Dr. Raheleh Saryazdi is the director of the CHAT Lab. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Trent University Durham GTA and an Affiliate Scientist at KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network. She is also a member of the Trent Centre for Aging and Society, Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA-Team 17), and AGE-WELL (Canada's Aging and Technology Network). Dr. Saryazdi received her PhD in Psychology at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Craig Chambers, and she completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Jennifer Campos at KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute prior to starting her position at Trent University.

Katia Perry is a Master of Science student in Psychology at Trent University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology from Carleton University and is currently working under the supervision of Dr. Saryazdi. Her master’s thesis will examine intergenerational interactions between children and older adults.

Contact: katiaperry@trentu.ca

Cameron Hart is a Master of Science student in Psychology, specializing in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies. She previously earned a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology from Trent University, where she developed an interest in language and memory processes across the lifespan. Cameron is very passionate about working with the aging population and is looking forward to collaborating with Dr. Saryazdi and the rest of the team!

Contact: cahart@trentu.ca

Elora Singer is a Master of Science student in Psychology, with specialization in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies. She earned her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology from Trent University, with double specializations in Health and Well-Being and Cognitive Behavioural Neuroscience. Her Master’s research explores the relationship between sensory, cognition, and language abilities in older adults.

Contact: elorasinger@trentu.ca

Mark Mc Kenzie is a Master of Science student in Applied Modelling and Quantitative Methods (AMOD) at Trent University. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Computer Science and works as an IT Client Services Analyst at Trent. His research interests include Natural Language Processing (NLP) and its applications in understanding language and cognition. Mark is excited to contribute his skills in data science and technology to the CHAT Lab’s collaborative work and is eager to learn through his work with Dr. Saryazdi.

Contact: mamckenzie@trentu.ca

Colin Doyle is a third-year undergraduate psychology student specializing in research methods and data analysis, currently completing a research practicum in the CHAT lab. Upon completing his bachelor’s degree, he aspires to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. Through his work with Dr. Saryazdi, he hopes to gain valuable experience with virtual reality that will aid him in pioneering new therapies and diagnostic tools, as well as integrating virtual reality into his future clinical practice.

Zainub Mazri Asmy is an undergraduate student doing an Honours BSc in Psychology at Trent University, specializing in Health and Well-being. She aims to become a speech language pathologist and is eager to contribute to language and memory research in the CHAT Lab. 

Mehveen Hasan is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Arts Psychology program with a keen interest in human development and well-being across the lifespan. She aspires to work directly with disadvantaged communities and empower individuals to build hope and self-efficacy. Mehveen is excited to complete a research practicum with Dr. Saryazdi's CHAT Lab, where she will gain experience working with older adults and develop hands-on skills in data collection and collaborative research.

Aidhel Rose Jim is a first-year student at Trent University pursuing a joint major in Biology and Psychology. She is excited to contribute to the research initiatives at the CHAT Lab while gaining valuable experience in cognitive and behavioural research under the supervision of Dr. Raheleh Saryazdi.

Yugant Haresh Soni is a first-year Master’s student in the Applied Modeling and Data Analytics (AMOD) program. Yugant is currently a research assistant in the lab working on Natural Language Processing methods as well as programming experiments. He is excited to collaborate with Dr. Saryazdi and eager to gain invaluable experience working in the CHAT lab.

Logan Pomeroy is an undergraduate student in the Bachelors of Arts Honours in Psychology program with a specialization in Health and Well-Being. Logan's goal is to become a licensed psychotherapist. He is passionate about helping others and excited to contribute to research that will further our understanding of aging and dementia.

Luke Walker is volunteering as a research assistant in the CHAT Lab. Luke is completing his Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Psychology and is thrilled to be working in a lab environment with prestigious colleagues and collaborators. In his spare time, Luke can often be found hiking or scuba diving. 

McCaley Campbell is a research assistant contributing to the intergenerational interaction study at the CHAT Lab. She completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Psychology, specializing in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, at Trent University in the Greater Toronto Area. Currently taking a gap year, she is gaining valuable research experience with the goal of pursuing graduate studies in Clinical Psychology.

Rahfay Saberi is a second-year Bachelor of Science student in Software Engineering at Trent University. He is enthusiastic about applying modern deep learning techniques to support and advance the research objectives of the CHAT Lab.

Elma Mahbub is a fourth-year undergraduate Computer Science student volunteering as a research assistant in the CHAT Lab. Her academic interests include game design, VR and natural language processing. She is eager to contribute to ongoing research projects under the supervision of Dr. Saryazdi.

Mackenzie Campbell is a research assistant at the CHAT Lab. She recently graduated from the Honours BSc in Psychology program at the University of Ottawa where she worked on an undergraduate thesis on parent-child attachment. She is excited to join such a wonderful team of researchers!

Brooklyn Karkoulas is a third-year Life Sciences student at Queen's University. As a long-time volunteer working with older-adults, Brooklyn has developed a strong passion for helping individuals from this population lead healthy lives. She is excited to work alongside this wonderful team and contribute to valuable research through Trent University.