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 first-year M.Sc. 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. 

Cameron Hart is an honours thesis student in the CHAT lab. Cameron is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology at Trent. She is excited to work with Dr. Saryazdi and to gain invaluable experience working in the lab.

Sabina Kapoor is a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Psychology student specializing in research methods and data analysis, as well as health and well-being. Currently, she is thrilled to contribute to a intergenerational project between students and older adults under the supervision of Dr. Raheleh Saryazdi. Outside of research, Sabina is passionate about sports, student advocacy and leadership. She is also excited to be part of this dynamic team and looks forward to making meaningful contributions to the field.

Danielle Garland is a research practicum student in the CHAT lab. She is a mature student currently completing her Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology at Trent University. She is a certified Personal Support Worker with extensive experience working with older adults. During her time here at Trent, Danielle has gained a passion for human development to which she credits Professor Jesiqua Rapley. As a mother, Danielle has been inspired by Dr. Saryazdi’s accomplishments in the field and is enthusiastically looking forward to learning from Dr. Saryazdi. Outside of Trent, Danielle enjoys sailing, hiking, and painting!  

Luke Walker is a research practicum student under the supervision of Dr. Saryazdi. 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. 

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

Elora Singer is an honours thesis student working towards a BScH in Psychology, with a double specialization in health and well-being and cognitive behavioural neuroscience. She is currently a research assistant under Dr. Saryazdi, where she is gaining valuable experience while pursuing her passion for studying aging brain health and dementia in women.

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.

Colin Doyle is a third-year undergraduate psychology student specializing in research methods and data analysis, currently volunteering as a research assistant 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.