Currently Recruiting
This page was last updated April 2026.
The IPN office was notified that the following P.I.s may be recruiting IPN graduate students for the 2026-27 academic year. While the following list is created to help you, it is not comprehensive and you should also browse through our P.I. database to contact any P.I.s whose research interests you.
Please consult our sample 
Curriculum Vitae and Letter to IPN Supervisor templates for tips on how to contact future supervisors.
We encourage that you reach out to members of the lab(s) you are interested in joining. Please consult our our tips and suggestions
Questions about contacting supervisors, the application process, and life at IPN itself can be directed to the projects.ipn [at] mcgill.ca (IPN Project Administrator)
| NAME | WEBSITE | NOTES | |
| Dr. Alyson Fournier | alyson.fournier [at] mcgill.ca | Research in molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying axon degeneration and regeneration | |
| Dr. Maxime Montembeault | maxime.montembeaul [at] mcgill.ca | www.montembeaultlab.com | Our team use digital cognitive markers and multimodal neuroimaging to investigate linguistic and socio-emotional changes and their brain correlates in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. |
| Dr. Danilo Bzdok | danilo.bzdok [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/danilo-bzdok-md-phd | Looking for PhD students with skills and interest in programing, quantitative pattern-learning analysis, and brain imaging. |
| Dr. Boris Bernhardt | boris.bernhardt [at] mcgill.ca | https://mica-mni.github.io | Looking for PhD students with skills and interest in programing, network analysis, and neuroimaging. |
| Dr. Reza Sharif Naeini | reza.sharif [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.shariflab.org | We are looking for motivated trainees to undertake an ambitious project examining the molecular bases of mechanosensing (touch, pain). The project will involve electrophysiological recordings from human neurons, calcium imaging, and behavioural assays of somatosensation. |
| Dr. Artur Kania | artur.kania [at] ircm.qc.ca | https://ircm.qc.ca/en/research/neurobiology-and-development/neural-circu... | Development and function of somatosensory circuits, modelling of human neurodevelopmental disorders |
| Dr. Jonathan Britt | jonathan.britt [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/brittlab/ | |
| Dr. Alanna Watt | alanna.watt [at] mcgill.ca | https://wattlabmcgill.ca | We have several exciting projects studying basic cerebellar function and animal models of ataxia. |
| Dr. Tomoko Ohyama | tomoko.ohyama [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.ohyamalab.org/ | Neural circuit underlying the action selectin, nociception |
| Dr. Stuart Trenholm | stuart.trenholm [at] mcgill.ca | www.trenholmlab.com | Programming skills an asset. |
| Dr. Nancy Braverman | nancy.braverman [at] mcgill.ca | https://bravermanlab.wixsite.com/bravermanlab |
Recruiting a graduate student to assist in retinal gene therapy project, CNS therapy and clinical natural history study for peroxisome disorders. |
| Dr. Pia Wintermark | pia.wintermark [at] mcgill.ca | www.neobrainlab.rog | Recruiting motivated PhD and MSc students for research projects related to basic research in neonatal neuroscience and high-resolution neonatal brain imaging research. |
| Dr. Donald Van Meyel | donald.vanmeyel [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/crn/research/vanmeyel https://rimuhc.ca/-/donald-van-meyel-md | Research themes in my lab currently focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling differentiation of glial cells during development, dendrite morphogenesis, and movement and bioavailability of ions and neuroactive chemical messengers in the brain. We study how these mechanisms influence motor and sensory behaviours and sleep-wake cycles. |
| Dr. Masha Prager-Khoutorsky | masha.prager-khoutorsky [at] mcgill.ca | ||
| Dr. Arjun Krishnaswamy | arjun.krishnaswamy [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.swamylab.com/ | Lab's research is focused on the assembly and function of neural circuits. We study these two general phenomena in the interconnected circuits of the retina, thalamus, cortex. |
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Dr. Suresh Krishna |
suresh.krishna [at] mcgill.ca | https://m2b3.lab.mcgill.ca | Looking for students with skills and interest in AI/neuro-AI, computational neuroscience and/or neural data analysis (including neuroimaging). Please check the lab web page for more details. |
| Dr. Pablo Rusjan | pablo.rusjan [at] mcgill.ca | https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/pablo-rusjan/ | Positron Emission Tomography Quantification |
