Zehra Sasal, MSc

Zehra is completing her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Jeffery Jones and Dr. Nichole Scheerer. Zehra is passionate about understanding autism, making her an asset to the Cognisant Lab. Zehra loves reading, animals and caffeine. She spends her free time buying more books she won’t have time to read.

Research interests: social communication, role of eye gaze in social communication, repetitive (stimming) behaviours and self and gender identity in individuals with autism.

Kiera Leon, BA

Kiera is a M.Sc. student in Dr. Nichole Scheerer’s lab at Laurier in Cognitive Neuroscience, specializing in the sensory experiences of autistic individuals. Kiera has worked with autistic individuals as a Behaviour Therapist since 2020, and she finds the most joy in seeing individuals reach their goals and succeed in all they are capable of. Kiera’s future goals include pursuing a PhD centered around developing a new therapeutic method for autism spectrum disorder.

Research interests: autism spectrum disorder, sensory sensitivity, differential sensory experiences, mental illness, trauma informed practice, behavioural therapy, childcare, equality and integration for people with disabilities, and cognition.

Silas Manning, BAS

Silas will be starting his master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience with Dr. Nichole Scheerer in September 2023.

A graduate of the University of Guelph's Arts and Sciences program, he focused his degree on Psychology and Neuroscience, working with both mice and humans to study learning, memory, and the impact of social context. As a member of a large family and a former summer camp counselor, he has held a lifelong interest in the diverse and often unique ways that adults and children develop and experience life. When he isn't working on science, his free time is spent scratching his art itch. In the future, he hopes to continue his research and education and direct his skills and talent towards improving the lives of others.

Maryam Derayatifar, HBSc

I am a second-year Master's student in Developmental Psychology at Laurier, currently researching the impact of sensory environments on learning using Virtual Reality (VR). I am fascinated by how technological tools like VR, Augmented Reality (AR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can shape the human psyche and mental health, and I’m eager to explore how these innovations can enhance mental well-being and learning experiences. I am also interested in exploring how acculturation affects cognition and self-perception among young adults—an area I hope to research in the future, inspired by my own journey as an immigrant in my teenage years. Outside of my academic pursuits, you can find me traveling and diving into books that make me question the meaning of existence. (Yes, I might be a bit of a masochist for enjoying those existential crises, but hey, someone has to do it!)

Research Interests: My research interests focus on the use of AI, VR, and AR in mental health practices and learning, as well as the impact of acculturation on cognition and self-identity.

Rita Bishai, BSc

Rita is completing her M.Sc under the supervision of Dr. Nichole Scheerer on the effects of attention on speech motor control. She recently completed her undergraduate degree at Laurier in Psychology and Neuroscience and hopes to continue conducting research in the future. Rita loves reading, being by the water, and spending time with her dogs.

Research Interests: Speech motor control, sensorimotor learning, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), speech perception and production, visual and auditory attention, and electroencephalography (EEG)

Hannah Stolee, HBSc

Hannah is a first-year MSc student in Dr. Nichole Scheerer’s Cognitive Neuroscience lab. She is currently investigating the factors associated with burnout in autistic and non-autistic university students. In the future, she hopes to continue researching autistic lived experiences of stress, resilience, and coping.

Research Interests: autistic burnout, experiences of autistic university students, stress & resilience, qualitative research

Troy Boucher, MA

Troy is the Senior Research Assistant in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab at Simon Fraser University. He is also a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Grace Iarocci. Troy's research interests include special interests and social development, health and wellness in people with neurodevelopmental disabilities, autistic experiences and inclusion, decolonizing research and clinical practice, and social attention and perceptual learning. Troy's thesis research is being conducted in collaboration with the Cognisant Lab. His MA thesis, Investigating the Manifestation and Subjective Experience of Restricted Interests in Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, investigated the factors that motivate and sustain a child's engagement with very intense interests in autistic and non-autistic youth.

Alyssa Janes, BSc

Alyssa is completing a MCISc/PhD in Speech-Language Pathology and Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Western Ontario in collaboration with Dr. Nichole Scheerer at the Cognisant Lab. She previously completed her HBSc in Life Sciences with a minor in Linguistics at McMaster University and MSc in Health and Rehabilitation Science (Speech and Language Science) at Western. For her doctoral thesis, Alyssa is using EEG to explore the relationship between neurological response to sound and language proficiency in children aged 1-5 years.

Jessica Holmes, BSc

Jessica is completing a MCISc/PhD in Speech-Language Pathology and Health & Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Western Ontario under the co-supervision of Drs. Janis Oram Cardy and David Purcell, and in collaboration with Cognisant Lab. She completed her HBSc in Chemistry with a Minor in Linguistics at the University of Ottawa. For her doctoral thesis, Jessica is studying the relationship between auditory feedback and the development of speech motor control in children.