Nadine Charanek, PhD Cognitive Science

Nadine’s research focuses on working memory processes in chimpanzees and humans.

Part of her work at the LNeuro-Lab investigates visuospatial processing in both bilinguals and monolinguals compared to chimpanzees as well as the behavioural and neural bases of such processing using eye-tracking, EEG and fNIRS techniques.

Research Interests: Working Memory, Comparative Psychology, Autism, Dementia, Human Factors Research, Bilingualism.

Arthur Hamilton, PhD Cognitive Science

Arthur is a PhD student researching bilingualism in neurodiverse populations. His current focus is differences in how cognitive symptoms appear in the two languages of bilinguals with schizophrenia or autism. He is also interested in the neural mechanisms of these differences and has experience with EEG and MRI. Before starting his PhD in 2021, Arthur did research on how sense of self is altered in people with schizophrenia and how intellectual disability is understood and certified in a non-Western context. He is co-supervised by Dr. Synthia Guimond at The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.

Irina Smirnova-Godoy, PhD Cognitive Science

Irina has done research on mental lexicon and European court of human rights as part of completing her MA in Linguistics (US) and MA in European and Russian studies (Canada) degrees. She has presented at several international conferences her research on language translation process. During her PhD program at Carleton University, she has studied misinformation paradigm, neural correlates of simultaneous interpreting and grey matter differences in bilingual and monolingual brains. 

At present, her main focus is on understanding the phenomenon of language learning aptitude through experimental measurement of individual differences.

Akshaya Baskar,  PhD Cognitive Science

Akshaya possesses a bachelor's in biomedical engineering and a master's in biomedical engineering.   She is currently pursuing her PhD program in Cognitive Science. She has a few years of experience in clinical behavioral studies, vision research, and cognition. Since she joined our lab, she has been working on the localization of language development in the brain, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (FNIRS).  Given her multidisciplinary experience, she is very much interested in language processing, mood disorders, multilingualism, and cognition.

Noah Chuipka, PhD Cognitive Science

Noah holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from uOttawa, and a Master of Cognitive Science. His research focuses on using hyperscanning EEG and fNIRS as well as behavioral assessment to investigate the spatiotemporal mechanisms of psychopathology (currently depression), namely through musical and linguistic processing. Besides his primary position at the L-Neuro Lab, he is also affiliated with the Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics lab at the Ottawa Royal’s IMHR.
Research interests: neural dynamics, psychopathology, intrasubject differences, music cognition, language processing.

Masih Zaamari, PhD Cognitive Science

Masih holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master's degree in Computer Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on human imagination and mental imagery through the development of computational models. At the L-Neuro Lab, he collaborates on investigations into visual mental imagery from a neuroscientific perspective, utilizing advanced brain imaging techniques. With a strong interest in computational modeling and neuroscience, Masih aims to understand the intricate processes behind imagination and mental imagery.

Nayna Kirubakar, MA Cognitive Science

Nayna is a second year Master’s student in the lab. She has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy (Hons.) and a certificate in Psychology. Her research focuses on applying the functional localization approach to the EEG/ERP modality to highlight the differences in the language network activation in individual participants. She is the lead of the EEG team within the lab and coordinates all EEG-related projects. 
She loves studying the human brain and is a self-declared "neurd." Always ready to grab a pen and paper, Nayna enjoys visually explaining complex concepts. She believes science should be accessible and fun for everyone and is passionate about knowledge mobilization.

Marina Panfilova,  MA Cognitive Science

Marina is a 2nd year student in Cognitive Science  She is currently taking part in the “Aptitude for Learning Languages: Fact or Fiction” study and working on her Honours thesis. Marina’s research interests are language development, bilingualism, and psycholinguistics.

Fatemeh Maleki, MA Cognitive Science

Fatemeh Maleki is a master’s student at the Linguistic Neurodiversity Lab (L-Neuro Lab), researching brain-based language processing with a focus on autism. She uses EEG to study language processing and designs experiments to gain insights into diverse brain functions. With a background in Psychology and Cognitive Science, she has strong data analysis skills and experience supporting individuals with autism. Her interests include autism, addiction, and dream studies, and she has led workshops on lucid dreaming and cognitive biases.

Mary Nehme,  MA Cognitive Science

Mary is a dedicated first-year Master’s student in the L-Neuro lab, where she is deepening her exploration of the brain and language. She holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Linguistics and a minor in American Sign Language. Currently, her research focuses on the N400 and P600 effects elicited by violations in both natural and programming languages.

Fascinated by the complexities of the brain and mental health disorders, Mary aspires to investigate the connections between mental health and language production. Her long-term goal is to become a professor, inspired by the mentors who ignited her passion for academia and research.
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Dalia Serik, Honours Cognitive Science, 

 Dalia is a fourth-year Cognitive Science student in the Psychology and Cognition Concentration. She is now working on her Honours Thesis. 

Jenn Stranaghan, Honours Cognitive Science, 

Jenn is a fourth-year Cognitive Science student in the Biological concentration. She is now taking part in the MegaLang project and working on her Honour's Thesis, investigating the N400 ERP component in schizophrenia trait load using EEG. Jenn's research interests include psycholinguistics and communication disorders, alongside a strong passion for neuropharmacology and medicine. 

Yammam Mohammed, 

B.Cog.Sc. Student

Yammam a fourth year Cognitive Neuroscience student doing a stream in Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Modelling.  I will be in the L-Neuro to conduct research on mental representation and language for my Honours Thesis. My research interests are Working Memory, Educational Research, Language Processing and Developmental Disorders.   

Stephanie Oxales, 

B.Cog.Sc. Student

Stephanie a fourth year Cognitive science student in the Cognition and Psychology stream. I will be researching and collecting data from the Megalang project for my honours thesis on the ‘Effects of migraine status on the magnitudes on the N400 ERP component.’

Lilah Krause, 

B.Cog.Sc. Student

Lilah a fourth year Cognitive Science student contributing her work on EEG data collection for Megalang project

Aya Amer, 

B.Cog.Sc.  Volunteer

Aya Amer received her bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science in May of 2024. At the L-Neuro Lab, she is volunteering with projects on bilinguals' advantages in phonological processing and the perception of emotional words in a second language. She is interested in the cognitive constraints on language structure and language acquisition.

Aahana Uppal, 

B.Cog.Sc. Student

Aahana is fourth year cognitive science student in the biological foundations of cognition concentration. She is currently pursuing her thesis by contributing to Megalang. Specifically, she is collecting data to research the effects of autistic trait load on the executive functioning network using fNIRS. Her other research interests include neurodegenerative diseases and arts in health. 

Amanda Schmidt

B.Cog.Sc. Student

Amanda is fourth year cognitive science student currently pursuing her thesis by contributing to Megalang.

Naomi Brake, 

B.Cog.Sc. Student

Nao is fourth year cognitive science student currently pursuing her thesis by contributing to Megalang.