Kundu Lab Team Members

Patrick Hackett, M.S., has a graduate data science degree from Georgia Tech, a bachelor’s in neuroscience from Emory University and an applied background leading the delivery of scaled machine learning and AI solutions in the tech industry. He supports the Kundu Lab as lab manager and lead research specialist, leveraging his years of experience guiding neuroendocrinology and fMRI clinical trials at Emory University. His research goal is to develop cutting-edge electrophysiological signal processing machine learning models to improve our understanding of the human brain.

Boateng is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Kundu Lab. Before coming to Missouri, he was a postdoctoral scholar at University of California, Davis where he focused on dynamical systems modeling in the context of a non-human primate decision-making model. Boateng received his Ph.D.in Biomedical Science from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). There he primarily worked on non-invasive electrical stimulation to control neural activity in the rodent brain. His primary goal in the Kundu Lab is to expand his expertise into intracranial recordings in human subjects and investigate the neural correlates of working memory.

David Fague is a PhD student in the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. David is from Fulton, Missouri, and attended the University of Missouri for an undergraduate degree in biological engineering, minoring in computational neuroscience with certificates in neural engineering systems & signals. In the Kundu Lab, David is analyzing spectral power data during object encoding and maintenance to contribute to the object working memory study. David also works in Dr. Satish Nair’s research lab where his research focuses on designing and simulating biophysical single-cell neuronal models for realistic dendritic computation and algorithms for model computational reduction using cable theory for dendrites.

Walt Omelyusik has a Bachelor of Science in Economics, a Master of Science in Data Science and is pursuing his PhD in the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is interested in finding ways to push the boundaries of machine learning with insights from neuroscience.

Jamir Pleitez was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Dartmouth College, where he majored in anthropology. After undergrad he spent a couple of years back home in LA and completed his master’s degree in medical physiology. He is now a rising second year medical student at Mizzou where he became deeply interested in neurosurgery.

Varun Reddy holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and is currently pursuing his Master’s in the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is driven by a passion for integrating technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning into practical solutions, with the goal of addressing complex challenges in areas such as neuroscience and data-driven decision-making.

Kousalya is currently a second-year medical student at Mizzou. She graduated from Saint Louis University with degrees in neuroscience and investigative medical science. When she's not aggressively hitting her Anki remote at Ellis library, you'll find her trying new restaurants, crocheting or going on hikes.