Our Team
Studying the socio-cognitive neuroscience of attention
Dr. Effie J. Pereira
Principal Investigator
(she/her)
Effie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the QuAD Lab. Before this, she completed her Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Waterloo & her PhD at McGill University.
Fun fact: Outside of the lab, Effie is a big TV & movie buff, and she credits her love of science to growing up as a Trekkie
Jocelyne Harling
Lab Coordinator
(she/her)
Jocelyne recently graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in 2025. Jocelyne completed her honours thesis in the QuAD Lab, investigating attentional control across different domains of attention. She is excited to advance her research skills and career as a lab coordinator.
Fun fact: In her free time, Jocelyne loves, loves, loves, to drink coffee with a good book.
Aahana Uppal
Master’s Student in Cognitive Neuroscience
(she/her)
Aahana is a Master’s student in the Cognitive Neuroscience program at Queen’s University. She completed her Bachelor of Cognitive Science (Honours) degree at Carleton University in 2025. She is excited to learn more about individual differences in attention and to incorporate eye-tracking and neuroimaging measures in her research.
Fun fact: Aahana was in a band with her sister and cousin for a Lady Gaga cover at the age of 6!
Mridula Srikanth
Master’s Student in Cognitive Neuroscience
(she/her)
Mridula is a Master’s student in the Cognitive Neuroscience program at Queen’s University. She completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Psychology at Queen’s University in 2025. She is excited to learn more about attention and social cognition and to explore new directions and broaden her research horizons.
Fun fact: Mridula loves to crotchet, sing Carnatic (Indian classical) music, and explore new coffee places.
Nicole Hernandez
Programmer
(she/her)
Nicole is a fourth-year Computing major and Math minor at Queen’s University with an interest in AI. She is excited to help code an app for the lab’s research.
Fun fact: Nicole would love to have a cheetah as a pet and likes to embroider.
Ella Gronlund
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Ella is a third-year Life Sciences Specialization major at Queen’s University. She hopes to pursue research in Neuroscience post-undergrad and is excited to strengthen her research skills and learn more about attentional dynamics this year.
Fun fact: Ella can do a pretty solid headstand and is half Norwegian!
Emily Allan
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Emily is a fourth-year Psychology major with a minor in English Literature at Queen's University. She is excited to build her skills in cognitive research and develop hands-on lab experience. She aspires to have a career in cognitive research.
Fun fact: She lived in England for 10 months!
Jalyn Klein
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Jalyn is a fourth-year Psychology major at Queen’s University, volunteering in the QuAD Lab as a research assistant. She is excited to learn more about attention in digital environments and strengthen her research skills.
Fun fact: She is a triplet!
Leila Belhis
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Leila is a fourth-year Psychology student with a Philosophy minor at Queen’s University. She is excited to explore cognitive neuroscience, especially anything to do with memory.
Fun fact: In her free time, you’ll probably find Leila tucked into a café with a good book.
Olivia Socol
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Olivia is a first-year Health Sciences student at Queen’s University. She looks forward to developing her research skills and learning more about how attentional processes shape human behaviour.
Fun fact: Olivia is a classically trained opera singer and loves performing in her spare time!
Vishakha Desai
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Vishakha is a fourth-year Physics major at Queen’s University. She is excited about interdisciplinary work and looks forward to learning more about how attentional processes unfold over time in various environments.
Fun fact: She adores hiking, animals, and being out in nature!
Lab Alumni
Lab Coordinators
Madhumita Rajagopal (Fall24-Summer25)
Honours Thesis Students
Jocelyne Harling (Fall24—Winter25)
Mridula Srikanth (Fall24—Winter25)
Aleah Williamson (Fall25-Winter26)
Leila Belhis (Fall25-Winter26)
Directed Lab Students
Emma Jamieson (Winter25)
Aleah Williamson (Winter25)
Yvonne Pelau (Fall24)
Ryan Thompson (Fall24)
Udita Chauhan (Fall25)
Mia Popelas (Fall25-Winter26)
Charlotte Stiller (Winter26)
Research Assistants
Paige Babb (Winter25)
Julia Wang (Winter25)
Angelina Liu (Fall 24)
Maddison de Beaupre (Fall24—Summer25)
Izabela Veljkovic (Summer25—Winter26)
Selina Chalmers (Fall24—Winter26)
Ryan Thompson (Winter24—Winter26)
Dani Birenbaum Fall25 —Winter26)
Ava Fallah (Winter26)
Mya Gallant (Winter26)
Dilara Sanli (Summer25-Winter26)