Dr. Jeffery Jones
Wilfrid Laurier University
Dr. Jeffery Jones is a cognitive neuroscientist and Professor of Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he leads the Cognitive Neuroscience of Communications Lab. He also currently serves as the Graduate Area Coordinator for the Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience Program. His research is centred on understanding the perceptual, cognitive and motor brain mechanisms involved in communication. Dr. Jones and his students conduct studies on speech communication, singing, musicianship, with a focus on both healthy individuals and those with communication disorders such as stuttering and autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, Dr. Jones studies cognitive impairments that can be caused by drugs and alcohol. He employs a range of techniques, including behavioural measures, EEG, fNIRS, and fMRI to investigate these areas.
Dr. Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens
University of Waterloo
Broadly, Dr. Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens is interested in how the brain controls movement and how this process fails with disease. Her research combines movement kinematics, functional neuroimaging, psychophysiology and cognitive neuroscience to uncover the neural basis of gait and cognitive-emotional interactions in health and disease. In particular, she aims to (i) investigate the complex interactions between cognition, emotion, gait and balance; (ii) leverage the complexity of gait control to expose subclinical predictors of aging and neurodegeneration for translation to clinical practice, and (iii) combine gait with innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and mobile recording devices, to catalyze early diagnosis, prevent gait disturbances and falls, and preserve mobility throughout the lifespan. This information can lead to improved strategies to better assess and manage gait disturbances and falls in older adults and individuals at risk and/or suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Janet McLaughlin
Wilfrid Laurier University
Dr. Janet McLaughlin is an Associate Professor of Health Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, and is an interdisciplinary, community-engaged scholar trained in medical anthropology and human rights. Dr. McLaughlin’s autism-related research investigates barriers to accessing autism-related services, education experiences, and caregiver stress, employment and well-being. Alongside Dr. Margaret Schneider, she is co-founder and co-director of the Laurier Autism Research Consortium (LARC). She has previously served on the Ontario Government's Autism Advisory Panel.
Dr. Margaret Schneider
Wilfrid Laurier University
Dr. Margaret Schneider is an Associate Professor in the Kinesiology and Physical Education department at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her academic interests cover the areas of disability, chronic illness, caregiving, therapeutic recreation, adapted activity, and qualitative research. Through the use of qualitative research methods, she attempts to understand the experiences of having a disability and/or chronic illness from the perspective of the individual, their family and their support network. She is also keenly interested in studying the health and well-being of these individuals, and the ways in which these areas of their lives may be improved through effective programming. Alongside Dr. Janet McLaughlin, she is co-founder and co-director of the Laurier Autism Research Consortium (LARC).
Dr. Grace Iarocci
Simon Fraser University
Dr. Grace Iarocci is the Director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab (ADDL) and Professor at Simon Fraser University. She was also a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar and a faculty mentor of the Autism Research Training Program (ART). Dr. Iarocci is past president of the Board of Directors of Autism Community Training and works closely with government and community agencies in BC to disseminate research information on ASD and influence policy on ASD and other developmental disabilities. Dr. Iarocci and the ADDL maintain committed to connecting and serving our neurodivergent community through research, community events, free parenting workshops, and exciting community collaborations. In her spare time, Dr. Iarocci enjoys spending time with her family and attending to the development of her own children.
Dr. Henny Yeung
Simon Fraser University
Dr. Henny Yeung is director of the Language Learning and Development Lab (the LangDev Lab) and Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Yeung’s research asks how language learning affects sensory perception, articulatory-motor abilities, and human cognition, both in infants and young children acquiring their native language(s), as well as in adults learning a new language. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on the development of speech perception and production from infancy to adulthood, and he has also investigated first and second language acquisition as a research scientist at the Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, part of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Université Paris Descartes.
Dr. David Purcell
University of Western Ontario
Dr. David Purcell is a Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Purcell is director of the Speech, Auditory Feedback & Evoked Responses (SAFER) Lab. He is interested in developing objective measures of how the brain processes speech sounds. Dr. Purcell’s recent work has explored the brain’s response to speech sounds using the envelope following response (EFR) elicited by individual vowel formants. He is working towards using these responses in validating newly fit hearing aids in very young listeners..