Our Research Team
Principal Investigator
Jenna L. Merenstein, Ph.D.
Google Scholar | Curriculum Vitae | Faculty Webpage
I obtained a B.S. in Psychology from Colorado State University and Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside. I completed more than three years of postdoctoral training at Duke University Medical Center, where I was funded by an F32 National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Currently, I am a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology (Cognition and Neural Science area) at the University of Utah.
Graduate Students
Samantha (Sam) DeLong, M.S.
Sam obtained her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with double majors in Psychology and Neuroscience. She then earned her master’s of science degree in Neuroscience: Systems, Behavior, and Plasticity from Temple University. Her master’s thesis was titled: "Neurocognitive baseline concussion testing: The influence of premorbid mental illness and psychological state". Upon graduating with her master’s degree, Sam held two separate research assistant positions at Brown University, working on the Healthy Aging one the Lifespan (HALS) study with Dr. William Heindel and Dr. Stephen Buka and then working in the Korthauer Aging and Cognition Lab with Dr. Laura Korthauer. Sam joined the Cognition and Neural Science psychology doctoral program at the University of Utah in August 2026 as a PhD student and is interested in using behavioral and neuroimaging techniques to study cognitive resiliency.
Undergraduate Lab Members
Collaborators
Join Our Team!
Undergraduate students: I am currently recruiting 1-2 undergraduate psychology honors students to complete their theses in the lab. Most of our other research assistant positions are currently filled, but undergraduate applications are reviewed on a rolling basis (at least once per semester) and can be completed here.
Graduate students: If you are a prospective graduate student, please reach out to me via email to learn more about ongoing projects and opportunities in the lab. I will be reviewing applications for 1 prospective graduate student this Fall 2026 (to begin Fall 2027) through the Cognition and Neural Science (CNS) doctoral program. Please note that I am unable to serve as a primary advisor for the Clinical Psychology area.
Postdoctoral scholars: At this time, no lab-based funding is available to support postdoctoral training, but I would be open to assisting with individual postdoctoral fellowship mechanisms. I have provided links to some potential funding mechanisms on the Resources tab. The University of Utah also has a T32 training program that might be of interest.