Team members

Principal investigator

Lab members

Liv ENGEL

Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Sex and Gender doctoral fellow

liv dot engel at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I received my BA in Psychology at Reed College and am now a 1st year PhD student in the Psychology department at the University of Toronto. In my undergraduate research I examined the role of estrogen receptors in ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety. I then became a lab manager in the Saunders lab at the University of Minnesota and investigated how distinct dopamine projections from the midbrain to the dorsal or ventral striatum conferred different motivational properties to Pavlovian cues. In my graduate work, I will be focusing on hippocampal and prefrontal circuits of contextual fear expression and extinction. Outside of the lab I enjoy biking, film photography, and brewing beer.

Ameen SALIM

Undergraduate student

alameen dot salim at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I am currently a second-year student completing a Specialist in Cognitive Neuroscience and a Minor in Psychology. I am interested in the neural mechanisms behind perception, intrapersonal and interpersonal behaviour, and both chemical and psychological methods of altering or improving cognitive function. Outside of school and the lab, I spend my time reading, writing, and working out. I also love learning about human history, sociology, music, and evolutionary biology.

Megan LOZZI

CGS master’s fellow

megan dot lozzi at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I completed my BA in Psychology at Concordia University. Throughout my degree I worked in the Iordanova lab, studying the neural substrates underlying various forms of Pavlovian fear and reward learning. I later joined the Fulton lab at the University of Montreal as a research assistant, contributing to projects examining the interaction between nutrition, neural processes, and affective behaviour. During my PhD, I will look at how the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and periaqueductal grey contribute to contextual fear learning and the generation of defensive behaviours in mice. In my free time I like being outside, cycling, and learning about paleontology.

Shaghayegh SHAHIN FAR

UTEA fellowship student

shaghayegh dot shahin dot far at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I am a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a co-op specialist degree in cellular & molecular neuroscience. I am interested in cellular mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases and the application of calcium imaging recordings and optogenetics to investigate on neural circuit-dysfunction-related diseases like Parkinson’s. Outside of school, I enjoy doing my workout routine, cooking, swimming, and playing music!

Winnie HSIANG

Undergraduate student

winnie dot hsiang at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I am a third-year Computer Engineering student, majoring in Software Engineering with minors in Artificial Intelligence and Bioengineering. I have a strong passion for interdisciplinary learning and enjoy exploring diverse research areas. In my leisure time, I am a pianist, and music plays a significant role in my life. My favorite composer is Scriabin—if you haven't heard of him, he is amazing!

Alex CHEN

Undergraduate student

alexly dot chen at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I am a third-year student specializing in cellular and molecular neuroscience. My research interests mainly focus on decoding neural signals and understanding how manipulation of brain circuitry can induce behavioral change. I’m a strong enthusiast of late imperial Chinese history and antique collections, and I spend most of my spare time reading, writing, practicing calligraphy, and traveling whenever possible.

Sayona BHATTACHARYYA

PhD student

at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I earned my Honours degree in the Bachelor of Biomedicine at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health / University of Melbourne in 2024, following a Bachelor of Science at Monash University in 2023. My Honours research examined the role of excitatory post-synaptic proteins in regulating motivated behaviours, such as effort-based decision-making. I used calcium imaging (Miniscopes) to record prefrontal neural activity during a novel rodent touchscreen task. Additionally, I investigated the pro-cognitive effects of psychoactive substances such as ketamine and psilocybin in a depressive mouse model. I continued this work as a graduate research assistant in the Synapse Biology & Cognition Lab at the Florey. During my PhD at the Rozeske lab, I’ll be using Miniscopes to explore prefrontal circuitry involved in context-based fear expression. Outside the lab, I enjoy boxing, hot mat Pilates, hiking, travelling, and spending time in nature.

Ricardo TELLO MARROQUIN

PhD student

ricardo dot tellomarroquin at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I completed my Honours Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto Scarborough, where I pursued a double major in Neuroscience and Mental Health and a minor in Biology. Throughout my undergraduate studies, both my coursework and research experience in the Itolimbic Lab deepened my fascination with the behavioural and neural mechanisms underlying fear and trauma. Now, as I begin graduate studies, I’m excited to build on this foundation and develop technical skills in methods like electrophysiology, while continuing to explore new approaches and tools in neuroscience research. Outside of academics, I’m passionate about mixed martial arts and spend much of my free time training and fighting. I also enjoy playing guitar, which has become a creative outlet and long-standing hobby of mine

Magesha ANPALAGAN

Undergraduate student

magesha dot anpalagan at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I am currently a third-year student Double Majoring in Human Biology and Neuroscience and a Minor in Applied Statistics.  My interest in research is how genes influence the brain, particularly habitual behavior, and sleep. In my free time I like to read and listen to music. 

Fatemeh (Shadi) POURYAHYA

Research Assistant

shadi dot pouryahya at mail dot utoronto dot ca

I earned my BSc in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science from the University of Tehran, and my MSc in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Ottawa. My early research focused on statistical phylogenetics, where I developed a probabilistic test for chromosomal accumulation in autopolyploid genomes, using the topological structure of induced subgraphs on phylogenetic trees. Since then, I’ve built on that foundation by working at the intersection of computational biology, systems neuroscience, and machine learning. My recent work involves multi-scale modeling of memory decline, investigating how disruptions in conserved signaling pathways and neural microcircuits can destabilize engram dynamics and impair cognitive flexibility. At the Rozeske Lab, I focus on building and optimizing computational pipelines to support research on the neural circuits underlying fear, anxiety, and adaptive behavior. Outside the lab, I enjoy long walks and exploring early-stage projects in storytelling and animation.

Lab alumni

Emily WONG: Pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Toronto

Brian WU: completed Master’s degree in psychology at Western University

Kaili WU: currently pursuing a Master’s degree public health at Johns Hopkins University

Jahmar HEWITT: Pursuing medical degree

Mahnoor KHAN: Pursuing medical degree

Krit GROVER: continuing bachelor’s degree

Bilal ASSADI: continuing bachelor’s degree

Nawal AFZAL: continuing bachelor’s degree

Claire SHAO: continuing bachelor’s degree

Nithilan SURESH: continuing bachelor’s degree