3LXHO98X49KKI/vRF.PNG Software - Stimulus presentation Scripts for stimulus presentation used across studies (typically, using Psychtoolbox) Attended bar task used for voxel receptive field modeling and retinotopic mapping: [GitHub]