Meet our Advisors

MacKenzie Moore (she/they) is the Assistant Director of Student Services. She oversees Cognitive Science advising and student services and conducts strategic planning for the program as a whole. She began her career in higher education upon admission to the PhD program in History here at UC Berkeley. She worked as a history instructor and lecturer for 9 years, through which she discovered her passion for working directly with students as an advisor. She first worked as student advisor with the American Studies program at UC Berkeley before transitioning to the Cognitive Science program.  

Catherine Byrne (she/her) is a Senior Student Services Advisor. She earned her Master's degree in Counseling from Sonoma State and has worked in Higher Education since 2010. In 2017 she joined the Cognitive Science program as a Student Services Advisor. Catherine is grateful for the opportunity to work with students one-on-one and enjoys watching students progress through their college careers. Catherine is passionate about providing individualized, strengths‐based, and culturally competent services to students. She's also interested in food, art, music, and international travel, and speaking to students about what makes them tick. She enjoys getting to know her students and following them through their academic and personal development.

Meagan Mason (she/her) is a Senior Student Services Advisor and Outreach Specialist. She earned her Master's degree in Higher Education from the University of Michigan and joins us as a Student Services Advisor in the Cognitive Science Department. Meagan began her career in Higher Education in 2019 working with other community college transfer students at UC Davis. She served as an EAOP college advisor in East Contra Costa through UC Berkeley's Center for Educational Partnerships, promoting college access throughout the Bay Area. At Michigan, she worked as an Academic Advisor in University of Michigan School of Information and Research Assistant in the U-M Institute for Social Research. Meagan is passionate about centering students' stories and voices, building community, and developing equitable ways to make resources and information more accessible throughout students' higher education journeys.

Hi! I'm Neha, a senior double majoring in Computer Science & Cognitive Science, and minoring in Data Science. I value creative, human-centered perspectives in the development of new technology, and as such believe Cognitive Science classes enrich my technical education in Computer Science & Data Science. On campus, I have led projects for and advise two consulting clubs, BCEC, and Code For Good, and I have also worked as a Resident Assistant (RA) at Blackwell Hall the last 2 years. Career wise, I've worked for both startups and big tech in Software Engineering and Product Management roles, and will continue to pursue AI Product Management post-grad!

Advising Availability

In-Person (101 Stephens): Thursday 11-1

Virtual (Zoom Room): Friday 10-11 & 12:30-1:30 

Cognitive Science Courses: 

COG SCI 1 – Meredith Lanska
COG SCI C100 – Davina Chan
PHILOS 3 – John Campbell
PSYCH C61 – Hillel Adesnik
LINGUIS 100 – Andrew Garrett
COGSCI C112 – Danielle Cummings
COMPSCI 188 – Emma Pierson, Peyrin Kao
COGSCI C126 – David Whitney
MUSIC 108 – Jeremy Wagner

What are you especially excited to help students with in the Cognitive Science major? 

As an international student, I resonate with the unique challenges of balancing major requirements, getting involved on campus, and kickstarting a fulfilling career. I hope to support my peers with strategic course planning, opportunities to find community and learn new skills through campus orgs, and leveraging the customizable nature of the Cog Sci major to explore new career paths & internships. Most importantly, I'm excited to help my peers feel at home in the Cog Sci major, and discover a strong sense of belonging & confidence in their academic goals :) !!

Hi my name is Sahana and I'm a 3rd year double majoring in Data Science and Cognitive Science. I was drawn to Cognitive Science because I’ve always been interested in understanding how people think and how we can use technology to better support people. I love how interdisciplinary the major is and that I can explore neuroscience, psychology, AI, and computer science while connecting them to real-world problems.

On campus, I’m involved with Neurotech@Berkeley as a Software Developer, where I’ve worked on projects at the intersection of Machine Learning and neuroscience. I’m also involved in research at both Cal and UCSF, which has allowed me to explore how data analytics can be applied to neuroscience. As a musician, one of my favorite classes was Music 108: Perception and Cognition of Music because of the very niche concepts I was able to learn from it!

Advising Availability

In-Person (101 Stephens) Thursday 3-5

Virtual (Zoom Room): Wednesday 10-12; Friday 10-12

Cognitive Science Courses: 

Philosophy 3 - Richie Kim
Comp Sci 61a - John DeNero
Psychology 1 - Rachel Schmale
Cognitive Science 1 - Uri Kurisky
Data C8 - Jeremy Sanchez
Comp Sci 61b - Josh Hug
Psych C61 - Hillel Adesnik
Data 100 - Josh Grossman
Math 54 - Ryan Hass
Cog Sci 131 - Jose Ramirez
Cog Sci 132 - Jose Ramirez
Music 108 - Jeremy Wagner
Comp Sci 70 - Alistair Sinclair, Yun Song
Neuro 152 - Preeya Khanna, Daniel Robbins, Alanna Lemp
Ling 100 - Lev Michael
Cog Sci C100 - Davina Chan
Econ 119 - Dmitry Taubinsky

What are you especially excited to help students with in the Cognitive Science major? 

I’m excited to help students explore the different paths available within Cognitive Science and figure out how they can shape the major around their own interests. One of the things I found most overwhelming when I first started at Cal was how many directions there were to go in. Between the different domains of Cognitive Science, it can be hard to know where to start.

Because I’ve had experiences spanning computer science, neuroscience, research, and neurotechnology, I’d especially enjoy helping students who are interested in combining Cognitive Science with other fields. I know firsthand that you do not have to have everything figured out right away, and I’d love to help students think through questions like what classes to take, how to explore a new area of interest, or how to start looking for research and internship opportunities.

I’m also excited to help make the major feel less intimidating and more approachable. Cognitive Science can look very different depending on the student, and I think it is valuable for students to hear that there isn’t one correct set of classes or one career path they have to follow.

My name is Teresa Le, and I am a Cognitive Science major with a Data Science minor. I currently have a certificate with SCET and am a Course Coordinator for BioInspired Innovation Challenge Lab. I am involved in a Software Product Management Club, part of the Fung Fellowship in the health + innovation track, previously did research on campus, and have volunteered at the Berkeley Food Collective. 

Advising Availability

In-Person (101 Stephens): Tuesday 12-2

Virtual (Zoom Room): Wednesday 9-10; Friday 1-3

Cognitive Science Courses:

Cogsci 1B - Davina Chan
Psych 163 - Arianne Eason
Psych C162 - Dacher Keltner
Psych 140 - Jan Engelmann
Psych C127 - Jack Gallant
Cogsci 115 - Davina Chan
Cogsci 131 - Jose Ramirez

What are you especially excited to help students with in the Cognitive Science major? 

Hi! My name is Adan and I am a senior double majoring in Cognitive Science and Data Science. As a transfer student, I first found out about Cognitive Science through my community college counselor. I was really interested how Cog Sci incorporates aspects of different fields that I all found interesting, from computer science, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, etc.

On campus, I am apart of a club called Neurotech@Berkeley. I am apart of their software division, where I've worked on machine learning projects related to brain data. Outside of that, I enjoy playing basketball and soccer within the IM sports leagues. Career wise, I have recently completed a data analyst internship within healthcare.

Advising Availability

In-Person (101 Stephens): Thursday 9-11

Virtual (Zoom Room): Tuesday 9-11; Friday 8-10 

Cognitive Science Courses: 

Cogsci 1 - Davina Chan
Data C8 - Jeremy Sanchez
CS 61A - John DeNero
Cogsci 115 - Davina Chan
Linguis C142 - Terry Regier
Cogsci C127 - Richard Ivry
Cogsci 131 - Jose Ramirez
Math 110 - Edward Frenkel

What are you especially excited to help students with in the Cognitive Science major? 

I hope that I am able to help students feel comfortable within the Cog Sci major. As a transfer student, there were definitely times when I felt imposter syndrome being at Cal. But overtime, I learned that everyone deserves to be here and can be successful! I wish to support other students in a number of ways, from helping with schedule building, choosing classes from a variety of options, preparing for technical classes, considering a double major, navigating the comprehensive review process, joining student organizations, and applying for internships. 

As a Music and Cognitive Science double major, I am mainly involved in the campus radio station, KALX 90.7 FM as a Co-Music Director. I also volunteer as a sound and video engineer at the station and DJ on occasion. I really like the interdisciplinary nature of Cognitive Science and how applicable it is to all fields!

Advising Availability

In-person (101 Stephens): Thursday 2-4

Virtual (Zoom Room): Tuesday 9-11; Friday 8-10

Cognitive Science Courses: 

COMPSCI 61A - John Denero
COGSCI 1 - Uri Korisky
STAT 2 - Adam Lucas
MATH 55 - James Demmel
COGSCI 115 - Davina Chan
COGSCI C126 - David Whitney
COGSCI 132 - Jose Ramirez
COGSCI 180 - Davina Chan
PSYCH C61 - Hillel Adesnik/Tara Raam
SOCIOL 150 - John Kaiser
SOCIOL 166 - Joseph Klett
LINGUIS 100 - Gasper Begus

What are you especially excited to help students with in the Cognitive Science major? 

I'm excited to help students figure out their favorite aspects of the major and how to get involved on campus and off campus by using those interdisciplinary skills.

I majored in cognitive science because I have commitment issues, and the idea of limiting myself to a single field is harrowing. I love the 'choose your own adventure' style of the major, which enables my curiosity and diversifies my understanding of life. I love psychology and learning more about mental health. I'm currently a cogsci major / data science minor. Before transferring to UC Berkeley, I worked as a mental health peer educator, which was super meaningful work and shaped my trajectory toward becoming a clinical counselor (therapist). There, I was co-president of our Active Minds club, created a peer-support group focused on inner child healing, and hosted events like stress-less week on campus. In addition to being a peer advisor, I actively work the 988 hotline and collaborate with local mental health organizations in Berkeley.

Advising Availability

In-Person (101 Stephens): Tuesday 2-4

Virtual (Zoom Room): Monday 9:30-10:30; Monday 3-5; Wednesday 9:30-10:30

Cognitive Science Courses: 

COGSCI 1 - Uri Korisky
COGSCI 151 - Naomi Odean
EDUC 140AC - Glynda Hull
COGSCI 131 - Jose Ramirez
LINGUIS 100 - Lev Michael
PSYCH C61 - Tara Raam
COGSCI 115 - Davina Chan
COGSCI 132 - Jose Ramirez
DATA C100 - Ramesh Sridharan
NEU C166 - Daniela Kaufer

What are you especially excited to help students with in the Cognitive Science major? 

I'm really excited to help students explore all facets of the major and to get to know the broader Berkeley community through various means (e.g. clubs, research, fellowships, classes, etc.). I feel most equipped to help transfer students, as I know how confusing figuring out what classes to take for such an interdisciplinary major can be -- I've been there. I can also exist as a space to vent, check in, or look for resources to help you feel successful at Cal. I look forward to working with you!