Principle Investigator
Nick Trapp, MS, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Trapp is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at the University of Iowa who specializes in procedural treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions. He is currently the director of the interventional psychiatry service. He grew up in Cary, Illinois in the suburbs of Chicago. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he received bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Preprofessional Studies and remains an avid Notre Dame football fan. He completed medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE, followed by residency training in psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed a 2-year neuromodulation and neuroscience fellowship program at the University of Iowa in 2019, where he is currently serving as an Assistant Professor. Most recently, he completed a 1-year Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Trapp’s research focuses on clinical and translational projects related to brain stimulation. Interests include neuropsychiatry, neurostimulation, traumatic brain injury, device development, clinical trials, treatment-resistant mood disorders, scientific communication, education, and neuroimaging. Non-clinical interests include sports, hiking, reading, travel, and spending time with his wife and kids.
Research Team
Joel Bruss
Imaging Specialist & Research Manager
Joel has over a decade of experience in lesion mapping studies as well as structural and functional imaging. Current projects focus on quantifying lesion load in white matter tracts and processing fcMRI data.
Libby Lyu
Volunteer Research Assistant
Libby is a recent graduate in Psychology with a minor in Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. She plans to work with the lab to expand her research skills before heading to graduate school in pursuit of a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Libby is interested in the relationship between gender and disease, especially in underserved populations. In her free time, Libby spends time with her cat.
Karin Nielsen
Clinical Trials Research Associate
Karin has a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology and has worked in industry-sponsored clinical trials as a research coordinator and clinical rater. She also has experience as a licensed mental health therapist and supervisor in community mental health. Other interests include gardening, hiking and art history.
Ben Pace
Research Associate
Ben comes to the Trapp Lab after a stint in the Department of Psychiatry at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He has a Master of Science in Applied Cognition & Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL. Broadly, his research interests include the use of neuroimaging and neuromodulation to elucidate the cognitive processes of the healthy and non-healthy brain. Outside the lab, he can be found running the trails of the Iowa City area with and without his dog.
Post-Docs and Students
Alexandra Alario
Ph.D. Candidate
Alex received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin (hook’em). She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the University of Iowa. Her primary interests lie in interventional treatments for depression, and she works with Dr. Mark Niciu and Dr. Nick Trapp to understand predictors of treatment response. In her spare time, you can find Alex trying to stay warm and hanging out with her dog, Freddy.
Jackson Richards, MD, PhD
Psychiatry Resident
Jackson is a categorical resident in the University of Iowa’s Psychiatry Residency Program. A native of Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, his medical degree, and a doctorate in oncological sciences from the University of Utah. He became interested in psychiatry and neuroscience through his clinical exposure to patients suffering from severe mental illness. He is in the Physician Scientist Training Pathway and the Research and Interventional Psychiatry Tracks within the residency program. His clinical and research interests are in neurostimulation, particularly TMS. Outside of medicine and science, he enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his wife, daughters, and family dog.
Eric Tsang, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Eric Tsang received his Bachelor of Art with honor in Psychology, Master of Science in Human Development specialized in Neuroscience from Laurentian University and Ph.D. in Medical Science from the University of Toronto, Canada. His doctoral study involved the recording and analysis of local field potentials from the basal ganglia of patients with movement disorders. Following the completion of his Ph.D. study, Eric traveled to Hong Kong to engage in teaching and research activities. He worked as a Research Assistant Professor and Lecturer at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and as a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Hong Kong. Eric has published 17 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals in topics including Neuroelectrophysiology, Psychology, and Rehabilitation. His Postdoctoral research projects involve the study of intracranial EEG signals recorded from patients with epilepsy who received stereo EEG electrode implantations and the application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and EEG to study cognitive processes in psychiatric patients. When he is not working, Eric enjoys cardo exercises and social running.