Crystal is a PhD student in Psychology, specializing in the study of pain and social behaviour. She earned her BSc at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where she completed an honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Loren Martin. Her undergraduate research focused on understanding the impact of empathy for pain on working memory capacity in human populations. Currently, Crystal’s doctoral research explores the social modulation of pain. She investigates how social interactions with individuals experiencing pain vary based on social relationships, such as siblings versus strangers. Her work also delves into the underlying neural pathways and receptor mechanisms that drive these behaviours, contributing to a deeper understanding of the intersection between social dynamics and pain processing​

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"Considering that I am a small geek and used to live off of Disney channel as a kid, the guest that I would bring on my talk show would be Ashley Johnson!"

Evana is a PhD student in the Psychology program who recently joined the lab. She obtained her BSc in Biology and Psychology and MSc in Psychology at Trent University, where she examined the behavioural and neural changes in pain sensitivity within a rat model of epilepsy. In her PhD she is focusing on the electrophysiology of pain-related neural peptides and how they influence the ion actions and synaptic transmission of brain structures involved in pain modulation, such as the periaqueductal gray.

"If I had my own talk show it would involve a lot of current positive science or out-of-the-ordinary science, so Cleo Abram or Lindsay Nikole would be my first guests."

Fatama is a neuroscientist driven by curiosity and a pursuit of knowledge. She embraces uncertainty and understands that true insight lies in the questions we ask, not just the answers we find. She believes that knowledge should be shared and that collaboration fuels progress. An introverted extrovert, Fatama is happiest when surrounded by nature and wilderness, especially in the mountains and under endless skies, that’s where she feels most alive. She’s no statistician, but agrees that p-values are often misunderstood. No, they don’t tell you the probability that the null hypothesis is true or false.

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"My first guest would be Anthony Bourdain because he had a rare talent for connecting with people. His authenticity and genuine curiosity, not just about the food, but about the stories, culture, and people behind it would’ve made it a great conversation."