our team

Principal Investigator

Aston K. McCullough

Aston K. McCullough is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University where he is a member of the core faculty in the Center for Cognitive & Brain Health, with appointments in the Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Department of Music, and an affiliate faculty appointment in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences.

Dr. McCullough is a life scientist, biometrician, and dancer who studies human activity in relation to health across the lifespan. He programs and evaluates methods for analyzing human activity and health-related signals within single and multi-person movement paradigms using sensors (e.g., accelerometers, 2D/3D cameras, EKG, and others). McCullough completed his Ph.D. & M.Phil. degrees in Kinesiology at Columbia University; M.S., Applied Statistics, Columbia University Teachers College; M.A., Dance Education, New York University; B.A. Liberal Arts, Sarah Lawrence College; Professional Diploma, Dance Studies, Laban Dance Conservatoire. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Kinesiology in the School of Public Health & Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Catarina Bettencourt

Catarina is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Northeastern University, majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Data Science, and is also pursuing a PlusOne Master’s in Biotechnology. She is a dancer with experience in ballet, contemporary, and street styles of dance. Catarina’s background includes preclinical and pharmacological research, with her research interests spanning movement, neurodegenerative disorders, oncology, and pharmacokinetics. 

Elizabeth Chadbourne

Elizabeth is a second-year year at Northeastern University, majoring in health science with a minor in human movement sciences and on a pre-physical therapy track. She is a soloist with the Maine State Ballet and has attended several years of summer intensives with the American Ballet Theatre in New York City and Tampa. Recently, Elizabeth became a member of the Harvard Ballet Company in Cambridge, MA. 

Inas Lalani

Inas is a third-year student at Northeastern University, majoring in health science with a minor in entrepreneurship and on the pre-physical therapy track. She is passionate about environmental health and improving access to physical rehabilitation in underserved urban and rural communities. Inas is also a member of the Northeastern University Dance Company and enjoys teaching group fitness classes in Boston. 

Anoushka Abroal

Anoushka is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences majoring in Computer Science.

Arnibish Ray

Arnibish is a first-year student at Northeastern University, majoring in a combined Mechanical and Bioenineering degree. He is also apart of Northeastern’s Running Club Team and Northeastern’s Aerospace Club. Arnibish is passionate about biomechanics and CAD, and he hopes to work in research on prosthetics and biomechanical technology.

Bea Van Campen

Bea is a first-year student at Northeastern University, majoring in Bioengineering with a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience. She is passionate about studying the brain and loves dancing with Northeastern’s No Limits Dance Crew.

Morgan McMahon

Morgan is a first-year student at Northeastern University, majoring in behavioral neuroscience on the pre-med track. Her passions are neuroscience and cognitive well-being. Morgan has several years of dance experience in tap, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary, and she is also a member of Northeastern’s No Limits Dance Crew. 

Faye Chen

Faye is a recent graduate of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, earning a Master of Science in Global Health & Population. She is deeply passionate about arts and health studies, especially exploring how dance influences well-being. Faye is also interested in research areas, social loneliness and the concept of social prescribing. 

Sherry Fung

Sherry is a first-year physical therapy student in Northeastern University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Her dance background includes ballet, contemporary, jazz, and musical theater, and she hopes to work as a performing arts physical therapist in the future. With LAB:SYNC, she is interested in exploring the relationships between dance, kinesiology, and mental health.

Bijin Basu

Bijin (bee-jeen) is the Social Media Coordinator at Lab:SYNC. A junior at Tufts University, Bijin is majoring in Cognitive and Brain Sciences with a minor in Dance. Bijin is a trained Kathak dancer and a member of the Tufts University Bhangra Team.

Dr. Jessica Salles Henrique 

Dr. Henrique is a researcher with a strong background in exercise and neuroscience, concentrating on how physical exercise enhances brain health during aging. She is collaborating with Dr. McCullough to further explore the positive effects of physical activity and movement on cognitive function and longevity. Dr. Henrique has extensive experience in neurodegenerative diseases, aging, and lifestyle interventions, having conducted significant research in Alzheimer’s disease during his postdoctoral work.   

Kai Yi (Kaye) Han

Kaye is a psychology PhD student in the MIND Lab led by Dr. Psyche Loui at Northeastern University’s Center for Cognitive and Brain Health. Before joining Northeastern, they completed their Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science at UC San Diego. She is broadly interested in theoretical and practical applications of music psychology and cognition. Kaye is interested in building upon his undergraduate work on dance (movement to music) in infancy, including its developmental trajectory across cultures, its underlying mechanisms of auditory-motor coupling, and how it relates to reward. They hope to leverage knowledge of various musical abilities to inform and develop music and dance-based interventions.   

Saurav Nair

Saurav is a graduate research assistant with a solid foundation in Clinical Sciences, Pharmacy, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance. He earned his Master of Science in Industrial Pharmacy and Regulatory Affairs from Northeastern University. Saurav specializes in implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs), managing experiments, and ensuring data compliance and integrity.