Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health Trainee Awards! These awards recognize excellence in academics and research activities of our trainees. Special thanks to our donors and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience for their generous support.
Neuroscience Graduate Student Rising Star Award:
Sanarya Aljaf (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman, Sanarya’s research is focused on astrocytic mGluR5 dysfunction that contributes to impaired neurovascular coupling, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. This research aims to determine how disrupted astrocyte mediated regulation of cerebral blood flow influences neuronal function and contributes to AD progression.
Mohamed Darwish (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman, Mohamed’s research is focused on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pharmacology, with an emphasis on the therapeutic potential of GLP-1 receptor agonist in mouse models of AD. Specifically, Mohamed is examining how GLP-1 receptor activation in astrocytes drives changes in males and females. He is connecting these findings to their impact on neurovascular coupling, cognitive function, and amyloid beta pathology to better understand disease progression and to support development of therapeutic strategies.
Jenniluyn Nguyen (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Mahmoud Pouladi, Jenniluyn’s research is focused on how variation in the polyglutamine tract of MED15, a gene modifier, influences Huntington disease pathogenesis. Jenniluyn hypothesizes that increasing the length of the MED15 polyglutamine tract will mitigate Huntington disease associated phenotypes, whereas shortening the tract will worsen disease pathology.
Matthew Cooke (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Jason Snyder, Matthew’s research is focused on the hippocampus, a structure in the brain fundamental to memory and guiding complex behaviours, and its function in flexible decision-making, particularly when integrating information from recent experiences to navigate uncertain environments.
Lauren Blume (MSc Student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Carol Chen, Lauren’s research is focused on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) originating in the embryonic brain, which can be caused by mutations in histones, the protein that DNA is wrapped around to make chromatin. Specifically, Lauren is focused on studying Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome, a NDD known to be caused by gene mutations. These mutations in the genes H3-3A and H3-3B have yet to be studied.
Jane Da Young Kong (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Haakon Nygaard, Jane’s research is focused on identifying resilient genes of Alzheimer’s disease through analysis of single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic data of post-mortem human pre-frontal cortical brain samples to assist in the advancements of research to treat and cure Alzheimer’s disease.
Jacqueline Palik (MSc Student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Erik Pioro, Jacqueline’s research is focused on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare neurodegenerative disease. By investigating MRI-histology correlations in post-mortem ALS tissue, we can better understand the cellular and molecular changes underlying imaging abnormalities and disease progression.
Hanna Elford (MSc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Brian Christie, Hanna’s research is focused on mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which is a major risk factor for persistent cognitive dysfunction and later-life neurodegenerative disease. Impaired synaptic function in the brain may underlie neurological deficits, and astrocytes, which are glial cells that support neurons, play a critical role in these processes. Hanna’s focus is to determine whether repeated mTBI disrupts astrocyte function and impairs astrocyte-mediated regulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
Ciara Ritchie (MSc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Thiviya Selvanathan, Ciara’s research is focused on investigating associations between the thalamus, white matter hyperintensities and cognition in adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease. Ciara is also investigating the progression of white matter hyperintensities from the neonatal period to adolescence.
Diba Davoodi (MSc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Robin Hsiung, Diba’s research is focused on distinguishing between diseases with overlapping pathology presentations: Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment, and Lewy body dementias through identifying structural MRI disease-specific patterns of grey matter atrophy that differ for each disease.
Corbin Glufka (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Kurt Haas, Corbin’s research is focused on genetic alterations called PTEN mutations that contribute to a wide spectrum of disorders. PTEN-associated disorders have varying treatment effectiveness due to their unique genetic backgrounds. Corbin’s research is primarily focused on the functional impacts of PTEN variants identified in people with cancer, autism spectrum disorder, and PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome on signaling pathways.
Eliana Seburn (MSc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Brett Hilton, Eliana’s research is focused on how a specific neuron called dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron uses genetic reprogramming to regenerate after peripheral nerve injury by identifying a specific protein (Atad2) as a potential mediator of the reprogramming. Atad2 is also being investigated on its function in axon regeneration in the injured spinal cord.
Vicky (Yi) Gu (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Vicky’s research is focused on how mild cognitive impairment, the transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, affects quality of life due to declining functional independence. By identifying modifiable lifestyle interventions such as aerobic and resistance training and studying their effects on resting-state functional connectivity (a promising biomarker in Alzheimer’s pathology), cognitive decline may slow or be prevented.
Neilan Tan (MSc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Jason Snyder, Neilan’s research is focused on early-life neurobiological implications of infantile amnesia and anxiety disorders, and how these experiences shape brain function and behaviour across the lifespan. Neilan’s long-term goal is to uncover the neural and molecular mechanisms through which early-life adversities influence vulnerability to anxiety disorders.
Emma Breyak (MSc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Shernaz Bamji, Emma’s research is focused on DiGeorge syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by the deletion of the 22q11.2 locus of chromosome 22. ZDHHC8 is a deleted gene that is strongly linked to the neurological symptoms of DiGeorge syndrome and Emma’s research is primarily focused on understanding the functions of this gene and the mechanisms through which they work to offer insight into the cause and potential treatments for the neurological symptoms of DiGeorge syndrome.
Peiying Wen (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Jason Snyder, Peiying’s research is focused on the neural mechanisms of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) induced amnesia. Studies suggest that hippocampus-dependent memories are more vulnerable with ECT and can lead to memory impairments, and Peiying is primarily focused on studying retrograde amnesia of mice undergoing electroconvulsive treatment.
Samir Damji (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Naznin Virji-Babul, Samir’s research is focused on studying how the brain’s capacity to reorganize supports flexible thought and how to develop naturalistic brain-behaviour mapping paradigms to interrogate the link between neural and cognitive flexibility. Samir’s work offers an unexplored framework for understanding adaptive brain function and that cognitive flexibility is a critical capacity needed for human-centered AI application.
George Wayne King Sr. and Beverley King-Dorsey Scholarship in Neuroscience Award:
Rachael Smith (PhD student)
Under the supervision of Drs. Robin Hsiung and Cheryl Wellington, Rachael’s research is focused on identifying plasma biomarkers for autopsy-confirmed neuropathologies, including lesser-known neurological diseases to help physicians accurately diagnose individuals, specifically frontotemporal dementia, a type of dementia that is selective for frontal and temporal lobar degeneration.
Leslie Ann Wyman Brain Tumour Research Award:
Jieun Kim (Postdoc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Carol Chen, Jieun’s research is focused on investigating chromatin dysregulation in the progression of glioblastoma, the most aggressive primary brain tumour in adults. Specifically, Jieun is studying the loss of KMT2D, an enhancer-associated histone methyltransferase, in tumour cell plasticity and tumour-brain interactions to promote glioblastoma progression.
Jock & Irene Graham Brain Research Award:
Emily Ye (MSc student)
Under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman, Emily’s research is focused on understanding how changes in brain receptor signaling contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and how these changes differ between females and males to develop more personalized treatments that improve the lives of people living with Alzheimer’s disease.
