2025 ARIA recipients

Estora Marshall: From Acquisition to Exhibition: Examining the Provenance of the Maude Abbott Medical Museum Specimens

Estora is a third-year student with a major in Anthropology and a minor in the Social Studies of Medicine. This summer, she will be working alongside Dr. Richard Fraser in the Maude Abbott Medical Museum researching the provenance of the museum’s collection. She is looking forward to engaging more closely with human biological specimens, broadening her knowledge of pathology and anatomy, and applying the theory she learns in the classroom to real-world research.

Prof. Richard Fraser, Department of Social Studies of Medicine

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Charles and Betty Maldoff Family Arts Research Internship Award.

Rosa Chen: Improving Successor Feature Learning with Efficient Optimization Techniques

Rosa Chen is a U2 student at McGill University majoring in Computer Science and Statistics. This summer, she will be working with Professor Isabeau Prémont-Schwarz on a reinforcement learning research project focused on improving successor features. Her academic interests include machine learning and data-driven predictive modelling. Outside of her studies, Rosa enjoys music, knitting, and journaling. She looks forward to gaining hands-on research experience and contributing to the development of Artificial Intelligence.

Prof. Isabeau Premont-Schwarz, Department of Computer Science

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund.

Nikhil Raman: Assessing and Understanding Agricultural Productivity Gaps Between Rich and Poor Countries

Nikhil is a second-year student pursuing an honors degree in Economics and Mathematics. His academic interests include macroeconomics and forecasting. This summer he will be working with Professor Francisco Alvarez-Cuadrado to construct a dataset of agricultural value added per worker, which measures productivity in the farming sector across countries. He plans to use the data to explore cross country income disparities and collect insights on growth and development. Through this project, he hopes to deepen his understanding of the field and gain experience in economic research and theory.

Prof. Francisco Alvarez-Cuadrado, Department of Economics

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Mr. Mark W. Gallop Research Internship Award.

Andrea Landaeta: Eighteenth-Century Playbills in the British Library

Andrea Landaeta is a fourth-year English (Drama & Theatre) student from Venezuela, raised in Toronto, and has worked in independent theatre as a director, stage-manager and administrator. Andrea is interested in theatrical representation as a tool for political transformation and exploring stories left in the margins, which carries into their research with Professor Fiona Ritchie. This summer, Andrea will use the British Library’s 18^th century playbill archive to trace the often-overlooked careers of women in provincial theatre across Britain.

Prof. Fiona Ritchie, Department of English

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Faculty of Arts Internship Awards.

Al Dervisevic: Montreal’s LGBTQ+ Food and Drink History: Exhibit, Walking Tour App, and Website

Al is a third-year student from Vancouver, Canada majoring in anthropology and minoring in GSFS. Broadly, Al’s academic interests include queer studies, sociocultural anthropology, and medical anthropology. This summer, Al is thrilled to be assisting Professor Alex Ketchum in creating a historical account of gay and lesbian bars, cafes, and restaurants through archival research. Al hopes that this project will be the first step towards a career in queer and anthropological research. Al also enjoys writing poetry and Muay Thai fighting.

Prof. Alex Ketchum, Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Faculty of Arts Internship Awards.

Noah is a third-year student from Vancouver Island, BC. Studying Statistics and Urban Studies, he will be developing a process for identifying and aggregating zoning and land-use data across many Canadian municipalities and identifying and acquiring the relevant datasets to carry out these use cases. Noah is enthusiastic and occasionally even made giddy by the chance to work on a project that lies so directly at the intersection of his academic interests. He intends to attend graduate studies in statistics or law and sees this as a fantastic opportunity to explore both of these further.

Prof. David Wachsmuth, Department of Urban Planning

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund.

Rungano Carlyle-Hozaima: Hawaiian History Research Project

Gano Carlyle is an Honours History and Classics minor student entering her U3 year. This summer she is working with Dr. Arista from the History and Indigenous Studies departments to research the constitutional monarchy of Hawaii and its consequences of Indigenous sovereignty. Gano hopes to strengthen her archival and digital research skills and contribute effectively to the field of Hawaiian history by giving voice to an under-researched period of the region’s history.

Prof. Noelani M. Arista, Department of History and Classics; Indigenous Studies

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Mr. Mark W. Gallop Research Internship Award.

