People

Norman Farb, PhD

Norm received his B.A. from the University of Waterloo, his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, and postdoctoral training at the Rotman Research Institute. His research focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of human identity and emotion, with a focus on how cognitive biases shape emotional reactions that determine well-being. Hobbies include yoga, frisbee, sci-fi novels, and reality TV shows about cooking. 

Thomas Anderson

Thomas completed his BA in psychology with computer science minor at the University of Waterloo and his MA in psychology at the University of Toronto. Thomas Anderson is currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto and is the Research Director and Co-founder of the Psychedelic Studies Research Program (PSRP). While completing his PhD in cognitive neuroscience, he co-founded the PSRP after publishing one of the first studies on psychedelic microdosing: the practice of consuming sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic compounds such as LSD and psilocybin. Thomas has published scholarly articles on attention, meditation, psychedelics, and neuroimaging, and has been interviewed for a number of media pieces on his research. He has a strong commitment to open science and sharing findings openly. His PhD focuses on understanding meta-awareness: the experience of consciously noticing that our behaviours are not aligned with our intentions, goals, and values. Thomas enjoys dark chocolate, classic literature, and, in general, decadence.

email: metathomas.anderson@mail.utoronto.ca

John Eusebio

John received his BA in Psychology with a specialization in Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience from Western University and his MA in Psychology from The University of Toronto. He is currently completing his PhD in Psychology. His main areas of focus are in the field of sustained attention and mind wandering – particularly the neurocognitive mechanisms behind what causes our thoughts to drift away from the task at hand. John also has experience in mediation research and how it effects sustained attention. His hobbies include strength training, programming, playing with his adorable dog (Kobe, see pictured), annoying people with overly-detailed movie/TV show analyses, and watching hours of cooking videos but not cooking (who’s got the time?). 

Delaram Farzanfar

Dela received her BA in Architecture from Toronto Metropolitan University, and her B.S in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto. She received her MA in Clinical Psychology from York University and gained experience working as a psychotherapist. She is a currently a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on understanding neural activity during creative states and subjective experiences of the self. She is interested in implications of reflective experiences for improved well-being. Dela enjoys making music, doing yoga and spending time in nature. 

Yiyi Wang

Yiyi received her B.A. from University of California, Irvine and completed her M.S. degree from University of Southern California. Yiyi is currently a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on mindfulness and its impact on people’s physical and mental well-being, particularly on how technology-based mindfulness practice can change individuals’ psychological flexibility, emotion regulation, value seeking, and motivation. Her hobbies include online gaming, photographing, criminal movies/TV shows, spending time with her chinchillas, and everything that is fun and creative.

Zoey Zuo

Zoey received her B.S. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and worked as a research coordinator at Johns Hopkins University. Zoey is currently an MA/PhD student in the Psychological Clinical Science program housed at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Her research interests include using machine learning tools to characterize brain activities during different states of attention and understanding how contemplative practices promote well-being. Her hobbies include growing plants and fungi, consuming narratives in any form, and looking at ceramics, paintings, and illustrations. 

Geissy Araújo 

Geissy received her MSc in Neuroscience from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte- Brazil, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Her research focuses on sustained attention, interoception and stress response after a brief mindfulness-based intervention. Geissy is interested in understanding the adaptation of the neuroendocrine system after meditation practice by measuring hormone levels and recording electrical and hemodynamic changes in the brain. Her hobbies include meditation, exercising, traveling and trying new things. 

Philip Desormeau

Phil received his B.A. from Concordia University, and is currently completing his M.A. degree in the Psychological Clinical Science program housed at the University of Toronto Scarborough. His research interests revolve around the cognitive-affective and neurobiological mechanisms underlying problem-focused coping and affect regulation in both healthy and psychiatric populations. His hobbies include meditation, fitness training, redditing, and sticking it to the man. 

Jordan Livingston

Jordan received her PhD with Prof. Elliot Berkman a the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on the social neuroscience of the self and personal identity.

Kyle Logie-Hagen

​Kyle started a PhD in Psychology at the University of Toronto this fall and is working under the supervision of Dr. Norman Farb. Kyle has experience in meditation techniques and is interested in studying interoception as it relates to contemplative practices as well as mental and physical health for his doctoral studies.  He recently completed a MSc in Neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal where he studied the emotional processing of auditory stimuli, such as music and human vocalizations, using Magnetoecephalogaphy. Kyle completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario where he was involved with mindfulness meditation research. 

Katie Walsh

Katie received her BA with honours at York University and is currently an MA/PhD student in the Psychological Clinical Science program at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include the biological basis of depression and anxiety in relation to functional connectivity of brain networks. She is interested in understanding how differences in functional connectivity may be related to these disorders and how interventions, such as mindfulness based cognitive therapy, can produce positive change by targeting these differences in functional connectivity. Her hobbies include online gaming, Netflix, spending time with her dog, any kind of sport, and trying everything crafty.

Le-Anh Dinh-Williams

Lê-Anh received her BSc from McGill University, MSc from University of Montreal and is currently a MA/PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toronto (Scarborough). Her research focuses on reward processes in the brain and how interventions designed to promote well-being alter this circuitry using fMRI. She is interested in understanting how to promote hedonic and eudaimonic affect in individuals vulnerable to chronically low mood.  Her hobbies include travelling, yoga, dancing, pumping iron, scandinavian movies/books/politics, jewelry making, and mastering the art of soup.