| Dr. Mahsa Dadar | mahsa.dadar [at] mcgill.ca | https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/mahsa-dadar | Brain Imaging in Aging, Cerebrovascular, and Neurodegenerative Disorders |
| Dr. Yashar Zeighami | yashar.zeighami [at] mcgill.ca | https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/yashar-zeighami | Our team investigates the brain alterations that occur during the lifespan in health and disease. The primary goal of our research is to further our understanding of healthy brain aging and the underlying mechanisms that cause deviation from this trajectory in neurodegenerative disorders. Creating a comprehensive multi-scale model of structural and functional brain alterations across the lifespan using multimodal brain MRIs Investigating the link between observed MRI changes in post-mortem samples and the underlying cellular alterations, with translational applications for in vivo datasets Identifying the genetic and environmental risk factors that cause deviation from the normative brain-behaviour trajectories, to develop diagnostic and prognostic models. |
| Dr. Jeremy Van Raamsdonk | jeremy.vanraamsdonk [at] mcgill.ca | https://vanraamsdonk.lab.mcgill.ca/home.html | We are interested in the biology of aging, biological resilience and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease. Using a Geroscience approach, we study the biology and genetics of aging and resilience and apply that knowledge to develop novel treatments for neurodegenerative disease. Our work primarily uses the worm C. elegans as a model organism and we are very interested in the mitochondria. |
| Dr. Adil Harroud | adil.harroud [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/adil-harroud-md | The genetic determinants of MRI phenotypes in multiple sclerosis (MS). This project will interrogate the genetic determinants of MRI endophenotypes in a unique cohort of thousands of people with MS who underwent whole genome genotyping. The genes identified will be evaluated as potential therapeutic targets. |
| Dr. Jean-François Cloutier | jf.cloutier [at] mcgill.ca | cloutierlab.org | neural circuit assembly and function in neurotypical and neuroatypical brains |
| Dr. Majid Mohajerani | majid.mohajerani [at] mcgill.ca | http://lethbridgebraindynamics.com/majid-mohajerani/ | physiological and computational basis of cognition, with particular focus on memory and memory disorders |
| Dr. Derek Bowie | derek.bowie [at] mcgill.ca | http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/pharma/dbowielab/ | Neurophysiological mechanisms and treatment of autism and intellectual disability |
| Dr. Per Jesper Sjöström | jesper.sjostrom [at] mcgill.ca | We explore synaptic plasticity in cortical circuits, with a focus on unconventional NMDA receptor function, astrocyte involvement in plasticity, and microcircuit connectomics. We rely on advanced patch-clamp electrophysiology, custom-built 2-photon microscopy, small-scale computer modelling, and 1p/2p optogenetics in mouse brain tissue. Most projects are primary research, but we also investigate some pathologies, such as Fragile X and epilepsy. | |
| Dr. Wayne Sossin | wayne.sossin [at] mcgill.ca | https://apps.mni.mcgill.ca/research/sossin/ | Mechanisms for translational regulation in neurons |
| Dr. Anouk Lamontagne | anouk.lamontagne [at] mcgill.ca | vrmobilitylab.com | Modulation of brain activation during complex locomotor tasks performed in a virtual environment |
| Dr. Alain Ptito | alain.ptito [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neurology-neurosurgery/alain-ptito-phd | traumatic brain injury and concussion diagnosis and prognosis using functional MRI |
| Dr. Delphine Raucher-Chéné | delphine.raucher-chene [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.crisplab.ca/our-research | Digital social cognitive assessment for severe mental illness |
| Dr. David Rudko | david.rudko [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/bbme/david-rudko | Ultra-High Field Brain MRI Methods Development |
| Dr. Corina Nagy | corina.nagy [at] mcgill.ca | https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/researchers/ | Single-cell omics and sex differences in the brain |
| Dr. Romina Mizrahi | romina.mizrahi [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/romina-mizrahi-cats-lab/ | Endocannabinoid system in psychosis, psychosis risk, depression and suicide |
| Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang | wei-hsiang.huang [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.huanglabmcgill.org/ | Developing Gene and Pharmacological Therapies for the comorbid symptoms (i.e. obesity and metabolic defects) of Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
