Wallace Multisensory Lab @ Vanderbilt

From lab manager to Ph.D. student — we thrilled to have Adam Tiesman back in our lab

At the 2025 Simple Beginnings ceremony, incoming Ph.D. students are recognized for their research interests and receive their first embroidered lab coats.

Farewell and congratulations, Eliza!

We celebrated our Recruitment Coordinator, Eliza Brandon, as she heads to a new teaching role. We’re grateful for her work and wish her the very best in her next position.

Publication Alert:
New Meta Analysis from the Wallace Lab on Increasing Sample Diversity in Autism Research.
Read at: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40848184/
Authors: Sarah G. Vassall, Ingrid Shragge, Hari Srinivasan, William J. Quackenbush, Mark T. Wallace

@neuroscientist.bsky.social

Beyond Common Reassurances of “It’s OK”—The Reality of Anxiety in Autism | Autism in Adulthood Anxiety in autism is often misunderstood when compared with neurotypical experiences. It is not as simple as saying, “It’s okay, everyone gets anxious.” Anxiety in autism is not merely a transient exp...

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Publication alert: Hari Srinivasan (PhD candidate, Wallace Lab).

1. Anxiety in Autism—beyond “it’s OK” (solo)

2. Neurodiversity 2.0 (solo)

3. Focused Interests in classrooms (co-author)
Links ↓

Loved this reflection from @jslbutler.bsky.social on IMRF 2025. The beauty of this conference is exactly that — the mix of perspectives and a true multisensory mosaic.

📍 Durham, UK | #IMRF2025
#MultisensoryResearch #NeuroscienceCommunity #AcademicConferences

The whole lab, fully immersed—gathered inside the AR Cave one last time before our summer students head out. Bidding farewell to our incredible summer undergrad RAs—thank you for your energy, curiosity, and all the contributions you’ve made to the lab. Wishing you the best on your next adventures! 🧠

🧠💫 From audiovisual motion to Shepherd’s pie — Kalina Stoyanova is taking it all on at #IMRF2025!
Undergrad RA, all-rounder, and poster presenter.
Full spotlight → www.instagram.com/p/DL3R33fsUf...

#WallaceLab #MultisensoryResearch #UndergradResearch #Neuroscience

🌀 Adam Tiesman is headed to #IMRF2025 to share insights on audiovisual motion perception—and maybe try mushy peas too.
Catch his spotlight → www.instagram.com/p/DL3QPHGsfn...

#WallaceLab #Neuroscience #MultisensoryScience #PhDLife

@durham-university.bsky.social

🫧 Bubble pop meets brain science!
Hari Srinivasan presents on Peripersonal Space in autism at #IMRF2025 in Durham, UK.
Catch his spotlight here
www.instagram.com/p/DL3Ooaevd6...

@neuroscientist.bsky.social @durham-university.bsky.social

🎙️ From keynote buzz to biscuit priorities—Prof. Mark Wallace is headed to #IMRF2025 as Keynote Speaker!

Catch his spotlight here: www.instagram.com/p/DL3NTccPwY...
#WallaceLab #Neuroscience #MultisensoryScience

@durhamuniversity.bsky.social

#multisensory

🧠 The Wallace Lab is headed to #IMRF2025 in Durham, UK!
Prof. Mark Wallace keynotes.
Drs. Tovar & Watson
Hari & Will – rising 4th yr PhD candidates
Adam – incoming PhD student
Kalina – undergrad RA

From keynote pitches to poster wickets, we’re all in for multisensory science! 🏏🇬🇧

🧠 The Wallace Lab is headed to #IMRF2025 in Durham, UK!
Prof. Mark Wallace steps up as Keynote Speaker, joined by:
Drs. Tovar & Watson
PhD students: Adam, Hari & Will
RA: Kalina

From keynote pitches to poster wickets—we're batting strong for Team Multisensory! 🏏🇬🇧

🎉 Big congrats to PhD candidate Hari Srinivasan!

🧠 His writing is featured in the print edition of iconic TIME Magazine (pp. 64–67).

A proud moment for Hari—and the whole Wallace Lab! 👏📰
@neuroscientist.bsky.social

Undergraduate Spotlight
Meet Ivy, a junior at Vanderbilt studying Math, Psychology & Data Science. From motion-tracking gloves in the CAVE to pushing every button in sight, she brings curiosity and fun to the Wallace Lab!
www.instagram.com/p/DLpgsbmMjw...

🔦 Undergraduate Spotlight: Franklin Udensi
Meet Franklin, a junior at Vanderbilt double majoring in Cognitive Studies and Computer Science. He brings curiosity, creativity, and a sense of humor to the Wallace Lab; plus a serious passion for Virtual Reality.
www.instagram.com/p/DLn_K9DsU-...

