Brain and Cognition

USU students performing an experiment in lab.

The Utah State Brain and Cognition PhD specialization offers students the opportunity to gain a PhD in psychology with a specialization in cognition and brain. The program is home to highly qualified faculty with varied interests including cognitive development, multisensory processing, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Students receive extensive training in brain and cognition, from basic neurological processes to psychological disorders, and related disciplines.

The Utah State Psychology Brain and Cognition Specialization is housed in the Education Building at the university. Students accepted into the program receive tuition awards and assistantship stipends. Learn more about requirements for the Brain and Cognition Program at Utah State, how students are funded and the resources available to our graduate students.

Application Requirements

Submit the following to the School of Graduate Studies:

  • Application
  • Statement of Purpose/Intent - Recommended length of 500-1000 words
  • CV
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • GRE Scores- Some individuals may have experienced difficulty taking the GRE due to COVID-19. As such, the Brain and Cognition program is not requiring GRE scores for applications, but does encourage you to submit them if you have them.
  • Official Transcripts from All Previous Schools

Admission Criteria:

  • GPA for the last 60 credits taken of 3.0 or higher
  • GRE scores for the verbal and quantitative areas at the 40th percentile or above
  • Fit with a current faculty member affiliated with the specialization






Applications are due by December 1st.
This specialization will be conducting invitation only interviews of applicants in-person on February 22nd - 24th. 

Brain & Cognition Faculty

Faculty
Directory
BC
Catalin Buhusi
Psychology
Catalin V. Buhusi

Catalin V. Buhusi

Professor - Neuroscience Program & Brain and Cognition Specialization

catalin.buhusi@usu.edu

Faculty
Brain & Cog
Directory
Psychology
BC
Mona Buhusi
Mona C. Buhusi

Mona C. Buhusi

Associate Professor - Neuroscience Program

435-797-8974

mona.buhusi@usu.edu

Kerry Jordan
Directory
Psychology
Faculty
BC
Kerry Jordan

Kerry Jordan

Associate Professor - Brain & Cognition Specialization

435-797-2797

kerry.jordan@usu.edu

Behavior Analysis
Faculty
Directory
Psychology
Tim Shahan
BC
Timothy A. Shahan

Timothy A. Shahan

Professor - Brain & Cognition and Behavior Analysis Specializations

435-770-7619

tim.shahan@usu.edu

Christopher Warren
Directory
Faculty
Psychology
BC
ADRC
Christopher Warren

Christopher Warren

Assistant Professor - Neuroscience Program & Brain & Cognition Specialization

435-265-5704

chris.warren@usu.edu

Brain & Cog
Directory
Psychology
Faculty
BC
Emily  Weichart

Emily Weichart

Assistant Professor - Brain & Cognition Specialization

emily.weichart@usu.edu

Brain & Cognition Labs

Mona Buhusi Lab | Mona Buhusi

The Mona Buhusi Lab conducts research involving identifying the specific sets of guidance cues along individual pathways and understanding how anomalies in neuronal connectivity relate to human neuropsychopathology.

Multisensory Cognition Lab | Kerry Jordan

The Multisensory Cognition Lab asks the question, “How did we, starting as prelinguistic infants, extract meaningful information from our world's busy mixture of multisensory stimulation?”

Warren Neuromodulation Lab | Chris Warren

The Warren Neuromodulation Lab conducts research on how the brain optimizes cognitive performance under varying circumstances.

Timothy Shahan Lab | Timothy Shahan

The Shahan Lab focuses on quantitative analyses of conditioning and learning.

Quantified Cognition Lab | Emily Weichart 

 The Quantified Cognition Lab focuses on the interplay between perception, memory, and decision-making with the broader goal of understanding how these processes collectively shape knowledge and guide human actions.