Jennifer D. Ryan, Ph.D.

Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience
Senior Scientist | Rotman Research Institute
Professor, Department of Psychology, Psychiatry | University of Toronto

Jen received her B.S. (1997) and Ph.D. (2001) in Psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She joined the faculty of the Rotman Research Institute (RRI) at Baycrest and the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto in 2001.

She was promoted to Senior Scientist at the RRI in 2008, and Full Professor at U of T in 2014. Jen was awarded a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience (2006-2016). She recently served as the Director, Scientific and Academic Affairs, at the RRI (2017-2021) and held the accompanying chair, the Reva James Leeds Chair in Neuroscience and Research Leadership.

Jen’s research focuses on the nature of memory. Her work describes the types of memory representations that are formed by different regions of the brain, and how memories are used, in the moment, to influence ongoing exploration and cognition. Her research also investigates learning strategies that may alleviate or circumvent memory deficits in older adults and in cases of amnesia. Jen’s research examines memory using a converging methodologies approach, employing behavioural paradigms, eyetracking, neuroimaging (e.g., MEG, fMRI), and computational modelling, in order to comprehensively address the questions at hand.

Outside of science, Jen has a variety of interests. Throughout her life, she has participated in sports and endurance events (including track-and-field, cross country, basketball, court volleyball, and even rugby and GORUCK) to varying degrees of success, but always with an eye towards learning from the experience. She now regularly plays 2-on-2 women’s beach volleyball, and can occasionally be spotted running along the lakefront in Toronto. You can also find Jen on the Peloton and Concept2 leaderboards. She is a avid supporter of music, theatre, and the arts, and also enjoys reality tv and soap operas. During their respective seasons, you can hear Jen cheering loudly for the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bears.

Google Scholar

“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner. Is a winner somebody who has success and basically accomplished something or wins a game or whatever? That’s not a winner. You know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can, who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean they accomplished it or failed, it means that they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner. That is what a winner is all about."
- Walter Payton

LAB MEMBERS

RESEARCH ASSISTANT
abouni@research.baycrest.org

Ayan Bouni

Ayan is a research student in Dr. Jennifer Ryan’s Lab. She obtained her HBSc in Psychology at the University of Toronto. Ayan is broadly interested in development across the lifespan. Specifically, she is investigating the influence of clinical conditions on eye movement in younger adults. In the Ryan Lab, Ayan works on experiments using online eye-tracking platforms to understand aspects of cognition and mental health.

Ziming Cheng

PHD STUDENT
zcheng@research.baycrest.org

Ziming is a PhD student co-supervised by Drs. Jennifer Ryan and Donna Rose Addis. Utilizing innovative methods like eye tracking, natural language processing, and computational modeling, Ziming aims to uncover the intricate temporal interdependencies between gaze fixations and memory narratives. In addition to his primary research, Ziming is also interested in how lifetime story narratives transform and evolve over extended periods, such as throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside the realm of science, Ziming enjoys engaging in strategy games, honing his culinary skills, playing soccer, and spending quality time with his golden retriever.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT
mmachucadiaz@research.baycrest.org

Maria Diaz

Maria is pursuing an Honours Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto with dual specialization in Ethics, Society & Law and Psychology. In the Ryan Lab, Maria is assisting on a project using eye-tracking to examine the temporal dynamics of memory reinstatement with gaze and narrative reinstatement. Observing both young and aging adults, this study aims to better understand the reconstructive nature of memory, and identify potential facilitating factors. Maria aims to continue her studies in clinical/research psychology, pursuing further research exploring the interplay between memory function and brain structure in memory-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

PHD STUDENT
gmariotti@research.baycrest.org

Geneva Mariotti

Geneva is a PhD student at UofT and the RRI being co-supervised by Drs. Björn Herrmann and Jennifer Ryan. She completed her BSc at York University in the Specialized Honours in Psychology program. Geneva is interested in researching how vision, listening, and cognitive processes integrate at the behavioural and neural level, with the aim to promote healthy aging. Her research involves eye-tracking, fMRI, behavioural testing, and computational models. Outside the lab, Geneva is either buried in the latest hot novel, starting a crochet project that will never be finished, or biking around Toronto's nature trails.

