SCAMPI Team

Primary Investigator

Dr. Samantha Fede

Dr. Fede came to Auburn University in 2021. Before that, she conducted research at NIAAA, University of New Mexico, Virginia Tech, and George Mason University. She has expertise in clinical cognitive neuroscience, including fMRI neuroimaging techniques, neurofeedback, and quantitative analysis. Dr. Fede has previously worked with populations including undergraduate students, incarcerated adults, community-based substance users, and treatment seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder. Dr. Fede’s overall research goals are to use neuroscience to understand and improve trajectories associated with psychopathology and high risk behaviors, such as substance use. See publications for specific work done by Dr. Fede prior to and since founding the SCAMPI lab. 

https://twitter.com/samantha_fede

sjfede (at) auburn.edu

Graduate Student

Yonni Jefferson, BA

Yonni Jefferson graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and a concentration in Mental Health. She completed her post-bacc internship as a research assistant for the OCD Neurosurgery Program at Butler Hospital and The Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Yonni is a second year CaBS PhD student working under the guidance of Dr. Samantha Fede. Her research interests include psychopathy, antisocial behavior, violent behavior, altruism, apathy, and morality. 

Jaycie Clapp

Jaycie joined the lab in January of 2025. She is a junior from Knoxville, TN majoring in neuroscience. She is also involved in Phi Sigma Pi, the Honors College, and various honors societies on campus. She plans to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience with the hopes of one day conducting her own research. She is interested in research involving neuropharmacology, specifically in relation to neurodegenerative and seizure disorders, as well as the effects of media and technology on brain function.

Denisen Justice

Denisen joined the lab in August 2024. He is a junior at Auburn University, double majoring in biomedical sciences – pre medicine and neuroscience. He is involved in The Auburn Circle Magazine and Campus Kitchen at Auburn University. His research interests include the sensation and perception of music and related neural pathways, which he was given the Burkhart Fellowship Award to study in 2025.

Emily Lloyd

Emily joined the lab in August 2025. She is originally from Birmingham, AL and is a current senior at Auburn. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Social Work. She is a member of the Delta Zeta sorority and a volunteer at CARE Humane Society in Auburn. Her research interests include the development and treatment of substance use disorders, as well as the effectiveness of rational emotive behavior therapy on treating addiction.