Principal Investigator
Mariya V. Cherkasova, PhD
Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience in Psychology
Interested in psychological and neural mechanisms of reward-related behavior and addiction.
PhD from McGill University (2012); Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia (2014-2020)
Office: 2128 Life Science Building
Email: mariya.cherkasova@mail.wvu.edu
Graduate Students
Maria Potts
Maria is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Behavioral Neuroscience program in WVU’s Psychology department. Broadly, her research interests revolve around risk factors for addiction. She is conducting her dissertation on early life adversity and its effects on reward reactivity. After her graduation in May, she will join the Psychology faculty at University of North Alabama in a tenure-track position.
Isaac Kim
Isaac is a graduate student in the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program at WVU Psychology. Isaac is interested in the biological and behavioral principles underpinning addiction and is currently focusing on gambling. Isaac wants to pursue a career in academia with the ultimate aim of developing complex behavioral prediction models for addictive and other mental health disorders. Outside the lab, Isaac enjoys studying astronomy, AI-related technologies, propaganda strategies, and international affairs.
Anna Isberg
Anna is a student in the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program within the WVU Psychology Department. She is interested in the use of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques like TMS in the treatment of addiction and other disorders that alter reward processing. Anna is interested in pursuing a research-oriented career in academia or at a research center. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, volunteering, and reading.
Software Developer
Sumesh Ramasamy
Sumesh is a MSc student in the Engineering program and a graduate research assistant in the BBA lab. He is primarily working on developing software in Unity for our ICRG-funded gambling research. He also helps the lab with various miscellaneous software development / trouble shooting needs.
Post-Bac Students
Ayah Aldebyan
Ayah earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Nutrition and Food Studies from West Virginia University in May 2024. Her research interests include culturally responsive interventions, improving help‑seeking behaviors among marginalized identities, and examining how impulsivity contributes to addiction, suicide risk, and other adverse outcomes. Ayah plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Soffi Bee
Soffi is a Fall 2025 graduate of WVU with a BSc in Psychology (minor in Biology). She plans on applying to graduate programs in Psychology, with intentions of pursuing a career in Neuropsychology. During her free time, she enjoys backpacking, skiing, and mountain biking.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Rosalyn Hill
Rosalyn is a senior at WVU majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience. Rosalyn joined the BBA lab in Fall 2023 as a research assistant. She completed the SURE program in the lab in the Summer of 2024. She is continuing her research in the lab, will be completing her Capstone in the Spring of 2026, and is applying to graduate programs in Psychology.
Ryan Truong
Ryan is a Sophomore majoring in Exercise Physiology. Ryan has been volunteering at the BBA lab since 2024 and is currently completing a Research Apprenticeship (RAP) program at the lab.
Nicholas Palmer
Nicholas double majored in Psychology and Economics at WVU. He began volunteering at the BBA lab in the Fall of 2024 and completed his Capstone project at the lab in the Fall of 2025. He is currently applying to graduate programs in psychology and plans to pursue a career in behavioral research..
Ella is a junior at WVU, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Addiction Studies. She began volunteering in the BBA lab in the spring of 2025 and is currently continuing her work as an undergraduate research assistant. After graduation, Ella plans to pursue a master’s degree in counseling with an interest in addiction-focused work.
Ella Cox
Lab Alumni
Graduate
Polina Krom
Polina was the first graduate student in the lab! She studied sign-tracking and goal-tracking in relation to cue-reactivity people who vape for her Masters thesis and in relation to slot machine gambling for her dissertation. She received her PhD in 2025 and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Health at WVU working with Toni Rudisill.
Katherine Muksuris
Katherine (Kat) came to the lab with a Masters. As part of her dissertation, she studied how reward-related cues interact with dopaminergic medications to influence risky decision making in Parkinson’s disease and initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the effects of rTMS on behavioral makers on impulse control disorders resulting from dopamine-replacement therapy. She received her PhD in 2025 and is now an Assistant Professor teaching courses in behavioral neuroscience and related disciplines at Shippensburg University.
Undergraduate
Molly Summers: Molly gained research experience in the lab via the Research Apprenticeship Program in 2020 - 2021. Molly has since completed her BSc in Neuroscience at WVU and works as a research coordinator as she prepares to pursue a career in medicine.
Alik Assi: Alik was an undergraduate research assistant in the BBA lab in 2020-2022 and completed his Capstone project in the lab. After completing his BSc in Neuroscience at WVU (with a minor in Finance), Alik completed an MSc in Information Technology and is currently officer candidate at the Washington Army National Guard.
Moyosoreoluwa Jacobs: Moyo obtained secondary research experience in the BBA lab as an MA candidate in Counseling in the summer of 2021. She is currently a doctoral student Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University.
Margaret Craw: Margaret was an undergraduate research assistant in the lab in 2021-2022. After completing her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at WVU, she continued her education as a Physician Assistant student at Grand Valley State University.
Jamie Dotson: Jamie joined the lab in the fall of 2021 via the Research Apprenticeship Program and continued to volunteer in the lab until her graduation year. She has completed her BSc in Psychology in the Fall of 2023 and is planning to pursue graduate training in Counseling.
Laura Loeffelbein: Laura was a volunteer research assistant at the BBA lab before completing her Capstone project in the lab Fall 2022. Laura is currently a medical student at the WVU school of medicine (offered early admission!).
Logan Riffey: Logan was an undergraduate research assistant, an AGE-ADAR scholar, and a Capstone student in the BBA lab Summer 2022-Spring 2023. After completing his BSc in Psychology and Biology at WVU, went on to complete his MSc in Neuropsychology at Maastricht University.
Gillian Kaier: Gillian was a volunteer research assistant at the BBA Lab 2021-2023 and completed her Capstone in the lab. She completed her BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology in the Spring of 2023 and plans to pursue a career in Neuropsychology.
Brianna Schlierf: Brianna joined the BBA lab in Fall 2022 to complete her Capstone project. She went on to graduate training in school psychology at the University of Buffalo.
Jonathan Stambaugh: Jonathan has been a volunteer research assistant with the BBA lab Fall 2024 - Fall 2024. He is currently a Prescriber Medical Administrative Assistant at Harmony and Roots, Transformations Care Network.
Isabella Steffenino: Izzy joined the lab as a volunteer in the Fall of 2024 and stayed on to do her Capstone project. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in counseling.