🌟 Meet Hannah Bertisch, a senior Neuroscience major in the Wallace Lab! Whether she’s chasing powder down a ski slope or powering through RA work with Broadway hits, Hannah brings energy, joy, and a love of learning to everything she does.

www.instagram.com/p/DLv5FBosYm...

🌟 Meet Wesley Williams, a junior at Vanderbilt majoring in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Business. From mastering monkey-chairing to vibing with The Smiths (or just silent AirPods), Wes brings energy, humor, and focus to the Wallace Lab.
www.instagram.com/p/DLv32CXMWb...

🌟 Meet Adhya Soni, a sophomore at Columbia studying Psychology and Public Health. Drawn by the lab’s focus on multisensory cognition, Adhya brings thoughtful curiosity, humor, and a deep appreciation for soft-furred lab breaks (aka her dog 🐶).

www.instagram.com/p/DLv0vAnM-e...

🌟 Meet Andrew Kim, a senior Neuroscience major in the Wallace Lab! Whether it’s running out mid-EEG session to catch the solar eclipse or tuning into Paul Blanco for R&B-fueled RA focus, Andrew brings calm curiosity and sharp insight to the lab.

www.instagram.com/p/DLvzuRXMyh...

🌟 Meet Emma Portnoy, a junior at Yale majoring in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. A passionate advocate for the autism community, Emma joined the Wallace Lab to help make research—and the world—a more inclusive space.

www.instagram.com/p/DLvyOd2svW...

🌟 Meet Samir Mansouri, a senior Neuroscience major in the Wallace Lab! From multisensory integration class to mastering lab skills (and chess boards), Samir brings focus, strategy, and hip-hop beats to the RA experience.
www.instagram.com/p/DLvl5w1sLT...

Meet Kalina Stoyanova, a senior Neuroscience major (with Psychology and Biology minors!) in the Wallace Lab. From neurobio lectures to EDM-powered RA sessions, Kalina brings curiosity, precision, and beachy lab vibes.
📲 Check out her full spotlight on Instagram
www.instagram.com/p/DLvUjEkPrr...

🎓 It’s dissertation season again at Wallace Lab!

Big congratulations to our 6th-year Neuroscience PhD candidate, Adriana Schoenhaut who is defending her dissertation:

Adriana’s research explores motion processing, decision-making, and non-human primate neurophysiology.

Do You Grow Out of Autism? Autism has come full circle; from perceptions of the disability as lifelong, to beliefs of “growing out of it” and back again, all shaping how we support autistic individuals.

New article up in Psychology Today by our PhD candidate lab member, Hari Srinivasan.

He writes about the myth that autistic people “grow out” of autism and how that belief still affects adult support today.

🔗 www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/givi...

#PsychologyToday @neuroscientist.bsky.social

NISE Fellow Hari Srinivasan Co-Authors Foreword with Temple Grandin in Autism for Dummies We want to extend our deepest congratulations to Hari Srinivasan, one of our Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering (NISE) fellows. Hari co-authored the foreword for the new book Autism for D...

🚀 Exciting news from our lab! PhD candidate Hari Srinivasan co‑wrote the foreword to the newly released Autism For Dummies with the legendary Dr. Temple Grandin. 🎉

You can read Hari's foreword at www.vanderbilt.edu/autismandinn...

@neuroscientist.bsky.social

🎻 Fiddle Fest Finale.

During our farewell celebration for our lab graduates, we were treated to an impromptu violin trio on the farmhouse steps.

Nothing says “lab love” like a few strings at sunset!

#neuroscience #multisensory

🎓 Honoring Our Lab Graduates
Ansley Kunnath, MD/PhD – PhD defended, MD journey continues!
Sarah Vassall – PhD defense incoming this week
Adrianna Schoenhaut – also wrapping up her neuroscience PhD.
Ingrid Shragge – just completed her MEd. in Child Studies.
#neuroscience #multisensory

Prof. Mark Wallace’s farm was the perfect backdrop for celebrating the team that plays, innovates, and discovers together—whose curiosity lights up every experiment (and every social!). 🎮🔬✨ Here’s to many more adventures together. 🧠💡

#neuroscience #multisensory #vanderbilt

🚀 Exciting news from our lab! PhD candidate Hari Srinivasan co‑wrote the foreword to the newly released Autism For Dummies with the legendary Dr. Temple Grandin. 🎉

Hari brings his own autistic+ADHD journey—to advocate for dual opportunity‑and‑solution approaches.

Get your copy May 6! 📘