Lab Members

Claire Lauzon

Claire is completing her PhD in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Rosenbaum and Dr. Jennifer Rabin at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. Her research focuses on the involvement of the hippocampus in various aspects of episodic memory, including pattern separation and pattern completion. She is also interested in the intersections between hippocampal memory, emotion, and mood. Her dissertation explores these functions in individuals with selective lesions as well as individuals who receive neuromodulation treatment for severe, treatment-resistant depression. Claire is also involved in clinical intervention, and has completed practicum placements at the North York General Eating Disorders Program and the Sunnybrook Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Intensive Unit. In her free time, Claire enjoys spending time with her dog, taking pottery classes, and reading.

Ricky Chow

Ricky Chow is a PhD student in the Clinical Neuropsychology program at York University under the supervision of Dr. Shayna Rosenbaum and co-supervision of Dr. Claude Alain. His past research examined how our sensory abilities and executive funcitoning changes in aging and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). His current research uses electroencephalography (EEG) inform changes in memory precision in aging, musical training, and hippocampal amnesia. In his spare time, Ricky enjoys exploring Toronto’s food scene, biking, and playing the oboe in community ensembles.

Maria Orlando

Maria Orlando is a PhD student in the Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Sciences (BBCS) program under the supervision of Dr. Shayna Rosenbaum. She completed her MA and BSc at York University. Maria’s research interests are in memory, perception, and aging. She is currently working on projects centred around how previous experience with visual stimuli affect our memory for them in lab-based tasks. Her ultimate goal is to explore the role of the hippocampus in memory and perception. Outside of academia, Maria spends most of her time with her family, enjoys finding new recipes, and rock climbing. 

Audrey Li-Chay-Chung

Audrey Li-Chay-Chung obtained a bilingual Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Specialized Honours from York University’s Glendon College in 2022. She is currently completing her second year of the MA in Adult Clinical Neuropsychology at York University under the supervision of Dr. Kristina Gicas. Her MA thesis involves the examination of the relationship between dimensions of social connectedness and neurocognitive functioning in homeless and precariously housed adults. She will be co-supervised by Dr. Rosenbaum and Dr. Donna Rose Addis at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences for her doctorate where she will investigate the role of the cerebellum in spatial and autobiographical memory. In her free time, Audrey enjoys running, painting, attending concerts, and traveling.

Tolu Faromika

Tolu Faromika is an MA student at York University under the supervision of Dr. Shayna Rosenbaum. Tolu recently graduated from the Psychology Specialist Co-op program at the University of Toronto, with a minor in Biomedical Ethics. She completed her undergraduate thesis with Professor Andy Lee on how spatial contexts influence the memory integration/separation process. She has worked in the UTSC Infant Lab, the Crosbie Lab at the Hospital for Sick Children, and the Levine Lab at Baycrest Hospital. She has experience working with a variety of age (from infants to older adults) and disorder populations (e.g., ADHD, ASD, OCD, etc.). She is really passionate about memory and memory deficits as a result of pre-existing conditions. In her spare time, she can be found hosting the BrainCore Podcast, playing a few different instruments, traveling, or dabbling in videography!

Nardeen Yalda

Nardeen is a PhD student in the Adult Clinical Neuropsychology program. She completed her BA in psychology at Western University and her MA in clinical psychology at York University. Her research explores decision-making in both healthy individuals and clinical populations. Specifically, she investigates factors that influence delay discounting and intertemporal choices such as imagining the future and social context. Her work integrates behavioral and EEG methods to examine the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making. Outside the lab, Nardeen enjoys reading, cooking, occasional crafting, and hiking.

Shaya Samet

Shaya is an MA student in the Adult Clinical Neuropsychology program. He previously completed an MA in Psychology in the Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Sciences area at York University, supervised by Peter J. Kohler. His earlier research used EEG and steady-state visual evoked potentials to examine object processing and shape perception, with a focus on how local and configural shape information contribute to object perception. Building on this background in visual neuroscience, Shaya’s current research investigates pattern separation and pattern completion, with the goal of bridging his previous work on object processing with questions about memory and neuropsychological functioning. In his spare time, Shaya enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and playing hockey.

Alireza Khalajzadeh

Alireza is an MA student in the Adult Clinical Neuropsychology program. His research focuses on how the hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) interact in memory, with a particular interest in how emotion shapes pattern separation and memory generalization in both healthy individuals and clinical populations with selective lesions. He is also interested in how artificial intelligence (AI) could be applied to cognitive and neuropsychological assessment in aging populations. Outside of research, Alireza enjoys gardening, dancing, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. 

Aivien Shudimai Mangahas

Aivien is an fifth-year undergraduate student in the Specialized Honours Thesis program in Psychology at York University.

Eden Samuel-Bergel 

Eden is a third-year undergraduate student in the Honours Psychology program with a minor in Neuroscience at the University of Guelph.

Mary O'Neil

Mary O'Neil is a fourth-year honours undergraduate student in the Neuroscience program specializing in Behavioural & Cognitive Neuroscience. 

Sarah Belvedere

Sarah Belvedere is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Specialized Honours Neuroscience program, specializing in Behavioural & Cognitive Neuroscience.