BMI and BrainsCAN Staff Team

Hassam is responsible for supporting the development, implementation and maintenance of the primary BrainsCAN website and other key strategic sites. Hassam was previously working at Communications and Public Affairs at Western as part of Western's 2017 Web Redesign Team and has also served as Marketing Director for the Nazem Kadri Foundation. He brings key skills and experience in graphic design, web design and web development to the role.

Nicolette is a member of the Human Behavioural Core Facility supporting the work of BrainsCAN researchers, trainees, and students. She is responsible for the fNIRS, EEG, and Sleep labs, including the procurement of recording equipment, scheduling of studies, and ensuring the smooth operation and maintenance of the laboratory facility and equipment. 

On leave
WIRB 3172
nnoonan@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 85779

• Determine objectives, expected outcomes and performance metrics for the Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core
• Engage BrainsCAN aligned researchers by implementing a mechanism to allow access to research infrastructure related to Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core within the BMI in the WIRB
• Oversee the funds committed to the Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core by BrainsCAN
• Provide on an annual basis progress reports on strategic priorities and objectives to the BrainsCAN Executive Committee.

Jon leads the development and implementation of the BrainsCAN Knowledge Mobilization and Impact Strategy to profile and promote BrainsCAN research to partners and end users. Jon joined us from WORLDiscoveries where he was a Business Development Manager working in Engineering and Natural Sciences (ENS) & Social Innovation. Jon brings a wealth of experience to this role having managed a portfolio of direct-to-market technologies and engineering/computer software related technologies.

WIRB 6168
jdeeks@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 88596

Michelle coordinates the Intracranial Electroencephalography (iEEG) research program in collaboration with clinicians in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Michelle is available to speak with researchers interested in developing cognitive tasks in the clinical setting. Working together with those in the Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core, Michelle can answer questions about ethics, equipment available, and other potential considerations in this paradigm or in this specific patient group.

WIRB 3168
meverest@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 89325

Bea assists in the development of study procedures, particularly the preparation of child participants for neuroimaging experiments, preparation of research ethics applications, data management, the teaching of standardized testing procedures, administration of laboratory finances and proofreading of manuscripts and grant applications.

WIRB 5184
bgoffin@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 81442

Laura is BrainsCAN’s Community Research Coordinator. She manages OurBrainsCAN, Western University's Cognitive Neuroscience Research Registry to facilitate recruitment of research participants living in the community. She builds relationships and facilitates collaborations with community partners, and is available to advise researchers in preparing ethics submissions and promoting community events.

WIRB 3170
laura.gonzalez@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 88297

Jessica chairs BrainsCAN Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core meetings to

• Determine objectives, expected outcomes and performance metrics for the Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core
• Engage BrainsCAN aligned researchers by implementing a mechanism to allow access to research infrastructure related to Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core within the BMI in the WIRB
• Oversee the funds committed to the Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core by BrainsCAN

On leave
WIRB 5118
jgrahn@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 84804

Jasmin is responsible for the development, implementation, monitoring and assessment of BrainsCAN's communications and marketing strategies. She has a background in health research communications and brings her strong writing and social media skills to the role. Most recently, she worked at Western's School of Biomedical Engineering. Jasmin started at BrainsCAN in June 2020.

WIRB 6160
jgow5@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 82615

Fay project managed the initial BrainsCAN CFREF submission. Fay provides leadership to the operational teams and, as a member of the Executive Committee and Collaboration Committee with McGill, ensures that the project objectives are being met. Fay is an experienced research manager having previously worked at the Open University in England as the Senior Manager Research Strategy & Planning where, among other strategic projects, she ran the institutional REF 2014 submission.

Dendra is the Administrative Officer for BrainsCAN. Dendra ensures the efficient coordination of administrative operations for BrainsCAN, provides guidance and support for a wide range of administrative, human resources, and financial functions and processes, and also provides project support. Dendra has a background and love for neuroscience. She received a Master's of Science (2017) from the University of Guelph, with a focus in the molecular nature of neurodevelopment. Dendra has since worked for the University of Toronto and Western University as a Laboratory Technician, performing research on stroke repair, placental development, and the neurological consequences of immune challenge during pregnancy. Dendra has worked with Western since 2018, and started with BrainsCAN in 2020.

