Our Team

Principal Investigator

Research Fellows

Dr. Lei Zhang

Lei is a postdoctoral fellow working with Claude Alain. He received his PhD in cognitive neuroscience in 2023. His research interests lie in auditory processing, specifically speech and music, and multimodal influences (e.g., visual, motor information) on them through using different techniques like EEG, MRI, and psychophysics. He is also investigating how musical training and aging interactively influence auditory processing. When he is not in the lab, he will make some noise with his violin and go sightseeing in both the real and the fantasy world.

To view his publications, please see here.

Dr. Priyanka Prince

Priyanka is a postdoctoral fellow working with Claude Alain. She has previously worked with cochlear implant users in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Priyanka received her PhD in physiology in 2025.

To view her publications, please see here.

Veronica Vuong

Veronica is a PhD candidate in Medical Science and a research coordinator at the Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, University of Toronto. Through her research, she aims to use various neuroimaging techniques to gain a greater understanding of the neural mechanisms by which long-known music listening may promote changes in the brain and result in cognitive improvements, such as memory, in persons with dementia. Veronica is a professional musician (pianist) and enjoys travelling, hiking, gardening, art, and exploring new and diverse food.

To view her publications, please see here.

Sara Jani

Sara is a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Toronto. In 2023, they graduated with a HBSc in Neuroscience from UofT, during which they studied the role of socioeconomic status and neuroinflammation in predicting depressive symptom severity and reward-related functional connectivity in adults with depression. Sara’s doctoral research is aimed at using EEG and other neuroimaging methodologies to characterize changes in cognition and neural activity in adults with age-related hearing loss, to better understand how hearing loss might contribute to cognitive impairment in older adults. Outside of the lab, Sara enjoys watching movies, going to concerts, and knitting or crocheting little trinkets for their friends!

To view their publications, please see here.

Shimin (Mello) Mo

Mello is a PhD student at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on how people with hearing impairment adapt to their new cochlear implant (CI) over time at sensory and cognitive levels using EEG. In her free time, Mello enjoys playing video games and spending time with friends.

To view her publications, please see here.

Xiaotong (Eva) Wu

Eva is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. She received her MA from the University of Chicago and her BA in Psychology and Music at Wake Forest University. Eva is interested in learning how music can be used to entrain neural oscillations and support memory. Outside of the lab, you can find her playing random piano/clarinet pieces, singing musical theatre songs, photosynthesizing in High Park, or rock climbing.

To view her publications, please see here.

Emily Melo

Emily is an MSc student in the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. She graduated from McMaster University in 2025 with an Honours B.Sc. in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour. As an undergraduate research assistant, she collected data for a project on the illusory pitch effect and tempo-related changes in perceived pitch. Her current research focuses on sensory processing and auditory attention, using EEG to investigate how age and hearing abilities affect reflective attention. Her research interests include the mechanisms of auditory perception and how attentional processes contribute to variability in cochlear implant outcomes. Outside of the lab, Emily enjoys strolling downtown to find good coffee and thrift stores, attending concerts, going to the gym, playing trivia, and spending time with friends at the park.

Dr. Jennifer Bugos

Jennifer Bugos is a Professor of Music Education at the University of South Florida where she directs an interdisciplinary research lab (Coordination and Cognition Across the Lifespan in Music; CALM lab).  After completing professional studies in music education (BM, MM, PhD), Bugos completed post-doctoral work at UF in Clinical-Cognitive Neuroscience. Dr. Bugos’ research interests include the neurological basis for music perception and cognition with regard to human development, lifelong learning, and cognitive transfer. Her interests have led to the development of new music education programs for healthy and clinical populations of children (Multimodal Music Training), and for adults (Keys to Staying Sharp; Piano for Parkinson’s). In 2020, Bugos served as a Visiting Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute and worked with Claude Alain. In 2023, she received a Fulbright Research Chair Award in Psychology to support collaborative research on neural pattern separation with Shayna Rosenbaum and Claude Alain.

To view her publications, please see here.

Dr. Maxime Perron

Dr. Maxime Perron is an Assistant Professor in the Audiology Program within the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Ottawa. He completed his undergraduate studies in Biomedical Sciences and holds a Master’s in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences (specializing in rehabilitation) from Université Laval. He earned his PhD in Psychology, specializing in Auditory Neuroscience, from the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Claude Alain, followed by a CIHR-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Dr. Perron’s research investigates the neurobiological markers behind age-related challenges in speech perception in noise, utilizing both controlled laboratory settings and real-world conversational contexts. His work also explores how individual differences shape these markers, alongside targeted interventions like hearing aid adaptation and musical training to mitigate these difficulties. Driven by community building, he is a co-founder of the Ontario Network for Emerging Auditory Research (ON-EAR), an annual conference dedicated to fostering collaboration within the provincial auditory science community. Outside the lab, Maxime enjoys baking, playing board games, and catching up with friends.

To view his publications, please see here.

Ricky Chow

Ricky Chow is a PhD student in the Clinical Neuropsychology program at York University under the supervision of Shayna Rosenbaum and co-supervision of Claude Alain. As a former Lab Manager of the Alain Lab, his past research examined how sensory-evoked potentials to vision, hearing, and touch, in addition to EEG and behavioural measures of inhibition performance, vary in aging and among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). His current research lies in the cognitive neuroscience of memory and aging, specifically how event-related potentials (such as the mismatch negativity, or MMN) can inform memory changes associated with aging, MCI, amnesia, and musical training. In his spare time, Ricky enjoys exploring Toronto’s food scene, playing piano, hiking, squash, undergraduate peer mentorship, and performing oboe/clarinet in wind orchestras.

To view his publications, please see here.