Our People

Previous Studies

I earned my undergraduate degree at McGill University, completed graduate training (MSc and PhD) at the University of Toronto, and undertook postdoctoral training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Research Topic

Our research at the AIMH lab combines clinical assessment, neuroimaging, and other biological indices to better understand how substance use disorders affect the brain. Our goal is to use this knowledge to identify new treatment targets and help develop more effective, real-world interventions that can improve care for people with substance use disorders.

What attracted you to this field? 

I was attracted to this field because addiction is still widely misunderstood. Seeing how stigma and misconceptions affect care and outcomes made me want to focus on research that can change how people understand it and how we treat it.

What is your preferred technique to use?

Our innovative cannabis abstinence paradigm.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Spending time with family and traveling to exotic places.

Previous Studies

PhD in Neurosciences, Université Lyon 1 Claude Bernard, France.

Research Topic

My research interests revolve around cannabis use and its effect on human brain, behavior and connection to mental health.

What attracted you to this field? 

The desire to better understand humans.

What is your preferred technique to use?

I don't have a preferred technique, I still have a lot to learn and discover.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

In my free time, I love playing a good video game, and seeing my friends.

Previous Studies

Masters of Science, IPN, McGill University, QC.

Research Topic

Examining the effects of cannabis and tobacco co-use on structural and functional outcomes, and episodic memory performance.

What attracted you to this field? 

The fact that I will be working with populations with possible comorbid afflictions, as well as learning new neuroimaging techniques.

What is your preferred technique to use?

Anything that can be automated by writing code.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Playing with my cat, playing games with friends, hiking.

Previous Studies

Masters of Science, Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, USA.

Bachelor of Technology, Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India.

Research Topic

My thesis aims to investigate structural and functional neural recovery following abstinence from chronic cannabis use, and to explore potential sex differences in the course of recovery.

What attracted you to this field? 

The brain is extraordinarily complex and vulnerable to malfunction in many ways. Observing the prevalence of substance use disorders and the profound burden they place on individuals and communities has been a strong motivator for me. I want to integrate behavioral and neurobiological approaches to develop a more holistic understanding of addiction. I am motivated by the possibility that this work can contribute, even incrementally, to a clearer understanding of brain dysfunction in substance use disorders and ultimately help inform more effective interventions.

What is your preferred technique to use?

Automatic data processing pipelines and visualizing data in beautiful but easy to digest formats.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Fostering dogs, reading non-fiction, painting, spending time with family and friends.

Previous Studies

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, McGill University, QC.

Research Topic

My thesis is aimed at investigating the effects of 28 days of cannabis abstinence on sleep outcomes in people with a cannabis use disorder.

What attracted you to this field? 

I am drawn to the field of addiction research because of its complexity and the stigma that often surrounds substance use disorders. While working as a research coordinator in the AIMH lab, I conducted clinical interviews and learned that many individuals use cannabis to help them sleep. Given that sleep disturbance is one of the most reported and longest-lasting withdrawal symptom, this led me to pursue my Master’s degree by focusing on sleep health during sustained cannabis abstinence. Understanding this pattern may help identify critical intervention windows to support sleep and reduce relapse vulnerability during withdrawal, with the goal of informing treatment.

What is your preferred technique to use?

I really enjoy conducting clinical interviews. 

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Previous Studies

Bachelor of Science, Psychology , McGill University, QC.

Research Topic

Effects of tobacco user disorder and cocaine use disorder on the endocannabinoid system. 

What attracted you to this field? 

I was drawn to the field of addiction because of its widespread prevalence and profound impact on individuals, families, and society as a whole. The complexity of substance use disorders spanning psychological, and social factors makes the field both  compelling and clinically important. Studying addiction offers the opportunity to contribute to meaningful research that can inform prevention strategies and improve treatment outcomes.

What is your preferred technique to use?

PET imaging stands out to me because it allows researchers to observe the brain at a molecular level in living humans. Being able to study specific neurotransmitter systems and how they change with drug use or abstinence is incredibly compelling, and it makes PET an ideal tool for answering clinically meaningful questions in addiction research.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

I love to run, train at the gym and hang out with my friends.

Previous Studies

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Concordia University, Qc.

Research Topic

Examining the impact 28-days of cannabis abstinence has on ADHD symptomology.

What attracted you to this field? 

Ever since I was young, addiction terrified me: how one substance can hijack your life and take

control over you. Over time, this fear became a curiosity about its neurobiological roots. My goal

is to change how this widely stigmatized disorder is understood and treated.

What is your preferred technique to use?

My favorite technique is MRI/fMRI.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Thrifting, lifting weights, cafe hopping, playing with my dog (Theo).

Previous Studies

BSc Systems and Information Biology, Concordia University, QC.

MSc Molecular Biology, Université de Montreal, QC.

Role in the lab:
Research Coordinator

What attracted you to this field? 

