Principal Investigator
Bengi Baran, Ph.D.
Dr. Baran received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed post-doctoral research training in Sleep, Circadian and Respiratory Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. She is interested in understanding the role of sleep in symptoms and cognitive deficits in psychiatric disorders. A specific focus is on identifying sleep-related biomarkers of risk for psychotic disorders using functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), sleep electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs).
Email: [email protected]
Graduate Students
Hazal Arpaci
Hazal graduated from Middle East Technical University (Ankara/Turkey) with a B.S. in psychology, and an M.S. in cognitive psychology. As an undergraduate student, she worked as a research assistant in the Cognitive Sciences department and volunteered at several cognitive psychology and neuroscience labs. During her master's, she studied memory models and tried to explore the reasons behind the contiguity effect. Right now, she is a graduate student in the Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Ph.D. program. She is interested in the causal role of sleep oscillations on memory consolidation and symptoms in clinical populations. After getting her Ph.D., Hazal hopes to work in academia.
Emily Gildea
Emily is a second-year graduate student in the Clinical Science program. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology and a minor in Neuroscience. Before coming to Iowa, Emily worked as a lab coordinator in Drs. Hetrick, Wisner, and Moussa-Tooks's lab at Indiana University studying cognitive and neural mechanisms related to psychosis spectrum disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and cannabis use. She also worked at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital during her undergraduate career. She is interested in the neural underpinnings of psychosis spectrum disorders. During her free time, Emily enjoys reading, drinking coffee, and hanging out with her two cats.
Clinical Research Coordinators
Serra Kaptanoglu
Serra graduated from Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 2026 with a B.A. in Psychology. During her undergraduate studies, she was a research assistant in the Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab and worked with physicians at Koc University Hospital and Stanford School of Medicine on projects investigating obstructive sleep apnea. Her research interests focus on the role of sleep in brain health, particularly in clinical populations such as individuals with schizophrenia. She is interested in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying sleep disturbances and exploring how sleep interventions may improve cognitive functioning. She hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology, focusing on behavioral sleep medicine. In her free time, Serra enjoys reading, working out, video calling her cat back in Turkey, and hunting for the best coffee shop in town!
Isabella Martinez
Isabella graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.S. in Psychology, a certificate in Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives, and a minor in Spanish. She was previously involved at the Iowa ADHD and Development Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Molly Nikolas, examining how transitions during adolescence, such as puberty, influence mental health. Her current research interests are the nature/nurture impacts on psychopathologies and vise versa, specifically in minority populations. Her clinical interests are in psychosis/schizophrenia, PTSD, and ASPD. In her free time she enjoys going out to eat with friends and spending time with her dog and two cats.
Research Assistants
Sofia Musetescu
Sofia is a second-year Neuroscience major at the University of Iowa. She is interested in researching the biological processes responsible for the cognitive decline commonly found in people with Schizophrenia, using technologies such as EEGs to characterize them. After graduation, Sofia hopes to attend medical school to pursue a career in adult psychiatry. In her free time, Sofia enjoys reading historical fiction, watching plays/musicals, and playing soccer!
Molly Mercer
Molly is in her junior year, majoring in neuroscience and on the pre-med track. She is interested in many research topics, such as the relationship between sleep and seizure disorders. She is also interested in research using imaging techniques such as EEG's and MRIs. Outside of the lab she works as a CNA and work as a student lab technician in a pathology lab. She enjoy playing video games, drawing, and hanging out with friends!
Victoria Lysek
I am a senior at the University of Iowa majoring in Interdepartmental Studies: Health Studies/Entrepreneurial on the Pre-Medicine track. I am applying to master's programs this semester before I take the MCAT and start applying for medical schools. My ultimate goal in my career is to open up my own pediatric office one day. I joined the NAP Lab my junior year because I personally have struggled with sleep issues and this lab stood out to me when I was researching labs at the University of Iowa. Outside of school, extracurriculars, and research, I enjoy spending time with my friends and have been saying yes to everything and anything to enjoy my senior year of undergrad.
Ellie Vierkant
Ellie is a fourth year psychology student. In the future they hope to pursue a career in research psychology. In their free time they like to read, knit, and sew.
Collaborators
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Candice A. Alfano, Ph.D. & Sleep Anxiety Center of Houston (University of Houston)
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Angela Fang, Ph.D. & CoNNeCTLab (University of Washington)
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Aycan Kapucu, Ph.D. (Ege University)
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Dara Manoach, Ph.D. & SCAN Lab (Massachusetts General Hospital)
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Cara Palmer, Ph.D. & Sleep and Development Lab (Montana State University)
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Amanda McCleery, Ph.D. & MAYPL (University of Iowa)