Eva Maciukiewicz: From (post)war humanitarianism to postwar development: the anthropogeography of the Near East Relief and Near East Foundation in 1920s and 1930s Greece

Eva Maciukiewicz is a U3 Honours History student at McGill. This summer she will explore how transnational aspects of the First World War’s outcomes, particularly in Greece, manifest in U.S.-led humanitarian and development efforts in the 1920s and 1930s. To this end, she will work with material stored at the Rockefeller Archive Center in New York. Her work will add on to Professor Anastassiadis’s larger project, the digital humanities tool ArmOr GIS.

Prof. Tassos Anastassiadis, Department of History and Classical Studies

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Anna Stein and Neal Merker Research Internship Award

Ava Sonies: Towards a global history of failed stimulants: Coca, peyote, and betel in early modernity (c.1550–1750)

Ava (she/her) is entering her final semester of a B.A. in History with minors in Communication Studies and the Social Studies of Medicine. Supervised by Professor Sebastien Kroupa, her research explores why psychoactive and medicinal substances from Southeast Asia—unlike American crops like tobacco and cocoa—failed to penetrate early modern European markets. Ava plans to submit an article to Historical Discourses and curate an exhibit for the Osler Medical Library based on her summer research.

Prof. Sebestian Kroupa, Department of Social Studies of Medicine

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Mr. Mark W. Gallop Research Internship Award.

Gabriela Flaschberger:  From experimental to entrepreneurial: Three waves of Disney master-planned urban mega-developments, from the 1960s to the present

Gabriela Flaschberger is a third-year Honours International Development Studies student with minors in Environment and Urban Studies. Her academic interests lie in public policy, sustainability, and the rise of new cities. This summer, Gabriela is exploring how private corporations, specifically Disney, have shaped master-planned urban developments. Her research investigates how Disney markets its urban models, navigates public-private dynamics, and influences broader urban planning discourse. She looks forward to examining the privatization of urban space and the role of speculative futurism in shaping American cities.

Prof. Sarah Moser, Department of Geography

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

Siya Pandit: Saathi Archive Project

Siya Pandit is an honours political science student with a minor in computer science. Their work with Teesri Duniya Theatre on Project Transformation inspired them to learn more about the history of South Asian trans communities within Montreal. The Saathi Archive Project will allow them to explore this further through access to the many documents and photographs at the Institute of Islamic Studies. They are looking forward to working with Prof. Pasha Khan on this project. 

Prof. Pasha Khan, Department of Islamic Studies

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Bram Garber Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award.

Yanran Liu: Estimating the Ordered Lorenz Curve and Gini Index for Machine Learning-Based Risk Prediction

Yanran Liu is a second-year student majoring in Statistics and minoring in Economics. Under the supervision of Professor Archer Yang, she is working on improving financial risk prediction using machine learning. Her project focuses on estimating the ordered Lorenz curve and Gini index during model training by leveraging optimal transport techniques. This research deepens her understanding of statistical modeling and contributes to more efficient, scalable approaches to risk assessment in insurance and related fields.

Prof. Archer Yang, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

Warren Chen: Wittgenstein’s Reflections on Notations

Warren Chen is a student in the Joint Honours Philosophy & Political Science program. This summer, he will be working with Professor Dirk Schlimm to produce an analysis of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s views on the role and nature of notation within predicate logic and affiliated formal methods. In his spare time he debates competitively as a member of the McGill Debating Union, and enjoys skiing and playing piano.

Prof. Dirk Schlimm, Department of Philosophy

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund.

Alexandre Thien-Tam Dao: AI Agents: a Case Study of Character.AI and the Ethical Implications of Personified AI Chatbots on Wellbeing

Alexandre is a third-year student in the Honours Philosophy and Mathematics Major programs at McGill university. He is particularly interested in the applied and normative ethics of artificial intelligence, as well as broader issues in normative ethics. This summer, he will work with Professor Jocelyn Maclure on the ethical implications of personified AI, including on the possibility of postmortem digital avatars of loved ones.

Prof. Jocelyn Maclure, Department of Philosophy

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

David Oh: The relational morality of institutions: distrust, reciprocity and the internal morality of law

David is a third-year student pursuing a Joint Honours degree in Political Science and Philosophy with a Major Concentration in Psychology. David is interested in political theory, religious philosophy, and legal philosophy and is a Research Group on Constitutional Studies student fellow. This summer, with Professor Stoljar, David will research individuals’ ethical responses to public institutions and the law, specifically institutional trust and distrust and the separability thesis.

