Alumni


Postdoc Kianoush Banaie Boroujeni, B.Sc. (Dept. of Psychology)

  • Kia develops technical and analytical methods to study neuronal information flow on primates brain circuitry in the front-striatal network.
  • He is currently working on distinguishing cell-type specific circuit functions.
  • In his main project, he is trying to non-invasively deliver drugs using Focused Ultrasound.

Phd cand. Benjamin Voloh, M.Sc.  (Dept. of Psychology)


Dr. Ryan Canolty – Staff Research Scientist

  • Ryan’s research focuses on the principles and causal mechanisms governing local computation and long-range communication in distributed brain networks. His prior research has used electrophysiological methods, quantitative analysis, and computational simulation to probe cognitive faculties of the mind and dynamic networks of the brain. The current focus is on developing and applying novel burst detection methods to identify the transient activation of functional networks distributed across multiple brain regions.

Phd cand. Asif Hasan (Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering)

  • Asif works on reinforcement learning models to account for improved attention when experiencing novel, complex environments. He has been developing a new Artificial intelligence wrapper that the laboratory uses to test human and animals on complex tasks. Asif’s projects are in collaboration with Prof. Paul Tiesinga from Radboud University.

PhD Seth Koenig – Postdoctoral Fellow,

  • Seth works on the neural mechanisms of learning and attention in a network of brain areas encompassing the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia.

Shelby Volden – Research Assistant, Vanderbilt University

  • Shelby works on cage-based animal training and assist with all aspects of the Cognitive Neuroscience Research.

Phd cand. Chase Mackey, Graduate Student (Neuroscience Graduate Program)

  • Chase wants to use behavior, electrophysiology and computational modeling to understand how we use sound features to navigate attentionally demanding scenes. Chase is doing a lab rotation in the Attention-Circuits-Control Laboratory. Researchgate profile.

Milad Naghizadeh – B.Sc. (Biology), Honours Thesis Student, R.A., 2016-2018)


Marzyeh Samira (Sam) Azimi – M.Sc. (Biology), R.A., 2015-2018)
  • Sam is now a Pharm.D. student in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto.
  • Her M.Sc. thesis “The influence of alpha7 and alpha4 beta2 nicotinic receptor agonists on feature based reversal learning in macaque monkeys” was accepted August 2017.
  • Sam carried the prestigious Queens Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in 2016/2017!

Dr. Mariann Oemisch – Ph.D. (Biology, 2012-2017)

  • Mariann has moved to Daeyeol Lee’s laboratory at Yale University.
  • Her Ph.D. dissertation “Neural processes underlying the flexible control and learning of attentional selection”, was accepted November 2017.
  • Mariann is a three times awardee of the prestigious Ontario Graduate Studies (OGS) Fellowships!
  • Mariann’s ResearchGate profile.

Dr Veronica Nacher – Postdoctoral Fellow (2015-2017) 

  • Veronica has moved to Douglas Crawford’s laboratory at York University.
  • In the ACCL, Veronica studied the physiology of attention-related frontal lobe circuits, using electrical microstimulation techniques.

Dr. Hongying Wang – Lab Supervisor (2013-2017)


Stephen Chen, B.A. – Honours Thesis Student, Cognitive Science (2016-2017)

  • Stephen’s Honours thesis investigated the predictors of learning in a dynamic context-dependent feature-based learning task.
  • Stephen assisted in the development of the USE suite.

Alireza Tajadod, B.Sc. – Honours Thesis Student, Mathematics (2015-2017)

  • Alireza’s Honour’s thesis investigated the information carried by error saccades made by nonhuman primates on a gaze-contingent task.

BA cand. Zemina Meghji – Honours Thesis Student (2015-2016)

  • Zemina worked on projects developing an overt behavioural marker of (covert) learning the feature relevance in an attentional task.


Dr. Stephanie Westendorff – Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2015)


Dr. Salva Ardid – Research Associate and Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-14)


PhD Matt Balcarras – Phd thesis (2011-15)

  • Matt moved on to Vancouver BC to become VP and Chief Scientist at ADX Advance Directives Xtended !
  • His Researcher Profile available at ResearchGate
  • Matt received 2013 the best abstract award from the Cognitive Science Society for his abstract and presentation of “Balcarras, Ardid, Kaping, Everling, Womelsdorf: Reinforcement learning predicts value-driven attentional selection in a foraging task. Workshop: “Learning to Attend, Attending to Learn”, San Diego, CA.

Keshna Sood – Undergraduate Honours Thesis (2014-15)

  • Keshna moved on to graduate school for a MSc with a molecular focus at the University of Toronto
  • Keshna finished successfully an ambitious matlab analysis project for an 8 credit Honours Thesis about ‘inferring learning success and value predictions from anticipatory licking responses in a reversal learning task’.


BSc. Omar Abid – Undergrad. Research Practicum (2014)

  • Omar has moved on to a PhD in John Tsotsos computational laboratory of active and attentive vision at York University to embark on ambitious PhD projects !


Dr. Cristiano Micheli – Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-14)

  • Cristiano went on to work as Senior Research Scientist in the Neurocognitive Psychology Lab, Prof. Dr. Jochem Rieger, at the University of Oldenburg, Germany.
  • In the Attentional Control lab Cristiano has worked on joint projects with the Valiante lab, Epilepsy Neurosurgery Program at Toronto Western Hospital.


MSc Chen Shen , MSc Neuroscience graduate student (2011-14)

  • Chen now works outside academia at a prestigious insurance company in Toronto in the statistics department.


Dr. Daniel Kaping – Postdoctoral Fellow (2010-12)


Johanna Stucke – Research Assistant (2010-12)


Michelle Bale – MSc Neuroscience thesis (2009-11)

  • Michelle went to Medical School at Western University


Iman Janemi – MSc Neuroscience thesis (2009-11)

  • Iman went to Dental-Medical School at the University of Detroit