GRADUATE STUDENT
hmarlatte@research.baycrest.org

Hannah Marlatte

Hannah is a PhD student at University of Toronto with Dr. Jennifer Ryan and Dr. Asaf Gilboa. They completed their BSc at University of Saskatchewan, exploring the impact having conscious awareness of a stressor has on cellular memory mechanisms. For their MA, completed at the University of Toronto, they developed a model of learning based on principles of Bayesian statistics. For their PhD, they are studying how experiencing trauma can influence one's ability to imagine new experiences. Their current research uses eye-tracking and neuroimaging to explore these differences in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder in hopes of better understanding the mechanism of a current treatment called eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy.

GRADUATE STUDENT
nmazloum-farzaghi@research.baycrest.org
@Twitter

Negar Mazloum-Farzaghi

Negar is a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. She is co-supervised by Dr. Jennifer Ryan and Dr. Rosanna Olsen. She completed her HBSc in Psychology at York University. Some of her undergraduate research in cognitive neuroscience involved delivering cognitive interventions to patients with dementia in order to investigate effects on memory, as well as exploring the neuroscience of learning and memory among younger and older adults. For her graduate research, she is interested in examining the structural and functional brain changes that occur as a result of neuropsychological conditions (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) and aging. Moreover, her work utilizes eye-tracking and neuroimaging techniques to explore the relationship between memory and visual exploration among younger and older adults.

Erik Wing

POSTDOC
ewing@research.baycrest.org

Erik moved to Toronto to do postdoctoral research with Jennifer Ryan and Asaf Gilboa after completing his PhD at Duke University, where he worked with Roberto Cabeza. He is broadly interested in various factors that influence learning, as can be seen when information is differentially prioritized, distorted, or schematized. His current research focuses on how having organized knowledge about a particular domain (anything from art history to cars) influences learning and memory for related material. This process is familiar to anyone who initially struggles to learn unfamiliar information but finds that subsequent learning is easier once new material can be integrated into an emerging knowledge framework. With respect to brain function, he is interested in exploring how the acquisition of visosemantic expertise leads to reshaping of neural representations, with corresponding consequences for different forms of memory.

Jessica Zaffino

GRADUATE STUDENT
jzaffino@research.baycrest.org

Jessica is a graduate student at the University of Toronto supervised by Dr. Jennifer Ryan. She completed her BA in Psychology at York University where she explored her research interests by working with populations across the lifespan. She later spent two years working as a lab manager in a lab focusing on infant pain. Ultimately, after exploration in research with both infants and adults, she was drawn toward research on memory and aging. Jessica is interested in psychosocial factors and their influence on memory, as well as developing strategies to improve memory functioning in older adults. For her graduate research, she is currently evaluating specific strategies and exploring how psychological disorders/symptoms affect the ability to use these strategies to improve memory.

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
― Phil Jackson

RESEARCH ASSISTANT
aafaq@research.baycrest.org

Ariba Afaq

Ariba is an research student at the University of Toronto studying Industrial Relations & Human Resources and Criminology & Sociolegal Studies. She is working on a project about revisiting the use of neurotechnologies within the judicial system. Ariba has also been helping with knowledge mobilization & outreach efforts at Ryan Lab to convey the lab’s work to lay audiences. After undergraduate studies, she would like to conduct more research regarding wrongful convictions and how eyetracking can be used to study biases in policing. In her free time, she likes to play video games, read comics, and produce music!

RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Jacky.Jin@mail.utoronto.ca

Jacky Lin

Jacky is a Research Assistant in the Ryan lab. After earning his BCom in Finance & Economics from University of Toronto, he pursued a career in capital markets before deciding to pursue his current HBSc degree in Psychology & Neuroscience. He is currently collaborating with Dr. Ryan and Dr. Leonardelli on a project exploring the role of memory in the workplace. Their research focuses on how memories influence organizational culture and identity, shape peer interactions, affect employees' readiness to embrace change, or impact the perceived effectiveness of leaders.