Prof. Natalie Stoljar, Department of Philosophy

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

Ève Saint-Arnaud: Stars and Souls: the philosophical project of Kokugaku cosmology

Ève Saint-Arnaud is a second year (U2) student pursuing an Honours degree in Philosophy and a minor in Classics, with a background in both physics and anthropology. Ève is particularly interested in theology, language, the formation of cultural identity, and the philosophical components that shape our understanding of the world. This summer, she will research Kokugaku philosophy, precisely the philosophical meaning embedded in the cosmology scrutinized in this thought. This project locates itself within the scope of Professor Buckley’s research: phenomenological inquiry and the study of meaning translation in an intercultural context.

Prof. Philip Buckley, Department of Philosophy

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

Leo Amorim: Insight Grant on Democratic Backsliding in the Western World

Leo is a second-year Franco-Brazilian student pursuing a double major in Political Science and Physics. Under the supervision of Professor Dietlind Stolle, his research will focus on the growing challenges of polarization and democratic backsliding in Western democracies. His responsibilities will include drafting research reports, conducting background research, collecting and analyzing survey data, and contributing to academic publications and conference presentations. Through this work, Leo hopes to better understand how empirical research can inform policy solutions and the structural and societal factors undermining democratic resilience.

Prof. Dietlind Stolle, Department of Political Science

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Harry Samuel Research Internship Award.

Ashlyn Do: What is a Political Imaginary?

Ashlyn Do is a third-year student from Louisiana, United States, pursuing her B.A. with a double major in Philosophy and Political science and a minor in Langue et Littérature Françaises. Her academic interests include ancient moral theory, medieval political theory, and legal philosophy. This summer, she will work alongside Professor Yves Winter on a project titled “What Is a Political Imaginary?” She eagerly awaits to investigate the theoretical and historical usage of collective imaginaries.

Prof. Yves Winter, Department of Political Science

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Charles and Betty Maldoff Family Arts Research Internship Award.

Ava-Udeane Ellis: Adam Smith and the separation of powers

Ava-Udeane Ellis is a U3 student at McGill University, majoring in Political Science and Art History. She particularly enjoyed the History of Political Thought sequence offered in the department, which deepened her interest in political theory. This summer, she will assist in research on Adam Smith’s analysis of the separation of powers, contributing to scholarship in the field. Through this project, she will refine her research skills in literature surveying, historical analysis, and academic editing.

Prof. Jacob Levy, Department of Political Science

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Mr. Mark W. Gallop Research Internship Award.

Amelia Kemp: The Flying Heads of Settler Colonialism: The Case of Exceptional, Unprecedented Crises

Amelia is a U3 Honours Political Science student minoring in both GSFS and Communication Studies. She is exploring paths in academia or journalism, aiming to harness her love of writing and her academic knowledge in order to reveal the political stories and realities that matter most. This summer, Amelia will work under Professor Allard-Tremblay's supervision to investigate Indigenous and colonial critiques of the frequent framing of political and social crises as ‘exceptional’.

Prof. Yann Allard-Tremblay, Department of Political Science

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Dean of Arts Development Fund (DADF).

Stellar Zhang: Independence Referendums and National Identity

Stellar Zhang is a rising fourth-year student pursuing an Honours Political Science degree with a minor in Economics. She is interested in the application of quantitative methods to the social sciences. Her research project will explore how independence referendums shape territorial political identity, focusing on the cases of Quebec and Scotland. She will contribute to survey design, programming, and implementation, as well as preliminary data analysis, to examine how referendum participation impacts identity formation.

Prof. Elissa Berwick, Department of Political Science

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Faculty of Arts Internship Awards.

Joyce Gerges: Inferring cognitive variables from behavior

Joyce is a third-year Psychology student minoring in Behavioural Neuroscience and Arabic. Under the supervision of Professor Paul Masset, she has been developing computational models to study confidence in decision-making in rodents. She is particularly interested in using computational modeling to investigate the neural underpinnings of psychopathologies and the impact of childhood maltreatment on their development. Joyce aims to pursue graduate studies and leverage computational modeling to deepen our understanding of these cognitive alterations.

