Mentors 2023-2024
Seleste Beaulieu
Seleste is a first year PhD student in the Research Psychology program at Concordia University. Seleste is working under the supervision of Dr. Kristen Dunfield at Concordia’s Social Cognitive Development lab. Her research centers broadly on the development of prosocial behavior in young children. Prior to starting her graduate degree, Seleste obtained a BSc and MA in Psychology at Concordia University. Outside of the lab, Seleste enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling. Tori Langmuir
Tori is a first-year clinical student in the Behavioural Health Innovations Lab (Nicole Alberts) whose research interests lie broadly within health and behavioural psychology. Tori has undergraduate degrees from Carleton University in Ottawa, in cognitive science and in psychology, and 4 years of experience working in clinical health psychology research. Tori is passionate about psychosocial oncology and equity, diversity, and inclusion, and implementation science, among other topics! She can offer insight into navigating the application process to grad schools and getting into volunteering or working in research at universities or hospitals. Tristin Best
Tristin is a second-year graduate student in the clinical psychology in the Phillips lab. He completed a BSc. In psychology from Concordia University and an MSc. in neuroscience from the Integrated program in Neuroscience at McGill university. Tristin’s current research is focused on using multi-modal neuroimaging (functional and structural MRI) to explore the relationships between sensory dysfunction, cognition, and brain structure and function in people with or at-risk for dementia. Clinically, he is interested in neuropsychological assessment with adult populations. Outside of the lab, he can be found biking, cooking, or spending time with his dog, Mitsou. Dimitrios Kaylan Avramidis
Dimitrios is a first-year master’s student in the CSBN working under the supervision of Dr.Mihaela Iordanova. He grew up in Vancouver and obtained his BA in Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Following undergrad, he volunteered in Dr. Catharine Winstanley’s lab, where he studied risky decision-making and impulsivity by utilizing the rat Gambling Task (rGT). In Dr. Iordanova’s lab, Dimitrios’s research focuses on manipulating neural communication between Locus Coeruleus Noradrenergic neurons and the Amygdala using cutting-edge techniques (ie. chemogenetics, optogenetics) to elucidate their role in extinction learning. Outside of the lab, he remains deeply obsessed over his research, but also enjoys producing music on his laptop and is an avid skier. |
Cailyn Fridgen
Cailyn Fridgen (she/her) is an MA1 clinical psychology and research student under the supervision of Dr. Adam Radomsky. Her area of research is anxiety disorders and OCD. A fun fact about Cailyn is that she has three Shih Tzu's back home in St. John’s Newfoundland! As a mentor, she can offer you tips for gaining clinical and research experience through volunteering and employment, advice for applying to grad school, as well as how to take care of your mental health as a student. Maria Psomas
Maria is a first year MA student in the research and clinical training program. She completed her bachelors in Honors psychology at Concordia so she is very knowledgeable about the program and about how the university works. She works with the Penhune Lab for Motor Learning and Neural Plasticity and her research project is investigating the effects of age of start of music training on neural and cognitive mechanisms. In her spare time she likes to read, listen to music and do yoga. chad vachon
Chad Vachon is currently a second year Masters student in Clinical Psychology at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr. Virginia Penhune. His current research is funded by FRQNT and focuses on the neural basis of motor learning; he is doing so by finding out where and how the brain processes information from sound and movement. He has a previous Masters in Psychology from York University where he specialized in, won awards for, and published articles on understanding how motor learning changes under various conditions. He has also work experience at big technology and start-up companies. Together, these experiences give him a unique perspective on how to mentor students on how to find or get into a desired career in graduate school (clinical or research based) or in business. A fun fact about me is that I can juggle. Eden Mancor
Eden is a first year MA student in the clinical program at Concordia University. She also completed her BSc in psychology and behavioural neuroscience at Concordia and then worked in a research lab at Concordia for a year before applying to graduate school. Under the supervision of Karen Li, she is studying lifestyle and cognitive reserve as a means of delaying the effects of dementia. In general, she is interested in clinical interventions for neurological disorders, neuropsychological assessment, and cognitive health. She is happy to mentor on undergraduate studies in psychology/neuroscience at Concordia, getting involved in research, applying to graduate school, funding applications, and general tips for your studies. In her free time, she loves outdoor activities, climbing, and rock ’n’ roll dancing. |
Stephanie Oliverio
