Hyo Min Lee is a PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. Hyo is poised to help people understand the work that takes place in the neuroscience laboratories today and why it is relevant to the society at large. This compelled him to launch the NeuroLingo initiative with his colleagues who are passionate about science communication and outreach. Hyo's doctoral research combines MRI and machine learning to study how epilepsy affects the brain structure and function in a search for biomarkers that are predictive of medication and surgical outcomes. (Twitter)

Hilary Sweatman is a PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. Hilary believes that science is for everyone and that we all play a role in making science accessible. She has had a longstanding interest in bringing scientific findings to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and is excited to be co-founding an initiative promoting graduate students to engage with curious individuals in the community. Hilary’s research uses imaging to understand how brain-cognition associations develop as individuals mature from childhood to adulthood.

Annika Traa is a PhD student in Neuroscience at McGill University and a member of the Van Raamsdonk lab at the McGill University Health Center. Her research focuses on the biology of aging and neurodegeneration. Specifically, she investigates the involvement of mitochondria in the aging process and in age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Since beginning her path to scientific research Annika has been involved in several science outreach projects and recognizes the importance in forging connections between communities and scientists. Annika is excited to join NeuroLingo in their initiative to disseminate exciting new findings to audiences of all backgrounds.

Simon Hua is a PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. If I were to ask you what your favorite food is, I am sure that most of you would be able to think of something yummy. But if I were to ask you to make it for me, I would be surprised if most of you would actually be able to do it. Science is kind of similar: while most of us appreciate the fruit of science, to fully understand how it is harvested, is truly a difficult task. Just like a good recipe, good science communication allows the audience to gain a whole new flavorsome perspective!

Maria Haddad is a MSc student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. Under the co-supervision of Dr. Stuart Trenholm and Dr. Daniel Guitton at the MNI, Maria uses eye-tracking to study the role of eye movements in the recognition of faces. As NeuroLingo's English Speaker Coordinator, Maria wants to help make science accessible to more people.

Nicholas Belliveau is Head of Marketing at Fintech Cadence, a non-profit in the financial technology sector. For the last 6 years, he has been involved in the Montreal startup community through his own tech startup and as an organizer of innovation competitions. An experienced public speaker, Nicholas often is sought out as a host for events, a judge or coach for pitch competitions and is the recipient of multiple prizes for his presentations. For the last 10 years, he has also operated his own photography company, nbphoto.ca.

Hiba Daghar is a PhD student in neuroscience at the University of Montreal in Dr. Alex Parker's lab. Her works concerns the characterization of rare congenital neurodevelopmental diseases in different animal models. Beyond her studies, Hiba is also interested in the popularization of science and mental health issues. Travelling is her favorite hobby.

Lovatiana Andriamboavonjy is a PhD student in Neuroscience at University of Montreal. She got her MD in 2019, at University of Antananarivo in Madagascar, her home country. Now, she is doing research and working in the neurogenetic Martine Tétreault's lab with a focus on transcriptomic and epigenetic. Her research project aims to find omics signature in Parkinson's Disease and other atypical parkinsonisms. Her dream is to return home, and develop neuroscience research there, especially in the field of neurogenetic of neurodegenerative diseases.

Jimmy Hernandez is a MSc student in neuroscience at the University of Montreal. He takes great pleasure in demystifying and explaining neuroscience concepts to his friends and colleagues, and this lead him to join NeuroLingo’s team in their mission to remove barriers between the scientific community and the general public. His research focuses on finding markers in how different parts of the brain communicate with one another in people diagnosed with a specific sleep disorder that could identify the ones that are at high risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease.

Professor David Ragsdale’s work focuses on improving the teaching and learning of neuroscience at McGill. Professor Ragsdale teaches many courses for undergraduate, graduate and medical students on topics ranging from cell and molecular neuroscience to neuroanatomy and neurophilosophy. As a member of the Faculty of Medicine Faculty Development Team and through collaborations with McGill Teaching and Learning Services he conducts workshops and other activities for McGill faculty on best practices in teaching, student assessment and graduate student supervision. Professor Ragsdale is the former Associate Director of the Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill’s cross-disciplinary neuroscience graduate program, a member of the McGill Institute for Health Science Research, and the Interim University Research Integrity Officer. Professor Ragsdale has won teaching awards including the Faculty of Medicine Faculty Honour List for Teaching Excellence, the Canadian Association for Medical Education Certificate of Merit and the McGill Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

Professor Edward Ruthazer is a full professor in the Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery at McGill University. He graduated from Princeton University in 1988 and received his PhD in Neuroscience from UCSF in 1996. After carrying out postdoctoral research on visual system development at Osaka University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, he established an independent research lab at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) in 2005. Dr. Ruthazer is currently the Associate Director of the McGill Integrated Program in Neuroscience graduate program and Leader of the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Group at the Neuro. Ruthazer has held a tier II Canada Research Chair (2005–2015) and a FRQS chaire de recherche (2015–2019). He was the inaugural recipient of the Young Investigator Award from the Canadian Association for Neuroscience in 2011. His research applies in vivo multiphoton imaging and electrophysiology approaches to understanding the mechanisms by which sensory experience modifies developing neuronal circuits.

Hannah Jin was a MSc student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. In Dr. Sylvain Baillet's lab, Hannah studied chronic low back pain by measuring the brain's electrical activity using a noninvasive imaging method called MEG. With the advanced technology, her project aimed to uncover how the brain modulates the perception of pain. Hannah was excited to be co-organizing NeuroLingo with a team of motivated and fun members. She is firmly convinced that this new initiative will bring together the scientific community and the society.

Alice Morgunova is a PhD student in Neuroscience at McGill University. Alice's research takes place at the Douglas Mental Health Institute under the supervision of Dr. Cecilia Flores. Her studies integrate molecular, behavioral and bioinformatic methods to elucidate biological mechanisms that differentiate individuals susceptible to mental disorders. Her current experiments focus on small RNA sequences that regulate gene expression and alter normal functioning of the frontal region of the brain associated with major depressive disorder. Alice strongly believes that effective communication is an integral part of science and co-founded the NeuroLingo initiative to address the lack of emphasis on science outreach in the academic culture. (Twitter)

Yuting Zhang is a PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. Her research uses human neurons derived from skin cells to study how neuronal communication is affected in Parkinson’s disease. Yuting is passionate about dissemination of complex scientific information in a manner that is relevant and graspable by the general public, and used to promote community outreach as Communications Officer of NeuroLingo!