Shawn graduated from Knox College, Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Experimental Psychology and a minor in Biology. He has gained experience working in clinical research investigating transdiagnostic factors in anxiety-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive-and-its-related-disorders (OCRDs) as well as human sex research (sexual arousal and sexual disgust).

After graduation, Shawn worked under Dr. Stephanie Groman at the University of Chicago on multiple projects investigating the neurobiology of decision-making and addiction using rodent models. 

Shawn is currently a member of McMurray Lab and HAPPY Lab, assisting with preclinical and clinical research focusing on the neurobiological mechanisms and vulnerability factors of substance use disorder (SUD).