| Dr. Aparna Suvrathan | aparna.suvrathan [at] mcgill.ca | suvrathanlab.org | Potential projects in our lab focus on uncovering how cerebellar circuits link synaptic mechanisms to behavior in the mouse. We take a multi-level approach that spans molecules, synapses, cells, and circuits, with the goal of building mechanistic bridges from plasticity rules to learned behaviors. Ongoing and future directions include dissecting forms of cerebellar synaptic plasticity that support motor and non-motor learning, and determining how these processes are altered in Fragile X syndrome and in stress-induced dysfunction. We are also, in collaboration, developing new optogenetic tools to probe and manipulate synapse-specific signaling and plasticity in cerebellar networks. Together, these projects aim to provide insight into how synaptic changes in the cerebellum shape adaptive and maladaptive behavior. |
| Dr. Marc Roig | marc.roigpull [at] mcgill.ca | https://memorylab.ca | Exercise to improve sleep in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Dr. Linda Booij | linda.booij [at] mcgill.ca | https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/linda-booij/ | neurodevelopment of eating disorders |
| Dr. Jon Sakata | jon.sakata [at] mcgill.ca | https://sakatasongbirdlab.wordpress.com/ | I am actively recruiting motivated graduate (PhD) students and postdoctoral fellows to investigate the contribution of perineuronal nets (PNNs) and parvalbumin (PV) neurons in motor circuitry to motor performance and learning. This CIHR-funded research program is comparative, involving experiments in songbirds (zebra finches) and mice and will be conducted in collaboration with the labs of Profs. Alanna Watt and Sarah Woolley (McGill). Because songbirds learn their vocalizations (in ways similar to how humans learn to speak) and possess discrete neural circuits for vocal learning and performance, songbirds are powerful animal models to reveal the neural mechanisms underlying vocal motor learning and control, including the contribution of PNNs and PV neurons to vocal performance and plasticity. Mice are an established model system to reveal locomotor plasticity and control and allow for a wide range of genetic approaches to understanding PNN and PV neuron function. Experiments will involve behavioral analyses as well as pharmacological, viral, and genetic manipulations of PNN expression in focal brain areas. Collectively, these experiments will provide foundational and novel insights into mechanisms of skill acquisition, sensorimotor integration, neural plasticity, and movement and speech disorders. |
| Dr. Ed Ruthazer | edward.ruthazer [at] mcgill.ca | http://ruthazerlab.mcgill.ca | In vivo imaging of visual system development |
| Dr. Guillaume Sébir | guillaume.sebire [at] mcgill.ca | https://sebirelab.com/contact/ | Role of maternal immune activation in perinatal brain injuries |
| Dr. Ana Velly | ana.velly [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/dentistry/ana-miriam-velly |
1) Opioid and cancer, and 2) managment of pain after shoulder arthroscopy-pilot RCT
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| Dr. Yasser Iturria-Medina | yasser.iturriamedina [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.neuropm-lab.com/ | Personalized Multilevel Brain Computational Modeling of Neurodegeneration |
| Dr. Jerome Fortin | jerome.fortin [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/jerome-fortin-phd | Discovering how brain cancers emerge, progress, and could be treated, using functional genomics, computational muti-omics, and animal modelling. |
| Dr. Nicolas Tritsch | nicolas.tritsch [at] mail.mcgill.ca | www.tritschlab.org |
Neuromodulation of brain circuits controlling movement
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| Dr. Gerhard Multhaup | gerhard.multhaup [at] mcgill.ca | http://gerhard-multhaup.lab.mcgill.ca/Gerhard-Multhaup.html |
• Understanding the biology of APP, APLPs, Aβ and secretases at the molecular level in health and disease
• Key mechanistic insights regarding the pharmacological and enzymatical modulation of Aβ generation
• Development of anti-amyloid and diagnostic approaches
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| Dr. Madeleine Sharp | madeleine.sharp [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.sharplab.ca/ | 1) cognitive mechanisms of aberrant decision-making in Parkinson's 2) mapping the cognitive phenotype of Parkinson's disease |
| Dr. R. Nathan Spreng | nathan.spreng [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.brain-cognition.com/ | Decision-making; multi-modal data integration (cognition, sMRI, fMRI, MEG, iEEG, PET, fluid biomakers) |
| Dr. Sam Audrain | samantha.audrain [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.audrainlab.com/ |
The Audrain Lab is looking for a graduate student to work on studies of human memory in healthy young adults using fMRI and behavioural testing.