Prof. Paul Masset, Department of Psychology

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund.

Suyang Li: Optogenetic examination of neural pathways underlying sex differences in fear generalization

Suyang Li is a third-year Honours Psychology student originally from Henan, China. She is deeply interested in cognitive psychology, particularly the mechanisms of memory. This summer, under the supervision of Professor Tak Pan Wong, she will investigate the role of fear memory in social anxiety, with the goal of contributing to better support for individuals with PTSD and anxiety disorders. Suyang also enjoys baking and finds more joy in sharing her homemade treats with friends.

Prof. Tak Pan Wong, Department of Psychiatry

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

Mikael (Misha) Nakamura Vernet: Assessing how disruptions in cortical activity during a critical developmental period impairs murine social behaviour

Misha Vernet is a third-year Cognitive Science student with a minor in computer science from Ridgewood, New Jersey. He has always been fascinated by the neural mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders and will continue to explore the topic in depth this summer at the Poulin Lab, focusing on examining dopamine circuitry in mouse models of autism. Misha is also excited to learn how to implement machine-learning algorithms to extract behavioral syllables from experimental testing videos. In his free time, Misha likes to draw and play soccer

Prof. Jean-Francois Poulin, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Harry Samuel Research Internship Award.

Anjali Sharma: Uncertainty, Fear of Being Single, and Willingness to Compromise Partner Standards

Anjali Sharma is a third-year Honours Psychology student at McGill University with a strong interest in interpersonal relationships. She completed her Honours thesis under Dr. John Lydon, examining how self-concept clarity and mortality salience predict shifts in ideal partner standards. This summer, she is continuing to support research in the Lydon Lab on relationship initiation and maintenance. Anjali looks forward to strengthening her research skills and expanding her knowledge in the field.

Prof. John Lydon, Department of Psychology

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Jennifer Ritter Arts Internship Award.

Sarah Mugeni: Simulation-based research on intimate partner violence and immigration: A training model for trauma informed practice

Sarah is a rising third-year undergraduate student in Social Work at McGill University. She is deeply passionate about developing tools and forming networks that empower marginalized communities. This summer, she will be dedicating her efforts to building a simulation-based model of trauma-informed practice for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) who are immigrants. Sarah aspires to extend her impact by integrating McGill’s joint JD/BCL and MSW program, where she hopes to bridge the gap between legal advocacy and social work to better serve vulnerable populations.

Prof. Sarah Tarshis, Faculty of Social Work

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

Nathanael Rafinejad: Living with Long COVID in Quebec from a social work perspective: Narratives of impacted wellbeing, psychosocial challenges, and unmet needs among adults

Nathanael Rafinejad (they/them) is a social work student, community advocate and support worker. Their research study aims to draw an in-depth portrait of the experience of having Long COVID (LC) and to provide healthcare and social services providers with a better understanding of the challenges, stakes and psychosocial needs formulated by adults living with LC in Quebec. This project is part of their strategy to develop more targeted and effective interventions to address the impact of the ongoing pandemic, particularly on marginalized individuals.

Prof. Marie-Hélène Boudrias, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Dean of Arts Development Fund (DADF).

Ruozhuo (Joseph) Liang: Transforming the Teamsters? A Case Study on the Challenges of Union Revitalization

Joseph (he/they) is a U2 student in Honours Sociology with a minor in Indigenous Studies and Music. Their academic interests include social movements and the ways different groups resist the exertion of power. They are also actively involved in community organizing on and around campus. This summer, he will be working with Prof. Barry Eidlin to look at democratization efforts in the Teamsters labor union.

Prof. Barry Eidlin, Department of Sociology

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF).

Madeline Blake: Art in the University Context at McGill Before 2013

Madeline is a U2 Honours Art History student with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. She and Professor Owens will be researching multiple unexamined instances of artistic activity throughout McGill’s history, honing in on portrait commissions, an exhibition, and a significant art collection donation. This research will clarify the role art has had in shaping McGill’s identity over time and the impact that the Visual Arts Collection has had in the greater context of Montréal’s art scene.

Prof. Gwendolyn Owens, Visual Arts Collection

Recipient of the Arts Undergraduate Research Award funded by the Goodman Arts Research Internship Award.