Research

Developing methods for individual differences

  • Current psychological and neuroscientific methods focus on group averages which often overlook the unique learning processes of people from marginalized groups, especially for those with learning differences. My work investigated how students process words differently from their peers in a developmental lens. I identified individual-level neural signatures in hierarchical visual word processing—the progression from low-level visual features to letter-form and whole-word representations

Centering students in their learning.

  • At the identity level, students who identify with a learning difference often face academic challenges, social stigmatization, and negative comparison with peers (cite). My research identified how neurodivergent students, particularly those with dyslexia, experience academic trauma by education systems that overlook or are not equipped to support their needs. 

Contextualizing environments as agents of change.

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Publications

*Co-First authorship

  • Ulsa, M.C., Mahar, A., McCandliss, B.D., (in prep). Specialized Learning Environments Shape Academic Self-Concept in Students with Dyslexia. 

    Ulsa, M.C., Wang, F., Nguyen, Q.T.H., Gonzalez, S., Kaneshiro, B., Toomarian, E.Y., McCandliss, B.D., (in prep). Neural Latency as a Stable Marker of Reading Fluency, Demonstrated by SSVEP Responses Across Age Groups.

  • Lewis, M.S*., Ulsa, M.C.*, Wu, Y-C., Hinkle, A.R., & Liu, K.L. (July 2026, accepted with revision). Examining English Learners with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in California [Stanford Public Scholars Collective Policy Brief].

  • Yang H-W, Münch M., Ulsa M.C., Gaba A., Birchler-Pedross A., Frey S., Knoblauch V., Li P., Chellappa S.L., Cajochen C., Hu K. Fractal Biomarker of Daily Activity for Women with Early Onset Depression. BMJ Mental Health. 2025 Jun;28(1):e301321. PMCID: PMC12161324. DOI: 10.1136/bmjment-2024-301321


    Chen, R. W., Ulsa, M.C., Li, P., Gao, C., Zheng, X., Xu, J., ... & Gao, L. (2023). Sleep Behavior Traits and Associations with Opioid-related Adverse Events: a cohort study. Sleep, zsad118. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsad118


    Li, P., Gao, L., Yu, L., Zheng, X., Ulsa, M.C., Yang, H.W., Gaba. A., Yaffe, K., Bennett, D.A., Buchman, A.S., Hu, K., Leng, Y. Daytime Napping and Alzheimer's Dementia: A Potential Bidirectional Relationship. Alzheimer’s Dement. 2022 Mar 17:10.1002/alz.12636. doi: 10.1002/alz.12636. PMID: 35297533; PMCID: PMC9481741. DOI: 10.1002/alz.12636


    Gao, C., Li, P., Morris, C.J., Zheng, X., Ulsa, M.C., Gao, L., Scheer, F., Hu, K. Actigraphy-Based Sleep Detection: Validation with Polysomnography and Comparison of Performance for Nighttime and Daytime Sleep During Simulated Shift Work. Nat Sci Sleep. 2022 Oct 14;14:1801-1816. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S373107. PMID: 36275180; PMCID: PMC9581540. DOI: 10.2147/NSS.S373107


    Ulsa, M.C.*, Zheng, X.*, Li, P., Wong, P.M., Saxena, R., Scheer, F., Rutter, M., Oluwaseun, J.A., Hu, K., Gao, L., Association of Sleep Health Traits in Middle and Old Age with Risk for Delirium during Hospitalization. Journal of Gerontology: Series A., 2021 Sept 24. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glab272


    Del Col, L., Fowler, A., Mohamed, S., Onuoha, A., Raphael, S., Tamkin, S., Tolan, C., Ulsa, M.C., Wade, S. Do Something: Forging Constellations of Curricular, Co-Curricular, and Community Opportunities for Anti-Racist Writing Pedagogies at Bates College in Lewiston Maine. Writing Program Administration. Vol. 44, no. 3. Summer 2021.

  • Li, P., Zheng, X., Ulsa M.C., Yang, H.W., Scheer, F., Rutter, M.K., Hu, K., Gao, L. Poor Sleep Behavior Burden and Risk of COVID-19 Mortality and Hospitalization. Sleep. 2021;44(8):zsab138. PMID: 34142713. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsab138