My research investigates how visual design influences what we remember. I use behavioural experiments and deep neural networks to explore what makes an image memorable or forgettable. I then leverage those theoretical insights to engineer more effective warning symbols and more recognizable logos.
CVInterests
- The intrinsic memorability of visual design
- Engineering memorable graphics with AI
- Memory enhancement techniques
Education
PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, 2023
University of Waterloo
MA in Cognitive Neuroscience, 2019
University of Waterloo
Honours BA in Psychology, 2017
University of Waterloo
Experience
NSERC Postdoctoral Scholar
University of Chicago
- Pioneered a novel research area connecting visual design and memory, with high applicability to brand logos and advertising
- Leveraged big data analytics and AI models to reveal more effective, data-driven visual designs based on shape, meaning, and peoples’ real-time attention
- Established a statistical approach that can detect changes in peoples’ attention in real time, allowing for the strategic presentation of memorable pictures depending on when they are most effective
- Supervised an international study to understand whether very poor imagination ability leads to worse memory performance
Graduate Researcher
University of Waterloo
- Spearheaded a new area of psychological research exploring how everyday visual symbols (e.g., !@#$%) and brand logos are processed in memory; resulted in 3 lead-author publications (including in a top-5 journal)
- Led a review and meta-analysis evaluating the impact of actions on memory; synthesized research from 182 behavioural, neuroimaging, and patient studies spanning 40+ years; published findings in psychology’s highest impact journal (Psychological Bulletin)
- Authored multiple project proposals; garnered $230,000+ in competitive funding from federal and provincial agencies
- Designed and executed numerous research projects working with neurological patients and vast, crowd-sourced online data sets; produced 13 peer-reviewed publications (11 as lead-author) and 28 conference presentations
- Mentored 9 research assistants and 4 honors thesis students; resulted in 2 publications and 2 undergraduate thesis awards
Course Instructor and Teaching Assistant
University of Waterloo
- Directed 2 courses on brain and behaviour as well as memory research, yielding +95% passing rates, 5/5 scores from students’ evaluations of the learning environment, and favourable reviews of my presentation skills from expert observers
- Elevated 15 university courses by implementing evidence-based teaching methods, including 6 business courses focused on entrepreneurship, practical business skills, and human resources management; received 94% positive student reviews
Database Coordinator
Waterloo Research in Aging Participants
- Managed a database of 400+ older adult volunteer participants from the local community; consulted 1-on-1 with university researchers to understand their data collection needs, cultivating 70+ scientific projects across 20+ research domains
- Streamlined participant recruitment by conducting stakeholder interviews with volunteers to understand their experiences and desires; introduced an online recruitment process to improve efficiency, reducing intake from 2 hours to < 30 minutes
Publications
(2024).
Brain regions supporting retrieval of words drawn at encoding: fMRI evidence for multimodal reactivation.
Memory & Cognition.
(2024).
Face processing in ADHD: A review of the N170 event-related potential.
Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology.
(2024).
Memory augmentation with an adaptive cognitive interface.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
(2024).
Reading text aloud benefits memory but not comprehension.
Memory & Cognition.
(2024).
Release from response interference in color-word contingency learning.
Acta Psychologica.
(2023).
Memory for symbolic images: Findings from sports team logos.
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.
(2023).
On Memory for Everyday Symbols.
Doctoral Dissertation.
(2023).
Symbol superiority: Why $ is better remembered than ‘dollar’.
Cognition.
(2022).
Are emojis processed visuo-spatially or verbally? Evidence for dual codes.
Visual Cognition.
(2022).
The enactment effect: A systematic review and meta-analysis of behavioral, neuroimaging, and patient studies.
Psychological Bulletin.
(2021).
Drawing and memory: Using visual production to alleviate concreteness effects.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
(2020).
Drawing with your eyes: Comparable memory benefits for oculomotor and manual-motor drawing.
Mind Pad.
(2020).
Re-evaluating whether bilateral eye movements influence memory retrieval.
PLOS ONE.
(2018).
Task preparation as a mnemonic: The benefits of drawing (and not drawing).
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
Teaching
Teaching Assistant
Course Instructor
- PSYCH 101 (Fall 2017) - Introductory Psychology
- PSYCH 101 (Winter 2018) - Introductory Psychology
- HRM 200 (Spring 2018) - Basic Human Resources Management
- PSYCH 291 (Fall 2018) - Basic Research Methods
- PSYCH 292 (Winter 2019) - Basic Data Analysis
- PSYCH 211 (Spring 2019) - Developmental Psychology
- ARBUS 300 (Fall 2019) - Practical Business Skills
- PSYCH 390 (Winter 2020) - Research in Memory
- PSYCH 292 (Spring 2020) - Basic Data Analysis
- PSYCH 461 (Fall 2020) - Case Studies in Neuropsychology
- ARBUS 300 (Winter 2021) - Practical Business Skills
- ARBUS 200 (Spring 2021) - Entrepreneurship Principles and Practices
- ARBUS 300 (Fall 2021) - Practical Business Skills
- ARBUS 200 (Spring 2022) - Entrepreneurship Principles and Practices
- PSYCH 372 (Winter 2023) - Environmental Psychology
Course Instructor
Open Science
Outside The Lab
Outside the lab, I love to travel and try new foods around the world. Motorcycle camping is my preferred method of exploration. After defending my PhD, I embarked on a 6-week solo motorcycle trip to Alaska, venturing as far north as the Arctic Circle.
Arctic Circle, Alaska
Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Mount Denali, Alaska
Northern Alaska, USA
Dawson City, Yukon
Banff National Park, Alberta
Bellagio, Italy
Berlin, Germany
Boston Public Library, Boston
Fenway Park, Boston
Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
Interlaken, Switzerland
Kyoto, Japan
Lake Moraine, Alberta
Mount Pilatus, Switzerland
Nagoya, Japan
Osaka, Japan
Osaka Castle, Japan
Paris, France
Pike Place Market, Seattle
Potsdam, Germany
Tokyo, Japan
Valdez, Alaska, USA
Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy
Watson Lake, Yukon
Yellowstone National Park, USA
Zurich, Switzerland