Travis Evans, Ph.D.
SABIN Lab Director
Travis is a clinical psychologist and affective neuroscientist who completed his PhD at the University of Miami and his post-doctoral training in the Neuropsychiatry Translational Research Fellowship (NeTReF) program at VA Boston/Massachusetts General Hospital. Broadly, he is interested in better understanding and treating transdiagnostic dysfunction in neural and motivational systems that contribute to social avoidance behaviors. His research uses a variety of methods including fMRI, transcranial magnetic stimulation, experimental paradigms, and computational modelling. When he is not in the lab, Travis is an unrepentant homebody who enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs, riding his motorcycle, and overfeeding the various neighborhood animals.
Emma Truchan, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant
Emma is a post-baccalaureate research assistant at the SABIN Lab. Originally from San Diego, CA, Emma graduated from the University of Arizona in 2025 with her B.S. in Psychological Sciences. At the University of Arizona, she contributed to research that investigated neural correlates of empathy in romantic couples, as well as research that examined the neurobiology of fear learning. Emma completed her Honors Thesis project that explored the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, neural activation in response to social feedback, and perceived social support -- a project that synthesized her research interests of social and affective neuroscience. She is excited to apply her interests in these fields to clinical populations, and contribute to research that leverages neuroscientific approaches to treat mental health disorders. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, reading, and playing board games.
Sophia Solan, M.P.S.
Graduate Student
Sophie graduated from Elon University in December 2021 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice. She then pursued her Master’s in Clinical Psychological Sciences from The University of Maryland and graduated in November 2023 and joined the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Auburn University in Fall 2024. Sophie is broadly interested in studying the intersection between internalizing disorders, distress intolerance, and substance use disorders (SUD). She is currently exploring how cannabis use may influence social avoidance behavior by using EEG to understand neural markers of social approach-avoidance conflict and its relationship with social functioning among frequent cannabis users. In her free time, Sophie likes trying new restaurants, reading books, and spending time with her family, friends, and dog!
Dotty + Dobby Evans
Schnitzel Scholars
Dotty and Dobby are a pair of visiting professors who travelled from Boston to help establish the SABIN Lab. Their research program broadly focuses on squirrel dynamics, maximizing snack outputs, and developing computational models to better understand why dogs on TV refuse to socially engage with them.
When they are not in the lab, Dotty and Dobby spend their time barking, sleeping, and defending the homestead from random noises.
Undergraduate
Research Assistants
Elite Volunteer Strikeforce
Paxton Bryan
Ella Doyle
Javia Glass
Moses Gonzalez
Oliver Gustafson
Rachael Harper
Olivia Hecht
Abi House
Leah Jha
Parker Jones
Lilly Neal
August Oliver
Beau Smith
Andrew So