Lori L. Holt
Principal InvestigatorLori L. Holt is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a BS in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995 and a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the same institution in 1999. She joined the faculty of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University as faculty in 1999 where she was an active member, and ultimately co-director, of the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition. She joined the faculty at UT-Austin as Professor of Psychology in Fall 2023.
Dr. Holt studies the cognitive and neural basis of listening, especially as it relates to speech. She has been particularly interested in the role of learning and attention in shaping how we communicate and listen.
Dr. Sahil Luthra
Postdoctoral ResearcherSahil is a postdoctoral research fellow supported by an NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA). He joined the Holt Lab in 2021 after receiving his PhD in Psychological Sciences from the University of Connecticut. His research primarily focuses on the interface between language (especially speech) and cognition, motivated by the philosophy that the study of language can provide insight into the mechanisms underlying cognition and vice versa. He is particularly interested in how language processing interacts with cognitive processes like attention, categorization and learning. Outside of the lab, Sahil enjoys books, baking and boxing, as well as things that don’t start with the letter B.
Dr. Franziska Bröker
Postdoctoral ResearcherFranziska joined the lab in 2023 through the Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of the Neuroscience Institute, where she works with Lori Holt and David Plaut. She studied Cognitive Science and Machine Learning and received her PhD in Computational Neuroscience from University College London. Franziska wants to understand how feedback affects human learning and how this corresponds to learning in machines. She specifically explores the connection between supervised and unsupervised learning in humans, and their reliance on previous experiences and representations. To investigate these aspects, she employs a combination of auditory learning experiments and computational modeling. After work, Franziska enjoys food and exercise, preferably outdoors!
Dr. Craig Thorburn
Postdoctoral ResearcherCraig Thorburn is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Holt Lab and graduated with a Ph.D. in Linguistics and a certificate in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2023. His research interests lie at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and phonology, where he studies how humans are able to map a continuous multidimensional acoustic signal to discrete abstract speech categories. His previous work has focused on the effective learning techniques for second language speech categories, while his current studies address learning mechanisms and representations of speech sounds more generally, and how auditory context can influence speech production mapping. Craig is passionate about interdisciplinary approaches to science and leverages psychoacoustic experiments, neuroimaging and computational modelling in his work. He has also shared his work with budding scientists through various scientific outreach programs. Outside of his scientific work Craig enjoys long scenic bike rides, Scottish dancing, and experimenting with cooking recipes (both food and drinks!).
Dr. Austin Luor
Postdoctoral ResearcherAustin is a postdoctoral researcher in the Holt Lab. He completed his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Carnegie Mellon University in 2024. His research focuses on the influence of statistical learning on shaping auditory attention. His previous research examined how listeners use reward-driven attention to learn various acoustic features, with important implications for speech perception and second language acquisition. Austin is passionate about solving complex problems by bridging theories, leveraging data, and uncovering insights about cognition from behavioral patterns. Outside the lab, he enjoys exploring local coffee spots, playing tennis, and discussing commercial airplanes.
Lin Zhou
Post-baccalaureate ResearcherLin received her B.S. in Neuroscience from Emory University in 2024, with a minor in Quantitative Sciences. Shortly after graduation, she relocated to Austin, Texas, and joined the lab as a post-baccalaureate researcher. Her previous research focused on decision-making strategies guided by sound in rodents’ maternal behavior. She is fascinated by how the brain processes auditory information and drives complex behaviors. Outside the lab, Lin can often be found exploring nature with her beloved dog or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
Lab Alumni
Former Postdocs
Travis Wade
Chief Technology Officer & VP of EngineeringBrain HQ
Kaori Idemaru
ProfessorUniversity of Oregon
Neeraj Sharma
Assistant ProfessorIndian Institute of Science Guwahati
Vibha Viswanathan
Visiting Assistant ProfessorCarnegie Mellon University
David Wozny
Principal Enterprise ArchitectCook MyoSite
Eva Reinisch
Junior Research Group LeaderAustrian Academy of Sciences
Julia Zhang
Staff UX ResearcherMiShaela DiNino
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Buffalo
Former PhD Students
Daniel Mirman
Senior LecturerUniversity of Edinburgh
Joseph Stephens
ProfessorXavier University
Vivienne Ming
Chief ScientistDionysus Digital Health
Matt Lehet
Postdoctoral ResearcherMichigan State University
Charles Wu
Data ScientistSplit by Harness
Jingyuan Huang
UX Research ManagerErin Ingvalson
Research Associate ProfessorUniversity of Washington
Sara Guediche
Assistant ProfessorAugusta University
Sung-joo Lim
Assistant ProfessorSUNY-Binghamton
Casey Roark
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of New Hampshire
Ran Liu
VP & Chief AI ScientistAmira Learning