POSTDOC
gflick@research.baycrest.org

Graham Flick

Graham Flick is a postdoctoral fellow in the labs of Drs. Rosanna Olsen, Jennifer Ryan, and Jed Meltzer at the Rotman Research Institute. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at Dalhousie University before spending three years as a Research Assistant in the MEG Lab of New York University Abu Dhabi. He then completed his PhD in Cognitive Psychology at New York University, where his research examined visual word recognition and semantic processing in reading, using a combination of MEG, MRI, and eye-tracking. Graham is broadly interested in elucidating the brain systems that support language and memory, and characterizing how these systems may break down in disease and aging.

GRADUATE STUDENT
akhosla@research.baycrest.org
Google Scholar Page | Github | @Twitter

Anisha Khosla

Anisha is a PhD Student at the University of Toronto with Dr. Jennifer Ryan and Dr. Morris Moscovitch. She completed her MA in Psychology from the University of Toronto in 2019 and BSc in Psychology and Neuroscience from McMaster University in 2018. During her MA, she examined similarities and differences between visual exploration and spatial navigation. Broadly, she is interested in understanding the neural link between memory and eye movements in the human brain. Specifically, how is information exchanged between the memory area and the area of the brain that controls eye movements? Anisha is also fascinated by changes in visual exploration accompanied by memory loss and wants to investigate the neural underpinnings of such changes. Anisha is also passionate about teaching and has taught multiple Python and R workshops at the Rotman Research Institute.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT
lilyjensend@gmail.com

Lily Daniels

Lily is a Research Assistant in Dr. Jennifer Ryan’s Lab. She earned her MA in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University in 2024, following her BA in Psychology and History of Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2021. Her undergraduate research involved temperamental dimensions in pediatric anxiety disorders, while her graduate research focused on cognition and first episode psychosis, as well as the cognitive and clinical characteristics of untreated schizophrenia in an aging population. Presently, Lily’s research interests are broadly rooted in forensic psychology. She is interested in studying the accuracy of memory recall in the context of eye-witness testimony, as well as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT
icooke@research.baycrest.org

Isabel Cooke

Isabel is a Research Assistant at the Ryan Lab. She is in the fourth year of her HBSc at the University of Toronto, studying Psychology and Biology. Isabel is most interested in memory encoding and retrieval strategies, such as unitization, and how they play a role in mediating cognitive decline. She has a special love for fMRI and MRI, and is excited to explore new tools like the eye-tracker. She is also excited to learn about the role of previous knowledge and the impact of eye-movements on memory and cognition through her projects this summer.

Natalia Ladyka-Wojcik

POSTDOC
nladyka-wojcik@research.baycrest.org

Natalia is an NSERC-funded postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Jennifer Ryan, having previously completed her PhD in Psychology with Dr. Morgan Barense at the University of Toronto. Her research leverages functional neuroimaging (fMRI) and eyetracking to investigate how we create and store mental representations of objects and scenes in the human brain across the lifespan. Beyond research, Natalia is passionate about undergraduate teaching and science communication. Outside the lab, when Natalia is not running or cycling, she enjoys reading mystery novels and hanging out with her husband and pet rabbit.

FEATURED COLLABORATORS

Kelly Shen

Scientific Associate
Simon Fraser University

Zhong Xu Liu

Assistant Professor
University of Michigan

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE —— MEMORY —NEUROSCIENCE
LEADERSHIP ———— COGNITION ——— WOMEN IN STEM
COLLABORATION — NEUROIMAGING —— BRAIN HEALTH
EYE TRACKING — EDI ADVOCATES ———— MENTORSHIP

“It's about what the players are doing. My job is to facilitate that. My job is to put them in positions to succeed. My job is to listen to their ideas, take them if they're good, quietly push them to the side if they're not. My job is to help them grow.”
-Nick Nurse