KHOKHAR LAB - Key Persons
Bryan is currently a PhD Candidate in the Neurobiology of Dual Disorders Lab at the Ontario Veterinary College and the University of Guelph in Canada. He holds an MSc degree from The University of Edinburgh and a BSc(hons) from the University of Western Ontario. Bryan is also the Community Manager for the Canadian chapters of NeuroTechX, an international, non-profit organization creating innovations in the burgeoning field of neurotechnology. He aims to leverage his specialized knowledge and broad connections in neurotechnology, addictions neuroscience, and mental health research to create innovative solutions for individuals with lived experience of substance use and mental illness.
Job Titles:
- Student, University of Toronto
Dr. Kayir completed his undergraduate training at Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) in Turkey, and his Ph.D. in the Department of Medical Pharmacology, under the supervision of Prof. Tayfun Uzbay. His dissertation was on the relationship and co-morbidity between addiction and schizophrenia. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California at San Diego with Prof. Athina Markou. He worked as an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Pharmacology in GATA, and as a researcher and in Commat Ltd. and Norosaglik Inc. in Turkey. Dr.Kayir is the Lab Manager and Research Associate at Khokhar Lab in the Biomedical Sciences Department at the University of Guelph.
Dr. Khokhar completed his undergraduate training at Queen's University, and his Ph.D. in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto and CAMH, under the supervision of Dr. Rachel Tyndale. During this time, Dr. Khokhar was awarded a CIHR Tobacco Use in Special Populations Fellowship, as well as a publication award for "Best Publication in Neuropsychopharmacology." He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth College with Dr. Alan Green. In addition to numerous travel and poster award, Dr. Khokhar held a CIHR Post-doctoral Fellowship as well as NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Dr. Khokhar was recently hired as an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Schulich School of Medicine at Western University.
Job Titles:
- Student, Ontario Veterinary College
Hayley completed her undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University in Neuroscience in 2015 and completed her honours thesis project in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. She then went on to receive her M.Sc. in 2018 through the University of Guelph's Molecular and Cellular Biology Department. She joined the Khokhar lab as a Ph.D. student in early 2019 with the goal of uncovering the behavioural and molecular relationships between cannabis use and the development of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.
Iman Aziz is a Master's student in the Khokhar lab studying Neuroscience. She completed her Honour's Bachelor of Science at the University of Guelph with a major in Biomedical Science and minor in Neuroscience. During her undergraduate degree she explored effects of circadian rhythms in the heart. Near the end of her undergraduate career she became increasingly interested in the field of neuroscience. She is interested in exploring long-term effects of concurrent nicotine and cannabis use in adolescents.
Before joining the Khokhar lab, Jude studied electrical engineering at UBC. Jude is interested in bringing novel technologies to the forefront of biology, especially in the application of mental health diagnoses and treatment. His primary research is focused on the sex- and age-related consequences of nicotine vaping on behaviour and brain network function. Jude is also active in the field of open science, having published several open-source designs and volunteering as a collaborator at Open Behavior where he disseminates open-source projects in the behavioural neuroscience community.
Job Titles:
- Student, University of British Columbia
Job Titles:
- Student, University of Toronto
Patrick holds a BSc in Chemical Physics from the University of Guelph as well as an MClSc and PhD in Medical Biophysics from Western University. His dissertation focused on the development of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging techniques at ultra-high field strength in preclinical models of brain injury and neurodegeneration. Prior to joining the Khokhar lab, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children utilizing multimodal neuroimaging techniques to elucidate the pathophysiological underpinnings of brain injury and PTSD in military personnel. Currently he is pursuing a JD/MBA at Ryerson University with a focus on technology commercialization and intellectual property law.
Pedro completed a double undergraduate degree in Biology and Education from Federal University of Paraiba, Brazil. Before joining the Khokhar Lab, developed research on cognitive neuroscience and psychopharmacology, studying topics such as episodic-like memory, social behaviour, chronobiology and addiction. His PhD project will be focusing on aspects of addiction and other psychiatric conditions, especially related to development, circadian rhythms and psychopharmacology in rodents and non-human primates. In addition to Neuroscience, is also interested in the development of new teaching methodologies to teach science and biology and in the intersection of Neuroscience and Education.
Richard has a BSc. Engineering (Biomedical) degree from the University of Ghana and an MSc. Neuroscience degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He completed his PhD Neuroscience degree at Laval University in 2020 and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Khokhar Lab. During his PhD, he focused on the reward system and its role in eating disorders. Richard is particularly interested in addiction, how it develops, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms that maintain addiction, and how it can be treated.