Lab members

Lab director

Roberto (Director)

Dr. Roberto Cofresí is an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Missouri - Columbia. His undergraduate and graduate training in Biochemistry and Neuroscience, respectively, were completed at the University of Texas - Austin. Roberto is interested in bidirectional translation between rodent and human neuroscience laboratories studying addiction-related learning and memory. The goal of his research is to understand why and how naturally learned signals (cues) for drugs of abuse like alcohol are able to capture attention, impel approach, and promote over-consumption in some of us but not others. Contact at: cofresir at missouri.edu

Sips & Shapes Study Research Staff

Darius (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Mr. Darius Stewart joined the lab in Fall 2022 to learn more about the neuroscience of addiction. He is learning how to collect and analyze EEG data from human participants. He recently graduated with a B.S. in Public Health and will be starting the MU Masters in Public Health in Fall 2023.

Camila (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Ms. Camila Gutierrez is double majoring in Psychology and Biology with emphasis in Human Biology and Medical Science. She joined the lab in the Summer of 2023 to learn more about neuroscience and research. She is learning how to collect and analyze EEG data from human participants as well as research coordination.

Katelyn (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Ms. Katelyn Matzdorf is double majoring in Psychology and Biology with and emphasis in human biology and medicine, with an interest in going to medical school post-graduation. She joined the lab with the interest of learning more about neuroscience and is currently learning how to collect and analyze EEG data.

Abigail (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Ms. Elizabeth Abigail Obregon is an undergraduate student majoring in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology with an interest in pursuing medical training. Abigail joined the lab in Fall 2022 to learn more about the process of scientific research and its interface with medicine.

Peyton (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Ms. Peyton Maras is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. She joined the lab in the Fall of 2023 to learn more about research in cognitive neuroscience of addiction.

Paola (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Ms. Paola Gonzalez is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. She joined the lab in the Fall of 2023 to learn more about neuroscientific research methods in psychology. Her passion is developmental psychology and she is interested in pursuing graduate training in Social Work.

Lukas (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Mr. Lukas Hawkins is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. He joined the lab in the Fall of 2023 to learn more about the cognitive neuroscience of addiction.

Undergraduate Researchers

Liz (Undergraduate Researcher)

Ms. Elizabeth Conley is an undergraduate student double-majoring in Physics and Electrical Engineering with an interest in pursuing graduate training in cognitive neuroscience. Liz has been working with Dr. Cofresi since Fall 2021 to learn more about the neuroscience of addiction. She has helped design and develop the lab's intra-oral liquid stimulus delivery systems, including several prototype mouthpieces. She also has learned how to collect and analyze EEG and functional NIRS data from human participants.

Hannah (Undergraduate Researcher)

Ms. Hannah Drzewiecki is an undergraduate student double-majoring in Psychology and Biology. Hannah is a trainee for the NIH Maximizing Access to Research Careers Awards (T34). Hannah has been working with Dr. Cofresi since Fall 2022 on a research paper analyzing alcohol craving and sensitivity in emerging adults.

Jasmine (Undergraduate Researcher)

Ms. Jasmine Chen is an undergraduate student double-majoring in Psychology and Biology. Jasmine is a trainee for the NIH Maximizing Access to Research Careers Awards (T34).

Lab Alumni

Mikayla (Former Undergraduate Research Assistant and Coordinator)

Ms. Mikayla Rodgers, B.S., was an undergraduate student majoring in Nuclear Medicine with an interest in pursuing graduate training in theranostics. She completed her undergraduate degree in Spring 2022. Mikayla worked with Dr. Cofresi from Fall 2020 to Spring 2022, during which time she learned how to collect EEG and MRI data from human participants as well as how to coordinate human subjects research studies. She is now working as a full-time research scientist at the University of Missouri Molecular Imaging and Theranostics Center in the team of Dr. Barry Edwards.

Rawan (Former Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Ms. Rawan Ebada is an undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry with an interest in pursuing graduate training in medicine. Rawan worked with Dr. Cofresi from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022; and learned how to collect EEG data, as well as structural and functional MRI data from human participants.

Liam (Undergraduate Researcher)

Mr. Liam Peck was mentored by Dr. Cofresi for his Honors Thesis focusing on the neural correlates (EEG, MRI) of learning about cues for ingested rewards. After graduating with a B.S in Psychology, he started working as Research Specialist I at MU Psychological Sciences coordinating a NIH R01 Study.

Ian (Undergraduate Researcher)

Mr. Ian Flowers was mentored by Dr. Cofresi for his Honors Thesis focusing on the role of familial risk for alcoholism in alcohol cue reactivity and alcohol use. He was accepted into the graduate program in Applied Psychology at Maastricht University, Netherlands for Fall 2023.

Sophia (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Ms. Sophia Slinkard was an undergraduate student double-majoring in Biology and Psychology with an interest in pursuing graduate training in medicine. Sophia worked in the lab Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. As part of her research apprenticeship (2022-2023; co-supervised by Drs. Froeliger and Cofresi) focused on the role of reward-related learning in disordered eating behavior, she learned how to collect and analyze EEG data from human participants and presented a poster about her work at the MU Spring 2023 Research Forum.

Alana (Research Coordinator)

Ms. Alana Hatanaka worked with Dr. Cofresi during Spring and Summer 2023 to learn more about research coordination and the neuroscience of addiction. She is now working full-time at Mizzou Therapy Services.