I was drawn to this field because addiction and mental health are deeply shaped by brain and behavior. They are often misunderstood, leaving vulnerable individuals at a disadvantage. This motivates me to engage in research that uncovers solutions and supports more informed, compassionate care.

What is your preferred technique to use?

Imaging techniques: PET, MRI.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Running, yoga, watercolor, spending time with family and friends.

Previous Studies

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Concordia University, Qc.

Research Topic

A Preliminary Analysis on the trajectory of Anhedonia during a 28-day Cannabis Abstinence period.

What attracted you to this field? 

Neuroscience has always fascinated me!

What do you like doing in your free time?
In my free time, I enjoying working with the McGill Students' Cancer Society to fundraise for the Canadian Cancer Society every year!

Research Topic

Sex differences in cannabis use, withdrawal symptom profiles, vulnerability markers, and evidence-based strategies to improve support for individuals with substance use disorders. 

What attracted you to this field? 

Substance-Use Disorder is a very complex issue that affects not only individuals but also their families and communities. Therefore, learning about individual differences and vulnerability markers motivates me to explore research that can improve prevention and support strategies. 

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Drawing, singing, and traveling. 

Previous Studies

Masters of Science, IPN, McGill University, QC.

Bachelors of Science, Psychology, McGill University, QC.

Research Topic

My thesis is aimed at identifying sex differences in cannabis withdrawal symptoms during 28-days of cannabis abstinence.

What attracted you to this field? 

Addiction is an extremely complex and misunderstood phenomena that has debilitating impacts on a personal and societal level. I want to understand how addiction develops and persists so that I can help individuals suffering from addiction in the future.

What is your preferred technique to use?

My favourite technique is a clinical interview.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

I love to read, paint, and workout.

Previous Studies

Masters of Science, IPN, McGill University, QC.

Bachelors of Arts, Psychology, Mount Holyoke College, MA, USA.

Research Topic

To study the effects of cannabis use during adolescence and how it may influence development.

What attracted you to this field? 

I want to investigate how substance use can affect brain development in younger populations. I hope my research can make positive impact and be helpful to people who are at risk or suffering from substance misuse.

What is your preferred technique to use?

My favourite technique is EEG.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Reading, writing, gaming, and travelling.

Previous Studies

BSc Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, QC.

MSc Experimental Medicine, McGill University, QC.

Previous role in the lab

Research Coordinator

What attracted you to this field? 

I am very passionate about working in the mental health field with clinical populations.

What is your preferred technique to use?

I am interested in clinical interviewing 

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Reading and working on my small event decorating business!

Previous Studies

Masters of Science, IPN, McGill University, QC.

Bachelors of Science, Psychology, University of Waterloo, ON.

Research Topic

My thesis is aimed at understanding the effects of having a cannabis use disorder on a person's mental health and wellbeing. 

What attracted you to this field? 

I'm interested in learning about the impacts of addiction on a person's functioning and what can be done to help people cope with addiction. I'm also interested in understanding how different substances affect the brain and the body and I hope to help create treatments for substance use disorders.

What is your preferred technique to use?

My favourite technique to use is active listening - I like to interact with participants to understand how substance use impacts their day to day life.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Spending time with my dog, working out, and baking.

Previous Role in the Lab:

AIMH Lab Research Manager

What attracted you to this field? 

I am extremely interesting in addiction disorders because they extremely debilitating for the individual as well as their loved ones. As well, they are often tied to anxiety disorders or trauma, which fall under the umbrella of my clinical interests. Finally, I am fascinated by the neurobiology of the brain's reward pathway and the implication of the neuromodulator dopamine.

What is your preferred technique to use?

fMRI imaging is extremely interesting.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Listening to great music, dancing, HIIT training, reading in coffee shops, traveling to hispanic countries. 

Research Topic

Canabis use, memory and the brain (volunteering to assist).

What attracted you to this field? 

Its ties to the clinical population. Psychology is a wide topic with many areas of research, but my main interest lies in Psychopathology, working directly with a clinical population.

What is your preferred technique to use?

I'm very interested in learning how to interpret MRIs and perform data analysis through coding.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

Playing chess and piano.

Research Topic

Reviewing the association between tobacco and cannabis co-use and the cannabis withdrawal syndrome. 

What attracted you to this field? 

I have been interested in psychiatric research for a very long time and I am especially influenced by my older brother who also began his research career in an addiction lab and is now completing his last few years in residency to become a psychiatrist. 

What do you like doing in your free time? 

I enjoy going to the gym and on walks, hanging out with my friends and spending time with my family. 

Role

Translating research on substance use for social media and conducting phone screens.

What attracted you to this field? 

I am very interested in the interdisciplinary approach to Psychology, and having the ability to work in both clinical and research-based settings. My interests include addiction and personality disorders.

What is your preferred technique to use?

I'm interested in learning about clinical interviews.

What do you like doing in your free time? 

I enjoy cooking, travelling, and spending time with friends and family.