Stephanie is a second-year MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at Concordia University. She earned her BSc in Honours Psychology from McGill University, where she completed an honours thesis on the relationship between chronic stress and prosocial behaviors. Following her undergraduate degree, she worked as a research coordinator at the Eating Disorders Continuum of the Douglas Hospital. Stephanie has now joined Concordia University and is working under the supervision of Dr. Simon Bacon. Her research focuses on examining the impact of psychological risk factors, such as depression, on weight loss outcomes following bariatric surgery. As a mentor, Stephanie can provide valuable insights into acquiring research and volunteer experience for a competitive funding application, as well as offer tips to guide you through your undergraduate degree. Additionally, Stephanie is a food enthusiast who enjoys trying out new cuisines with friends and spending time outdoors. She can also offer some excellent restaurant and café recommendations! LAUREN BUYNACK
Lauren is a fourth year PhD student in the Psychology program at Concordia University. Her research focus is in the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology. She completed her BS in Applied Mental Health Psychology at Edinboro University in Edinboro Pennsylvania (2014-2018) and her MA in Experimental Psychology at Radford University in Radford Virginia (2018-2020). Lauren’s master’s thesis focused on the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor on spatial learning in male rats. At Concordia, she conducts research under the supervision of Dr. Brake. Lauren is interested in the role of ovarian hormones on female cognition, specifically spatial learning. She is an international student from the United States, and while she did not attend Concordia as an undergraduate, she has experience mentoring and working with undergraduates in a research setting and wants to pass on the support and guidance that she has been lucky enough to find in her past and current mentors throughout her academic career. Nesrine Mesli
Nesrine is a first-year MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at Concordia. She obtained her BSc in Psychology at McGill University where she completed two honors theses on eating disorders. She is now in Dr. Dale Stack's Infant and Child Studies Lab where she will be studying intergenerational transfer of psychosocial risk in a large-scale longitudinal study. In her spare time, she likes to read books, watch movies (she unironically calls herself a "cinephile"), and go on walks. She can offer advice on how to get research and clinical experience while in undergrad as well as on how to apply to grad school and for funding. RACHEL DUFOUR
Rachel is a Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at Concordia University. She obtained her Honours B.A. in Psychology from McGill University, where she completed a first undergraduate thesis in child development before completing a second one in eating disorder research. Her graduate research takes place at the Douglas Research center where she focuses on studying neurodevelopmental processes and early risk factors for eating disorders in youth. Clinically, she is mainly interested in working with adolescents and adults, with a focus on eating disorders, mood disorders, and complex trauma. Outside of school, Rachel loves reading, taking dance classes, skiing, & cooking. |
ISAAC ROMKEY
Isaac is a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology program at Concordia. He originally completed his B.Sc. at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His Honours thesis focused on the effects of acute stress on individuals' executive functioning skills. Isaac works in the Penhune Laboratory for Motor Learning and Plasticity under the supervision of Dr. Virginia Penhune, where his work focuses on understanding the core components of the sensation of groove, or the pleasurable desire to move to music. A fun fact about me is I play 5 instruments. |
ALEX ALBURY
Alex is a PhD student working in the Penhune Lab for Motor Learning and Neural Plasticity. Alex studies why we enjoy music, how we come to understand music, and how we learn to play an instrument. His research uses a mix of behavioural and neuroimaging techniques. He has an MA in Social Sciences from The University of Chicago and a BA in Psychology from The University of The Bahamas. Alex is happy to help with advice on course planning, CV building, and grad school applications in Canada and abroad. He's also interested in science communication and science journalism. |
mentors 2022-2023
Jude Nachabe
Sabrina Sacco
Kyan Salehi
Marilyne Dragon
Colton Dougherty
Chad Vachon
Stephanie Oliverio
Cailyn Fridgen
Yael Meira
Jasmine Kotsiopoulos
Catarina Borges
Nicholas Grunden
Lauren Buynack
Isaac Romkey
Marcus Suvanto
Rachel Dufour
Nicole Grant
Sabrina Sacco
Kyan Salehi
Marilyne Dragon
Colton Dougherty
Chad Vachon
Stephanie Oliverio
Cailyn Fridgen
Yael Meira
Jasmine Kotsiopoulos
Catarina Borges
Nicholas Grunden
Lauren Buynack
Isaac Romkey
Marcus Suvanto
Rachel Dufour
Nicole Grant
MENTORS 2021-2022
Berkley Petersen
Jude Nachabe
Irene Giannis
Emily Carrese-Chacra
Rachel Dufour
Parisa Sepehri
Ariel Boyle
Cassandra Neumann
Cai Li
Marilyne Dragon
Sara Matovic
Julianne Dumont
James Garneau
Lauren Buynack
Marie-Anick
Emily Grace Ah-Yen
Cassandra Goldfarb
Seleste Beaulieu
Elizabeth Dutemple
Florencia Trespalacios
Catarina Borges
Kristen Gong
Mentors 2020-2021