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| Dr. Sarah Woolley | sarah.woolley [at] mcgill.ca | https://sarahwoolleylab.wordpress.com/ | We have projects focused on neuromodulation of auditory learning, recognition, and preference as well as on sensorimotor aspects of flight in zebra finches. |
| Dr. Marie Brossard-Racine | marie.brossardracine [at] mcgill.ca | www.abcdresearch.ca | |
| Dr. Yang Zhou | //yang.zhou7 [at] mcgill.ca">yang.zhou7 [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/yang-zhou-phd | Genetic engineering in model organisms for biological and translational research of neurodevelopmental disorders |
| Dr. Edward Fon | ted.fon [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/edwardfonlab/ | My lab investiates the molecular and cellular events leading to Parkinson's disease (PD). We have made contributions to understanding the function and cell biology of PD genes and in how defects in these genes lead to PD. In particular, we have focused on understanding the function of Parkin, PINK1, α-synuclein, GBA, LRRK2, and TMEM175. We have established the infrastructure at The Neuro to study these genes and pathways in human patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which we differentiate into neurons, glia and 3D brain organoids. We are currently using these iPSC systems to establish a pipeline to better understand the role of lesser-studied PD genes, identified in recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS). |
| Dr. Maiya Geddes | maiya.geddes [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/geddeslab/ | Aging, translational neuroscience, Alzheimer's disease, dementia prevention, motivation, functional MRI
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| Dr. Pouya Bashivan | pouya.bashivan [at] mcgill.ca | bashivanlab.org | 1. episodic models of hippocampus 2. modelling active vision in humans 3. working memory representations from fMRI data |
| Dr. Paul Masset | paul.masset [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/psychology/paul-masset | Distributed computations underlying cognition including dopamine-based distributed reinforcement learning. High-throughput ephys in rodents performing complex behavioral tasks and computational models/NeuroAI. |
| Dr. Jerome Fortin | jerome.fortin [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/jerome-fortin-phd | Discovery of disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets in brain cancers |
| Dr. Stephanie Zandee | stephanie.zandee [at] mcgill.ca | Our overarching goal is to uncover the mechanisms that control the initiation, progression, and repair of MS lesions using single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and machine learning (ML) approaches. We believe that deeper insight into these processes will not only advance basic science but also identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers to improve care for people living with MS. | |
| Guillaume Sebire, MD, PhD | guillaume.sebire [at] mcgill.ca | http://sebirelab.com | Role of placental inflammation in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental diseases such as autism and cerebral palsy |
| Dr. Christine Tardif | christine.tardif [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.tardiflab.com | Mapping brain microstructure and connectivity of individuals with autism spectrum disorders |
| Dr. Alex Baldwin | alexander.baldwin [at] mcgill.ca | https://mvr.mcgill.ca/Alex/ | Human visual function in disorders of vision, with application to digital tools and interventions |
| Dr. Leonard Levin | leonard.levin [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/leonard-levin-md-phd | Work on developing a molecular dynamics model of individual components of complex I in the mitochondrial electron chain relevant to Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, and then use computer techniques to screen and design drugs that modulate the function of the components. This will involve use of remote computer clusters and local fast computers, understanding of proton and electron dynamics in complex I, and related areas relevant to energy dynamics and reactive oxygen species in central nervous system neurons. |
