Lab direction

Dr. Roberto Cofresí

Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor | he/him
Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
PhD Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin
B.S Biochemistry, University of Texas at Austin
Contact at: CofresiR at missouri.edu
  • ORCID iD
  • Google Scholar
  • NCBI

    • Dr. Sandie Keerstock

    Research Specialist Lead | she/her
    Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
    PhD Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin, USA
    M.A. Phonetics & Phonology, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris France
    M.A. Language Sciences, Stendhal Univ., Grenoble France
    B.A. English Studies, UPPA, Pau France
     Contact at: SKeerstock at missouri.edu
  • ORCID iD
  • Google Scholar
  • NCBI

    • Graduate students

    Julián Aponte Zabala, B.A.

    Graduate student| he/him
    Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
    B.A. Psychology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
     Contact at: jaqth at missouri dot edu

    Full-time research coordinator

    Devon Terry, B.A.

    Research Coordinator| she/her
    Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
    B.A. Psychology, University of Missouri – Columbia
    B.A. Anthropology, University of Missouri – Columbia
     Contact at: dstmvt at missouri dot edu
  • ORCID iD

    • Kayla Drifka, B.S.

    Research Coordinator| she/her
    Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
    B.S. for Biopsychology, Cognition, & Neuroscience (minor in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences), University of Michigan
     Contact at: kd92d at missouri dot edu

    Postbac research staff

    Darius Stewart, B.S.

    Research Technician | he/him
    Currently in the MU Masters in Public Health Promotion and Planning
    B.S. in Public Health, University of Missouri
    Joined the lab: Fall 2022

    Mason Chartrand, B.A.

    Research Technician | he/him
    B.A. in Psychology, University of Missouri
    B.A. in Sociology, University of Missouri
    Joined the lab: Spring 2025

    Undergraduate research staff

    Camila Gutierrez

    Undergraduate Research Assistant | she/her
    Double majoring in Psychology and Biology with emphasis in Human Biology and Medical Science.
    Joined the lab: Summer 2023

    Lukas Hawkins

    Undergraduate Research Assistant | he/him

    Double majoring in Chemistry and Physics
    Joined the lab: Fall 2023

    River Stone

    Undergraduate Research Assistant | he/him

    Majoring in Psychology
    Joined the lab: Summer 2025

    Noah Schnarre

    Undergraduate Research Assistant | he/him

    Majoring in Psychology, Pre-Med track
    Joined the lab: Summer 2025

    Lainie Mueller

    Undergraduate Research Assistant | she/her

    Majoring in Neuroscience, Truman State University
    Joined the lab: Summer 2025

    Lab Alumni

    • Elizabeth Conley. Fall 2021 to Spring 2024.Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant. MU Goldwater Fellowship Nominee; DAAD Summer REU. Last known: PhD student in Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis.
    • Peyton Maras. Fall 2023 to Spring 2024.Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant.
    • Katelyn Matzdorf. Spring 2023 to Spring 2024. Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant.
    • Abigail Obregon. Fall 2022 to Spring 2024. Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant.
    • Paola Gonzalez. Fall 2023.Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant. Last known: Master's student, MU Social Work.
    • Sophia Slinkard. Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant. Research apprenticeship (2022-2023; co-supervised by Drs. Froeliger and Cofresi) focused on the role of reward-related learning in disordered eating behavior. Last known: Medical student, KCU.
    • Liam Peck. Fall 2022 to Spring 2023.Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant. Honors Thesis (co-mentored with Dr. Bruce Bartholow) focusing on the neural correlates (EEG, MRI) of learning about cues for ingested rewards. Last known: Research Specialist, MU Psychological Sciences.
    • Ian Flowers. Fall 2022 to Spring 2023.Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant. Honors Thesis (co-mentored with Dr. Bruce Bartholow) focusing on the role of familial risk for alcoholism in alcohol cue reactivity and alcohol use. Last known: Applied Psychology at Maastricht University, Netherlands.
    • Jasmine Chen. Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant. MARC/IMSD Intern.
    • Hannah Drzewiecki. Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant. MARC/IMSD Intern.
    • Alana Hatanaka. Spring to Summer 2023. Then: Research coordinator.Last known: Senior Clinical Lab Technician, MU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
    • Rawan Ebada. Fall 2021 to Fall 2022. Then: Undergraduate Research Assistant.
    • Mikayla Rodgers. Fall 2020 to Spring 2022. Then: Research coordinator, Undergraduate Research Assistant. Last known: Medical Student, Rocky Vista University