WIRB 6186
dhillie4@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 84394

Ingrid chairs the BMI Steering Committee meetings, oversees the day-to-day operations of the Institute, manages the operating budget of the BMI, leads and/or supports grant applications, and represents BMI nationally and internationally.

Nicole provides consultation and support toward the assessment, planning, and implementation of the BrainsCAN Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy across programs. Nicole joined us from Research Western where she was a research development officer since 2015 managing the Canada Research Chairs program, NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE), CIHR Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP), and SSHRC Partnership Development Grants (PDG) portfolios. She has a MSc Kinesiology (Sports Medicine), a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Measurement and Methods), and is currently a MA candidate in the Women’s Studies and Feminist Research department at Western.

Florence is the Administrative Officer for the Brain and Mind Institute and is responsible for the business operations and administrative management of both the BMI and BrainsCAN Human Cognition and Sensorimotor Core, including co-ordination of human resources, finance and general management. Florence started her administrative career at the University of British Columbia. In 2004, she joined Western University, working at both Ivey Business School and Research Development and Services. Florence started at the Brain and Mind Institute in 2015.

Ysi works closely with clinical personnel at London Health Sciences Centre/ St. Joseph’s Health Care and Western faculty and trainees to facilitate the recruitment of patient participants and support the administration and management of clinical research projects. She collaborates with nonmedical trainees to set up observerships, and with medical trainees to identify appropriate research projects that involve medical and nonmedical research staff.

Maggie manages the development, implementation, monitoring and assessment of Western's BrainsCAN communications and marketing initiatives. Maggie has an educational background in communications and public relations with eight years of experience in the non-profit, agency and government sectors. Her specialization includes strategic communications, media relations, social media strategy and marketing.

On leave
WIRB 6160
mmaclell@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 82615

Dawn is the Administrative Coordinator/Personal Assistant to Adrian Owen.

Derek is the first point of contact for accessing shared resources based in the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB) and works in collaboration to provide technical development and research facility management.

WIRB 3178
derek.quinlan@uwo.ca
519-661-2111,
ext. 87988

Chantal is a member of the Human Behavioural Core Facility supporting the work of BrainsCAN researchers, trainees, and students. She is responsible for the fNIRS, EEG, and Sleep labs, including the procurement of recording equipment, scheduling of studies, and ensuring the smooth operation and maintenance of the laboratory facility and equipment.

Ryan is BrainsCAN’s Project Manager and Metrics Analyst. He facilitates and coordinates multiple BrainsCAN initiatives, as well as works with BrainsCAN PIs to track the performance and impact of their cognitive neuroscience research and BrainsCAN as an initiative. Ryan has a background in neuroscience having a completed a Master’s (2008) and Ph.D. (2014) from University of Toronto, where he examined immune modulatory therapies for pediatric stroke, and cell-based strategies for neural regeneration following spinal cord injury, respectively. Ryan has been with Western since 2015, having previously been a member of the Research Development team.

Denise has been the Brain and Mind Institute's first point of contact since 2011; a key resource in directing researchers and guests to the appropriate support and/or team members. Her diverse academic portfolio and office experiences have provided a solid foundation for Denise to deliver administrative support for the day-to-day operations of a research institute and offer some financial assistance to members.

Kevin offers expertise to develop, test, analyze, and maintain software tools for collection and analysis of fNIRS neuroimaging data obtained in human participants for the fNIRS community.  Kevin supports fNIRS analytic pipelines, and the interface with fMRI, TMS and/or EEG data. These data collection approaches may need to be interfaced with other existing equipment such as eye movement recording, virtual reality displays or touchscreens.  

Suzanne facilitates researchers' functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research and assists problem-solving and taking care of analyses.

Haitao manages the design, deployment and support of Western central technology infrastructure involving servers, storage and associated enterprise applications.