We’re excited to share that Professor Signy Sheldon appeared on CNN’s “Chasing Life” with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, where she discussed her research on memory, the brain, and how our past experiences shape who we are. In this engaging interview, Professor Sheldon offers insights into the science of autobiographical memory and why we remember certain moments more vividly than others.
Watch the show here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL5HSEjYrMM
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We’re proud to share that a paper on pain research, featuring Professor Caroline Palmer, Professor Roy, and PhD student Wenbo Yi, has been recognized as one of Quebec Science’s Top 10 Discoveries of the Year. This achievement highlights the innovative work being done in our department to advance understanding of pain mechanisms and perception.
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Half the world is multilingual but does one's first writing system shape how you read in English?
On November 25, Professor James MacDougall, whose long-standing work to improve quality of life for deaf and disabled people in Canada (https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-9382), delivered a masterclass guest lecture to undergraduates in “The Psychology of Bilingualism” (psyc341), taught by Professor Debra Titone. It was a privilege to learn about this field and Dr. MacDougall’s work that all present enjoyed!
Professor Signy Sheldon (McGill Psychology & Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory ) and her team - also featured in The Journal of Neuroscience and Society for Neuroscience- explored how different storytelling styles (emotional/conceptual vs. Concrete/perceptual detail) actively shape how and where our brains store memories. Their findings show that distinct neural pathways are engaged depending on narrative style, with implications for tailoring communication to different audiences, such as older vs. younger adults.
The Daniel and Monica Gold Centre for Early Childhood Development, in collaboration with McGill EMHR, is pleased to present a new resource, "Tantrums and more: Practical strategies for healthy emotion regulation development in early childhood”. These resources are designed for professionals and caregivers working with young children, providing evidence-based strategies to aid children’s emotion regulation and anxiety management, which can be hard to find.
The Department of Psychology is mourning the passing of Professor Morton Mendelson, a longstanding faculty member who joined the department in 1977. Professor Mendelson demonstrated a deep commitment to education and student well-being, and served as McGill's first Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning. He will be missed by many.
Professor Emerita Debbie Moskowitz offered these words about Professor Mendelson:
Clockwise from top left: Robert Brandenberger (Physics), Christian Genest (Mathematics and Statistics), Joel Kamnitzer (Mathematics and Statistics), Bärbel Knäuper (Psychology), Milica Miočević (Psychology), Adrian Liu (Physics), Nagissa Mahmoudi (Earth and Planetary Sciences), and Galen Halverson (Earth and Planetary Sciences)
Eight Faculty of Science professors are among this year’s cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors, and William Dawson Scholars.
Congratulations to PhD student Wenbo Yi, Prof. Caroline Palmer, and Prof. Mathieu Roy for their recent publication in PAIN! The paper is titled, Individualizing musical tempo to spontaneous rates maximizes music-induced hypoalgesia, and a recent news article on this work can be found here. The full publication can be accessed here.
Professors Paul Masset (Psychology) and David Rolnick (Computer Science) have been named Sloan Research Fellows.
Congratulations to postdoctoral researcher Bavo van Kerrebroeck and Prof. Palmer for their recent publication in Cognitive Science! The paper is titled, Virtual Partners Improve Synchronization in Human−Machine Trios, and more information (including the full article) can be found here. Great work!
McGill provides a top-tier education in a wide variety of fields, as highlighted in the World University Rankings by Subject 2025, released on January 22 by Times Higher Education (THE).
McGill ranks among the top 90 in the world in all of the 11 subjects assessed, placing six subjects in the top 50. The number of institutions of higher education considered varied by discipline, from 389 for Law to 1,488 for Engineering.
On October 17, 2024, Prof. Jelena Ristic presented a TEDx talk entitled, Eyes speak louder than words, at the Amazing Brain Science Talks hosted by Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL), which is an interdisciplinary neuroscience program at McGill. This event brought together leading Canadian brain health experts to showcase some of the latest advances in brain health research. For more information on the event, see here. To watch Prof.
Congratulations to PhD candidate Adrienne Mehak and Prof. Racine for their recent publication in the International Journal of Eating Disorders! The paper is titled, A Psychophysiological Investigation of Mechanisms Underlying “Feeling Fat” in Women With and Without Binge Eating, and more information (including the full article) can be found here. Great work!
Congratulations to graduate student Florence Mayrand, postdoc Dr. Sarah McCrackin, and Prof. Ristic for their recent publication in Nature Communications Psychology! The paper is titled, Intentional looks facilitate faster responding in observers, and can be found here. This work represents one of the first experimental demonstrations that humans can “read” information regarding mental states from others’ eyes. Great work!
