RESEARCH TEAM

Kalista Sedemedes

Research Coordinator

I have completed a B.A. in Honours Psychology, with a minor in Multidisciplinary Studies in Science, at Concordia University. During my undergraduate Honours Thesis, I assessed gaze behaviour (i.e., where individuals focus their attention on a screen) in a speech perception in noise task, across various conditions and modalities, in a sample of bilingual adults. I am now the coordinator of the lab, as well as a research assistant, where I am expanding on my research by assessing pupillometry as a measure of cognitive effort in the speech perception in noise study. In my free time, I enjoy traditional Greek dancing and singing in a traditional Greek band, taking care of my plants, and knitting. I speak three languages: English, French, and Greek.

Fereshteh Mehrabi

I completed my PhD in public health at Université de Montréal in 2022. My research has primarily focused on the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health outcomes, particularly among frail older adults. In my postdoctoral research, I analyze data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to investigate the modifying roles of social and biological risk factors on hearing loss and cognitive impairment among older adults. My expertise lies in advanced quantitative analysis of longitudinal and panel data, including latent growth curve models, random-intercept cross-lagged panel models, and latent class analysis. Outside the lab, I enjoy swimming, practicing yoga, and spending time in nature. I speak Persian, English, and French.

Alberto Osa García

My interest in language and the brain began during my medical studies (MD) at Universidad Complutense (Madrid, Spain). After completing an M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience of Language (Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain), I moved to Canada for my Ph.D. at Université de Montréal, where I researched the relationship between white matter bundles and recovery in post-stroke aphasia under the supervision of Karine Marcotte and Simona Brambati. During my postdoc in the CAP lab, I aim to study sex differences across sensory, cognitive, and brain data from the COMPASS-ND database. My personal interests include learning new languages, watching series and films in those languages, activities in a water medium (swimming, lake, or spa outings), painting, and board games. I speak Spanish, French, English, German, and Catalan, and trying to maintain the other ones I have learnt over time. 

Kristina Coulter

I completed my B.Sc. in Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience option) at Concordia University. During my undergraduate degree, I completed an Honours thesis in the Phillips’ lab, in which I examined speech error processing in bilinguals. I subsequently worked as a research assistant on various projects in the lab and then completed one year in the MA program before obtaining accelerated admission to the PhD program. For my PhD dissertation, I am studying the relationship between bilingualism and cognitive reserve in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. I am using structural and functional neuroimaging data from the Consortium for the Early Identification of Alzheimer’s Disease – Quebec (CIMA-Q) and data from the Comprehensive Assessment of Neurodegeneration and Dementia (COMPASS-ND) study of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) to examine the association between variables related to bilingual language experience and structural/functional brain changes in cognitively healthy older adults and older adults with, or at risk for, Alzheimer’s dementia. Outside of the lab I do horseback riding and love to go camping!

Sana Rehan

After I received my B.A. in Psychology and Sociology at Dalhousie University, I moved to Montréal to pursue graduate studies in Clinical Psychology at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr. Phillips. My research interests include cognitive aging and understanding at-risk factors for cognitive decline. For my Master's thesis, I explored the relationship between visual impairment and cortical atrophy in groups with cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's dementia, using data from the Canadian Consortium of Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). For my Ph.D. dissertation, I will investigate whether (and to what extent) psychosocial factors mediate the relationship between sensory loss and cognitive decline in older adults with (or at risk for) dementia. Outside of the lab, I enjoy being outdoors, photography, and reading.

Nicole Grant

I completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Victoria and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at Concordia University. Under the supervision of Dr. Phillips, I am currently completing my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Concordia University. My research uses functional MRI to investigate the relationships between hearing loss and brain connectivity in adults with and at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of the lab I enjoy running and spending time outside.

Nick Grunden

I am currently completing my PhD in the CAP lab with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Spanish from Colgate University (New York, USA) and a M.Sc. in Neuropsychology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Catalunya, Spain). My current research in the lab focuses on applying a network approach to study cognition as a multidomain system, and how that system is restructured within clinical risk states of dementia such as subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment. Outside the lab, I love a good bike ride, parking it in a café with a novel, and dancing while no one is watching. I speak English, Spanish, Catalan.

Tristin Best

I completed my BSc in Psychology with the Behavioural Neuroscience option at Concordia University, where I completed an Honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Philips. Following the completion of my undergraduate degree, I worked for a year as the research coordinator for Dr. Phillips and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) Team 17. I then pursued an MSc at McGill University in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience program under the supervision of Dr. Simon Ducharme and Dr. Mallar Chakravarty, where I examined the associations between alterations in brain structure and psychiatric symptom profiles in genetic variants of frontotemporal dementia. I returned to Concordia University in Fall 2022 to pursue graduate studies in Psychology (Research and Clinical Training Option) under the supervision of Dr. Phillips, where I will be examining the interplay between sensory changes, cognition, and brain structure in neurodegenerative disorders.

I speak English and French, and I’m in the process of learning Spanish. Outside the lab, you can find me riding my bike or taking long walks with my dog, Mitsou.

Cassandra Sorin

I completed my B.A. in Psychology at McGill University, with minors in Linguistics and Behavioural Science. In my past research, I employed various perspectives and methodologies to better understand the cognitive and social correlates of bilingualism. My first undergraduate thesis, under the supervision of Dr. Gigi Luk, explored the influence of bilingual experience and reading difficulties on the reading comprehension and speech production of adolescents. My second undergraduate thesis, supervised by Dr. Shari Baum, involved the use of ERPs to understand the electrophysiological correlates of phonetic perception of non-native [h] in French-English bilinguals. I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Psychology (Research and Clinical Training Option). For my Master’s research project, I intend to use both quantitative and qualitative measures of well-being to shed light on the social and emotional experiences of community-dwelling older adults with a range of cognitive abilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In my free time, I enjoy watching indie movies, thrift shopping, playing volleyball, and following women’s artistic gymnastics. I am fluent in English and French, and am learning Turkish.

Sofia Marinou

I completed my BSc in Psychology at the University of Ottawa, where I also completed an undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Vanessa Taler. For my thesis, I used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to explore the interplay between cognitive reserve and cognition in older adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD). I am now pursuing graduate studies in Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Natalie Phillips, where I will be investigating serial position effect patterns in older adults with SCD in the CLSA. Outside the lab, I enjoy reading books and going on walks. I can fluently speak Greek and English, and I am also learning French.  

Athena Verdone

I am in my final year of a BSc degree in Psychology with a Specialization in Behavioural Neuroscience. I will be working on my undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Phillips. My undergraduate thesis focuses on the role of bilingualism and cognitive reserve in delaying the symptom onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. More specifically, I am investigating whether bilingual individuals differ from monolinguals in the age of symptoms onset. I speak English, French and Greek. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, volunteering my time at the Montreal hospitals and taking walks with my dog, Rocky.

Teresa Möhringer

I am an undergraduate exchange student from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, where I study Psychology with a focus on Neuroscience. Currently, I am undertaking a research internship in Dr. Phillips’s lab, where I analyze data from the COMPASS-ND study on patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment. My research specifically explores how their performance on screening tests correlates with results from the neuropsychological test battery and specific neurobiological measures. Outside the lab, I enjoy outdoor sports, including running in the park and hiking or skiing in the mountains. I also love cooking and reading. I speak English, German and Spanish, and I am working on improving my French.