| Dr. Mallar Chakravarty | mallar.chakravarty [at] mcgill.ca | cobralab.ca | We have several projects available for interested graduate students across several different topics. 1) We use large-scale data where we integrate clinical, lifestyle, and genetics variables alongside neuroimaging to better understand neural signatures of disease and disease risk; 2) We use longitudinal structural and functional MRI in rodent models of disease to study disease pathophysiology, neural signatures relevant to behavioural impairment, molecular and cellular profiles, and drug treatments; 3) We have methodological advancements related to data science and AI-workflows in the context of solving problems relevant to neuroimaging and neuroscience. All our work occurs across the lifespan with interest in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. |
| Dr. Mahtab Tavasoli | mahtab.tavasoli [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/mahtab-tavasoli-phd |
Our lab studies how lipid metabolism shapes brain function and vulnerability in neurological disease. We focus on key pathways such as phospholipid biosynthesis (Kennedy pathway) and sphingolipid metabolism, and how their disruption contributes to neurodegeneration, including Parkinson’s disease and rare genetic lipid disorders. Using human iPSC-derived neurons, lipidomics/metabolomics, and live-cell imaging, we investigate how cells balance lipid synthesis, storage, and use—and how this balance breaks down in disease. We welcome students interested in neurobiology, metabolism, stem cell models, and omics approaches. Trainees will gain hands-on experience in interdisciplinary research and contribute to discovery-driven projects in a collaborative environment at The Neuro. |
| Dr. Maurice Chacron |
maurice.chacron [at] mcgill.ca |
https://www.mcgill.ca/comp-sys-neuro-lab/ | Our lab is interested in understanding how the self-motion that we experience during everyday life (e.g., when talking a stroll) is processed by the brain to give rise to perception. To do so, we use non-human primate models and record from neural populations within ascending vestibular pathways while the animal experiences movements whose timecourse that closely resemble those experienced during natural behaviors. The results of our research have important implications towards the design of better treatment options for patients suffering from vestibular hypofunctions. |
| Dr. Charles Couturier | charles.couturier [at] mcgill.ca | couturierlab.com | We deconstruct tumours and the adjacent brain into cellular and molecular building blocks to understand pathological behaviours and enable new therapies. |
| Dr. Simon Thebault | simon.thebault [at] mcgill.ca | //simon.thebault [at] mcgill.ca">http://simon.thebault [at] mcgill.ca | Exploring protein and immune cell biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis. |
| Dr. Lili-Naz Hazrati |
lili-naz.hazrati [at] mcGill.ca |
Long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injury- Molecular studies with translational application | |
| Dr. Alex Barnett |
alexander.barnett [at] mcgill.ca |
https://thebarnettlab.com/ | The primary focus of the project will be examining memory in epilepsy. |
| Dr. J. Bruno Debruille | bruno.debruille [at] mcgill.ca | Identifying the effects of antipsychotics and antidepressants on preconscious and conscious stimulus processing in isolated participants as well as in participants with a familiar person. This identification will be performed using high temporal-resolution brain-imaging (event-related brain potentials), as well as behavioral (social role choices) and clinical (psychiatric symptoms) measures. | |
| Dr.
Amir Shmuel |
amir.shmuel [at] mcgill.ca | https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/amir-shmuel-phd | research program focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying functional brain imaging signals and resting-state functional connectivity, and on evaluating the extent to which they reflect the underlying neuronal activity, cortical lamina-resolved neurophysiology, and neuroimaging, as well as computational modelling of these themes. In addition, he has been applying AI-based algorithms to develop analysis tools and differentiate MRI datasets obtained from healthy control subjects and patients with neurological diseases. |