Program

Vote for the best poster award:

Link to survey for Poster session 1: to be provided 

Link to survey for Poster session 2: to be provided

In each poster session you should choose the best 3 posters. 

Thursday Feb 5th, 2026

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Registration desk open (Hotel check-in)

1:00-1:15 pm: Opening remarks

1:15 pm - 2:15 pm: Coraline Rinn Iordan - introduced by Michelle Greene

2:15-3:45 pm: Coffee break and posters I

3:45-4:45 pm: Erin A. Maloney - introduced by Evan Risko

4:45-5:15 pm: Break 

5:15-6:15 pm: Chris Fiacconi - introduced by Skylar Laursen

6:15-8:15 pm: Dinner

8:15 pm - 1:00 am: L.O.V.E. Affair

Friday Feb 6th, 2026

9:00 am - 10:30 am: Registration desk open, Posters II and coffee

11:00 am - 12:00 am: Gary R. Turner - introduced by Asaf Gilboa

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Mel Rutherford - introduced by Allison Sekuler

2:30-2:45 pm: Closing Remarks and Poster Award

Invited Speakers:

Keynote 1: Coraline Rinn Iordan

Introduced by Michelle Greene

Abstract

Title TBA

TBA

Bio

Dr. Coraline Rinn Iordan is an Assistant Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Neuroscience, and Visual Science at the University of Rochester. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University (PIs: Fei-Fei Li & Diane Beck), followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute (PIs: Jon Cohen, Ken Norman, & Nick Turk-Browne). Dr. Iordan’s research aims to understand how the human brain perceives, remembers, and communicates naturalistic stories and experiences. Her lab employs a varied portfolio of research methods, including psychophysics, functional neuroimaging (fMRI), real-time neurofeedback, and computational modeling. Dr. Iordan is also a leading expert in neural sculpting, a framework based on real-time fMRI neurofeedback and machine learning that affords the investigation of the causal link between neural representations and behavior by directly modifying activity patterns in the human brain in a non-invasive way. As an enthusiastic advocate of science communication and outreach, Dr. Iordan is also the founder of the Rochester Science Teaching Through Art (STAr) professional development and outreach program.

Keynote 2: Erin A. Maloney

Introduced by Evan Risko

Abstract

Title TBA

TBA

Bio

Dr. Erin Maloney is an Associate Professor of Psychology and a Canada Research Chair in Academic Achievement and Well-Being at the University of Ottawa. She is a world-leader in the study of math anxiety. Having published several research articles on the topic in some of the top scientific journals in the world, she is a sought-after speaker, often speaking to parents, educators, and students on the topics of academic achievement and emotional well-being. Her scientific work has been funded by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the University of Ottawa. Dr. Maloney passionately advocates for the importance of supporting girls and women in math and science-based careers, and being blind herself, advocates for the importance of accessibility, equity, and diversity in education.

Keynote 3: Chris Fiacconi

Introduced by Skylar Laursen

Abstract

Title TBA

TBA

Bio

Dr. Chris M. Fiacconi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Guelph. He is a cognitive psychologist with research interests in the areas of human memory and metacognition. His research program is broadly centered on understanding the cognitive processes that support learning and memory. He is particularly interested in how we retrieve information from memory and in the inferential processes that guide the monitoring, assessment and regulation of learning. This work aims to both advance our understanding of basic learning and memory principles, and to enhance the effectiveness of self-regulated learning strategies in educational settings.

Keynote 4: Gary R. Turner

Introduced by Asaf Gilboa

Abstract

Title TBA

TBA

Bio

Dr. Gary R. Turner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University and is a registered Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Province of Ontario. Dr. Turner was a graduate of York University (twice!), having first completed a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration some years ago (he remembers the Ross Ramp!). He later returned to York to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Atkinson College, where he was the Class Valedictorian in 1999. He went on to complete his MA and PhD in Psychology at the University of Toronto and then pursued post-doctoral studies at the University of California at Berkeley. He returned to Toronto to take up a scientist positional the Sunnybrook Centre for Stroke Recovery before joining the faculty at York in 2011.​ Dr. Turner's program of research investigates how age-related brain changes impact cognitive and real-world functioning (including financial decision-making) both in normal aging and brain disease. A core objective of this work is to leverage neuroscience discoveries to guide the design of more effective interventions toward sustaining cognitive and brain health, ultimately helping older adults live healthier, longer. His work is funded by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Keynote 5: Mel Rutherford

Introduced by Alison Sekuler

Abstract

Title TBA

TBA

Bio

Dr. Mel Rutherford is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University. After graduating from Yale University, Mel earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he explored human cognition through an evolutionary lens. A Fulbright Fellowship took Mel to Cambridge, England, where he collaborated with Simon Baron-Cohen. Mel’s work focuses on how evolutionarily relevant stimuli—such as faces, food, and animate objects—impact visual attention, memory, and cognition in adults and across development. A recent empty nester, Mel is filling the void with voice lessons, Spanish classes, tap dancing, and improve comedy classes, and he is learning how to crochet.

Financial Contributors