Raniyah Chishti
She/Her | Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant
Raniyah started at LUCID in February 2022 as a volunteer RA, then became a post-bac RA in June 2025. Her time with LUCID will finish by the end of this year. She has a bachelor’s in Applied Human Physiology with minors in Interdisciplinary Honors and Psychology. Raniyah is currently applying to medical school.
What are your research interests?
I’m mostly interested in motor neuroscience, with focuses in movement initiation and brain behavior relationships.
What drew you to LUCID?
I started at LUCID in the spring semester of my freshman year. I was eager to get my foot in the door in whichever lab would take me and let me get started in the research world. LUCID was one of the first labs I found out about within my college and I was lucky enough to start shortly after.
What’s your philosophy on AI?
I think it has good applications, especially when it’s applied to research or making education more accessible to the general public. I think it’s good practice to use it as a tool rather than a crutch when it comes to the work that I do in the lab/professionally though, like making sure I exhaust every option before relying on it.
Can you describe a research study at LUCID that you have conducted or participated in?
I’m a project lead on a study investigating the neural mechanisms underlying voluntary movement by examining the roles of different brain regions in self-initiated action! We use noninvasive techniques like EEG and TMS as part of our methodology.
What’s something you’ve learned in your time at LUCID?
I’ve learned how to adapt a lot. My project has had many different setbacks—with switching locations, collaborating with researchers at UCI, and the complex protocol itself—and it’s taught me how to adapt and troubleshoot quickly when I’m required to do troubleshooting or experience a setback. I feel like I’ve been able to develop good instincts when it comes to making decisions on the fly and coming up with new solutions.
Can you share a fun fact about motor neuroscience?
Our study involves getting an MRI of our participants, and the coolest thing is I can tell if someone is a musician based off of their brain! Musicians tend to have more gyrification (cortical folding) in the motor cortex compared to non-musicians.
Can you share a fun fact about yourself?
I got to walk around on the set of two Marvel movies before they were released when I studied abroad in London last year!
So what's next for you after medical school? Do you think you'd like to continue working in research labs?
For sure! I’d definitely like to stay in the research world but leaning more towards the clinical side.
