📰 Lab Director / Principal Investigator
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🏫 Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin
Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Texas at Austin
Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin
🎓 PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
📝 CV | 🧑🔬 Faculty Profile | 📧 Email |📱Bluesky | ORCiD ® | OSF
Dr. Cooper's background and research intertwine psychology and neuroscience. In psychology, it is common for labs to have an acronym-style name (e.g., Learning And Behavior [LAB] Lab); in neuroscience, labs are typically referred to by the last name of the PI. So, the SCOOP name is a backronym of Dr. Cooper's one-time nickname, giving us the best of both worlds. As a bonus, it also continues a proud tradition from his graduate school lab (Anxiety Neuroscience Grounded in cross-Species Translation), in which you cheat and just randomly make some words not part of the acronym. Mostly, this section just exists so Dr. Cooper can apologize for making "Of" part of the SCOOP acronym. Sorry.
📰 Graduate Students
I study the role that attention to threatening thoughts and mental images plays in maintaining state anxiety with the goal of developing better treatments for anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and related disorders. I use cognitive psychology paradigms such as working memory tasks and eye tracking to manipulate and measure attention.
Alex received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from New College of Florida. After graduating, he spent several years as a research assistant and coordinator studying the prediction of suicidality using facial and vocal characteristics, behavioral and brain markers associated with risk aversion in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and the role of disgust in OCD-related disorders. In his PhD, he aims to explore how disengaging attention from mood-congruent material in working memory can affect mood. In addition, he aims to explore how attention disengagement from threatening mental imagery can improve extinction in conditioning paradigms. Across both interests, he uses computer-based cognitive tasks to manipulate the direction of attention. Lastly, Alex aims to develop and study novel attention-based transdiagnostic treatments for mental disorders. Besides research, he enjoys learning languages and playing beach volleyball.
📰 Lab Manager
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🎓 B.A., University of Texas at Austin
Juliette graduated from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minor in Sociology. She is interested in studying maladaptive eating as well as obsessive behavior and its associated cognitive biases in memory, learning, and attention. She would like to investigate this topic by utilizing methods such as ecological momentary assessment, longitudinal design, eye-tracking, and Pavlovian conditioning paradigms. Her overall purpose is to better understand how harmful cognitive pathways manifest themselves in daily life, facilitating mindsets and behaviors that are counterproductive to maintaining one’s health and happiness. Juliette plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, focusing on how neural data can help to make informed decisions on the treatment of eating disorders. In her free time, she enjoys baking, playing the Sims 4, and reading!
📰 Research Assistants
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🏫 Junior, Neuroscience B.S.
Brianna is a junior at UT Austin, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience, with a Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP) certificate in Patients, Practitioners and Cultures of Care. She is interested in understanding differences in cognition, especially in the context of social factors impacting neurobiology, and how that knowledge can be applied to improve psychological treatments. As part of the SCOOP Lab she plans to examine deeply anxiety and trauma disorders by understanding the translation of an individual's experience to neuroimaging. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school to study clinical psychology to be able to provide mental health care that is both scientific and humanistic. Beyond the lab, Brianna enjoys ballet, working on fiber art and reading.
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🏫 Sophomore, Psychology B.S.
Kendelle is a sophomore at UT Austin, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She is interested in the dysregulation of neural pathways and connections, and how this can contribute to anxiety and related mental health issues. She is also interested in how one’s personal traits and behaviors play a role in the usage of fear extinction techniques. In her free time, she loves attending concerts, watching movies, and also volunteers with Baylor Scott & White Health. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school to further explore neurobiological mechanisms.
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🏫 Sophomore, Neuroscience B.S.
Omar is a sophomore at UT Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and minoring in Statistics and Data Science. His research interests include exploring the interactions between different memories, as well as the role of cognitive biases in memory and how those influence decision-making. His current future plans involve eventually pursuing cognitive neuroscience research in graduate school. In his free time, he likes to read books, learn about the world, and play soccer.
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🏫 Junior, Neuroscience B.S.
Anika is a junior at UT Austin, pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in International Business on the pre-med track. Her research interests include studying music therapy for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions, as well as how culture shapes healthcare/therapeutic access and delivery across global systems. Anika is a proud co-director of UT's competitive treble a cappella team, Beauties and the Beat, and a volunteer at Lirios Pediatrics and Camp CAMP. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing guitar, and drinking matcha.
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🏫 Junior, Neuroscience B.S.
Adi is a junior at UT Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. His research interests include neuro-modulation techniques in relation to fear extinction and the influence of brain rhythms in the integration of spatial memory. Outside of academics, Adi is a member of UT Saaya, a competitive Bollywood dance team. In his free time, he loves to watch basketball and listen to music; his favorite artist is Giveon.
👭 Friends from the Dunsmoor Lab
The SCOOP Lab collaborates extensively with Dr. Joey Dunsmoor and his lab. Below are Dunsmoor Lab staff who are central to ongoing work.
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🏫 Senior, Psychology B.A. & Sociology, B.A.
Lily is an undergraduate student at UT Austin, pursuing a double major in Psychology and Sociology. She currently serves as an undergraduate research assistant in the Dunsmoor Lab. Her research interests include how emotions shape memories and how those memories affect trauma and anxiety disorders. In her free time, she likes to read, run, and bake bread. She is also a volunteer for Crisis Text Line. She plans to graduate a semester early with college honors and then take a gap year to continue working in research before she applies to grad school. She plans to get her doctorate by pursuing a PsyD program.
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🏫 Senior, Neuroscience B.S.
Neha is a senior at UT Austin pursuing a BS in Neuroscience and is a part of the Dean's Scholars Program. She is currently an undergraduate research assistant in the Dunsmoor Lab. Her research interests include memory loss and the relationship between emotions and memory. She is a pre-med student hoping to attend medical school after undergrad. In her free time, Neha loves dancing, reading, staying active, and spending time with family and friends.
🧳 Lab Alumni
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🎓 B.A., University of Texas at Austin
Sydney received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in French Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in Fall 2022. Before graduate school, she worked in direct care at Helping Hand Home for Children, supporting traumatized youth—an experience that sparked her interest in the lasting effects of trauma on memory and behavior. Sydney will be joining the Ph.D. program in Psychology at McGill University in Fall 2025. Her research focuses on how emotional memories evolve over time to shape meaning, particularly how they influence decision-making processes across different stages. In the Dunsmoor Lab, Sydney coordinated both behavioral and MRI studies, with responsibilities ranging from study design and data collection to training new lab members. She is passionate about creating collaborative and inclusive research environments. Outside of the lab, Sydney enjoys writing poetry (in both French and English), drawing, cooking, rock climbing, and spending time with her orange tabby, Wilbur.