Martha J. Farah, PhD, Center Director
Dr. Martha Farah is Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and founding Director of Penn’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. Her current research focuses on the effects of childhood poverty on brain development, and ethical issues emerging from advances in the neuroscience of cognition and emotion. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and 6 books, including  Neuroethics: An Introduction with Readings to be published by MIT Press.

Geoffrey K. Aguirre, MD, PhD, Associate Director
Dr. Geoff Aguirre is Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania.  He is both a Neurologist and cognitive neuroscientists whose clinical and research work concerns the organization of the brain for mental operations, in particular the loss and recovery of visual ability.

Stephen Morse, JD, PhD, Associate Director Dr. Stephen Morse is the Ferdinand Wakeman Hubbell Professor of Law and a Professor of Psychology and Law in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a renowned expert in criminal and mental health law, whose work emphasizes individual responsibility in criminal and civil law. Professionally trained in both law and psychology at Harvard, Morse has written for law reviews, journals of psychology and psychiatry and edited collections, and he has contributed numerous op-ed articles. He is currently Co-Director of the MacArthur Foundation Project on Law and Neuroscience.

Denise Clegg, MAPP, Managing Director
Denise Clegg has over 15 years executive management experience with expertise in organizational and funding development. Her work has focused on advancing policies, programs, and research with a positive social impact in the not-for-profit and academic sectors. Prior to joining the CNS, Denise most recently launched and directed the Positive Neuroscience Project at the University of Pennsylvania. She also serves as a member of the Penn Resilience Program training team.

Anjan Chatterjee, MD, CME Course Director
Dr. Anjan Chatterjee is a practicing neurologist and Professor in the Department of Neurology and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on human cognition, especially language, aesthetics, and visual-spatial cognition. In his 2004 Neurology article on “cosmetic neurology” he sounded the first call for physicians to consider the ethics of brain enhancement, and has continued as a leader on the clinical side of neuroethics. Dr. Chatterjee is a member of the Committee on Ethics, Law and Humanities Committee of the American Academy of Neurology.

Staff

Sara Strickland, Program Coordinator
Sara Strickland came to the Center for Neuroscience and Society from the Free Library of Philadelphia, where she managed the One Book, One Philadelphia literacy program. Her career has been focused on building capacity for nonprofits through strategic partnerships around development, marketing, and public programming.  At CNS, Sara works to further the center's mission through coordination of events and educational opportunities for scholars, faculty, and professionals in affiliated fields.

Cayce Hook, Manager, Student Programs
Cayce Hook joined the Center for Neuroscience & Society and the Farah Lab after graduating from Penn with a B.A. in cognitive science. She is currently assisting with studies examining the effects of poverty on neurocognitive development, and investigating public understanding of brain research, particularly as it relates to educational issues.  At the CNS, Cayce works to foster relationships between students and faculty through coordinating undergraduate research opportunities, graduate talks, and preceptorials.

Elena Gooray, Research Assistant & CNS Blogger
Elena Gooray began work at the Center for Neuroscience & Society as an undergraduate student researcher, helping to look at mind-brain dualism and later focusing on the relationship between dualism and moral reasoning. A senior studying cognitive neuroscience, Elena continues to help with CNS research projects and also manages a blog called Mind the Gap, covering the Center's programming as well as broader social issues relating to neuroscience.