Pedro Espinosa Mireles de Villafranca
Doctoral Candidate (cohort representative)Academic Education
| Since 2024 |
Doctoral candidate, Max Planck School of Cognition, Leipzig, Germany
Lab rotations in the orientation phase: Emrah Düzel, Ulman Lindenberger und Christian Doeller. |
|---|---|
| 2022-2024 | Predoctoral researcher at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin with Prof. Roberto Cabeza |
| 2019-2022 | Master of Science in Mind and Brain, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany |
| 2018-2019 | Research assistant, Neuroscience Lab at Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 2014-2018 | Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico |
Scholarships and Awards
| 2022 | Humboldt Research TrackScholarship |
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| 2020-2022 | CONACYT-DAAD full scholarship for a M.Sc. |
| 2018 | CENEVAL National Prize for outstanding attainment in Psychology |
Publications
Sosa, R., Espinosa-Villafranca, P., García-Rangel, F., Alcalá, E., Pérez-Treviño, V., Buriticá, J., & Saavedra, P. (2025). Error Correction Dynamics in Rats’ Waiting Behaviors. Timing & Time Perception, 1(aop), 1-33.
Sosa, R., Espinosa de Villafranca, P., Saavedra, P., Chávez, M.E., Leal-Galicia, P., Lago, G., Mata, F., Mata-Luévanos, J., Rodríguez-Serrano, L.M., Tapia-De-Jesús, A. & Buenrostro-Jáuregui, M.H. (in prep.). Assessing acute effects of methylphenidate and modafinil on inhibitory capacity, time estimation, attentional lapse, and compulsive-like behavior in rats.
Other Awards & Scientific Achievements
Espinosa-Villafranca, P. (Co-Principal Investigator), Palacios Mena, N. (Co-PI), & Amissah-Essel, S. (Co-PI). (2025–2027). Natural variability in physical activity and longitudinal cognitive development in children aged 5–7. LEVANTE Young Scholars Programme, Jacobs Foundation. CHF 112,500 (total award).
Poster Presentations & Invited Talks
Espinosa-Villafranca, P., Palacios-Mena, N., Amissah-Essel, S., Lin, Y., Ngo, C. T. (2026, May). Day-to-day physical activity impacts longitudinal cognitive growth across childhood [Poster presentation]. APS Annual Convention, Barcelona, Spain.
Espinosa-Villafranca, P. (2025, March). Computational neuroscience: Using artificial intelligence to model memory [Invited conference presentation]. 3rd Brain Week Conference, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico.
Espinosa-Villafranca, P. (2025, September). The relative influence of the perceptual–conceptual similarity gradient on memory [Invited talk at Sarah Weigelt’s lab]. Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Espinosa de Villafranca, P., Naspi, L., Wing, E., Cabeza, R. (2023). The effects of hierarchical feature overlap on false recognition: Perceptual and conceptual contributions to familiarity. [Poster presentation]. Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco.
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