Team

Faculty

FLAVIO FROHLICH, PH.D. – PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Flavio’s goal is to revolutionize how we treat psychiatric illnesses. His vision is that understanding cortical state dynamics will enable the development of novel non-invasive brain stimulation paradigms that directly target pathological network dynamics. Flavio is convinced that such rational design of neurotherapeutics will open the door for individualized, highly effective brain stimulation in psychiatry. Flavio directs the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation that offers numerous clinical trials of novel experimental treatments for depression and other mental illnesses.

ZACHARY FELDMAN, M.D. - SENIOR RESEARCH CLINICIAN

Dr. Zachary Feldman is a board-certified psychiatrist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. He is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and past-president of the North Carolina Psychiatric Association. Dr. Feldman graduated from the University of Virginia in biology before attending medical school at Duke University. He then completed residency in General Psychiatry and fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UNC. Dr. Feldman practiced psychiatry in private practice and community settings for 11 years before returning to UNC to join the faculty in 2021. He aims to utilize his experience in clinical psychiatry to help direct the study of novel treatments through his work with the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation.

Postdoctoral & Associated Scholars

ATHENA STEIN, PH.D. - POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR

Athena is a postdoctoral researcher in the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation/Frohlich Lab, where she develops next-generation personalized brain stimulation treatments for psychiatric disorders, including depression and antenatal depression. Her work focuses on using EEG to better understand how brain networks change over time, and how these signals can be used to guide more precise and personalized treatments. She has developed several types of new personalized 'endogenous' stimulation modalities and also works on personalized closed loop tACS projects.
Athena works at the intersection of clinical neuroscience, engineering, psychology, and public health. She earned her PhD from the University of Queensland Child Health Research Centre in Australia, where she studied non-invasive brain stimulation to improve attention in children following acquired brain injury and developed the first at-home clinical trial of brain stimulation in pediatric ABI. She has experience with tDCS, tACS, rTMS, and high-density EEG across neurological and psychiatric populations in both children and adults. Athena values science communication and public engagement, and aims to make neuroscience and brain stimulation research more accessible to patients, families, clinicians, and the broader community.
In her spare time, Athena enjoys playing saxophone, learning ballet, baking, and being out in nature.

Graduate Students

NADIA KAKO - CLINICAL INTERNSHIP GRADUATE STUDENT

Nadia Kako is a doctoral intern in the Affective Neuroscience track at UNC Chapel Hill. They completed their doctoral training in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Denver. Their research broadly focuses on how individual and contextual factors influence emotion regulation. Currently, Nadia is interested in understanding how neurostimulation may improve emotion regulation and help treat psychopathology. They are particularly interested in studying these processes in sexual and gender diverse individuals. In their free time, they enjoy playing music, baking, and hiking.

GABBY SAHYOUN - DOCTORAL AND RESEARCH GRADUATE STUDENT

Gabby is an MD-PhD student in the UNC SOM MSTP program and is so excited to join the Frohlich lab for her PhD. She received her BA in Neuroscience with a minor in Computer Science from Barnard College, Columbia University. She is passionate about furthering our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders and working to develop new, effective therapies for the patients she will treat in the future. In her free time, Gabby likes to knit and crochet, spend time with friends and her cat, Martini, and explore the Triangle.

Research Staff

HAILEIGH TAYLOR - STUDY COORDINATOR

Haileigh Taylor graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Speech Communication. During her time in undergrad, she was involved in Sensory & Cognitive Neuroelectrophysiology Research, while also dedicating herself to leadership and community service roles. She has previous experience working with neurodivergent youth as a Registered Behavior Technician, providing ABA services and positive behavior support. In the Frohlich Lab, Haileigh will be involved in the transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) clinical trials and is excited to explore the positive impacts of neurostimulation. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family.

Collaborators/Consultants

KRISTIN KADUK, PH.D - RESEARCH COLLABORATOR

Kristin joined UNC-Chapel Hill as a visiting postdoctoral scholar interested in body-brain interactions and neural mechanisms to improve mental well-being. She is excited to explore neural oscillations to advance treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. Kristin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Tübinger Center for Mental Health, Germany, specializing in translational psychiatry for two years. Her research focuses on body signals and innovative therapeutic interventions, including vagus nerve stimulation. During her doctoral studies at the German Primate Center, Kristin explored the role of the pulvinar in spatial perceptual decision-making and body signals, contributing to a deeper understanding of thalamic functions. Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking, practicing yoga, and embarking on multi-day hiking trips.

SUSANNE RADTKE-SCHULLER, PH.D. - ASSOCIATE RESEARCH SCIENTIST

Susanne focuses on the question how neuroanatomical structure is linked to neurophysiological function and especially what is the 'hardware' underlying behavior and cognitive processing in the brain. She is convinced that this is essential to understand brain processes in healthy and pathological states.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

MADELINE REAMES - UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Madeline is a rising third-year undergraduate student at UNC Chapel hill. She is double majoring in Biology and Neuroscience with a minor in English. As a research assistant, Madeline is part of the preclinical animal research in ferrets and is excited by the possibility of using noninvasive stimulation as an alternative treatment for previously treatment-resistant psychiatric disorder. In her free time she enjoys crocheting, playing clarinet with the Marching Tar Heels, cheering on UNC and Washington D.C. sports teams, and spending time with friends.

SOUMYA SHENOY - UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Soumya is a rising third-year undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill. She is majoring in Neuroscience and Data Science on the pre-medicine track. As an undergraduate research assistant she will be involved in the transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) clinical trials. She is interested in learning more about the role of neural structures in degenerative brain disorders. In her free time she likes hiking, reading, and spending time with friends.

AKSHADA SUBRAMANIYAN - UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Akshada is a rising third-year undergraduate student at UNC majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-med track. She is passionate about neurostimulation and its potential to transform clinical treatments for neurological disorders through non-invasive solutions. She will be involved in the transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) clinical trials and is excited to explore the potential of these treatments. In her free time, Akshada enjoys dancing, reading, and going out with friends!

SEAN KNELLER - UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Sean Kneller is a current sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, double majoring in Psychology and Political Science with a minor in Italian Studies. He will primarily work in the Hyperscan study examining inter-brain synchronization between therapists and patients. He is interested in gaining a deeper understanding of brain waves and is excited to begin working with EEGs. His other interests include sleep research and studying the process of political socialization to understand how and why people align themselves with differing political parties. In his free time, he makes electronic music on his computer and is a member of UNC's Team Handball Club.

SANJALA VASUDEV - UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Sanjala is a rising second-year pre-medicine undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill, majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry. As a research assistant, she's excited to be part of the CARED (The Carolina Recovery for Depression Protocol) study, helping investigate how combining psychotherapy with non-invasive stimulation can improve outcomes for treatment-resistant depression. When she isn't in lab, she enjoys baking, working out, and going out with friends!

YANHUI LIU - UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Yanhui is a second-year undergraduate student double-majoring in Psychology and Statistics with a minor in Neuroscience. He is excited to be working on the CARED (The Carolina Recovery for Depression Protocol) study, where we are investigating whether brain stimulation techniques can be used to improve treatment outcomes of adults with Major Depressive Disorder. Outside of class and the lab, he enjoys watching UNC sports, working out, and going out with friends!