Research Team

  • Anjana Rajendran BSc

    Anjana is an MSc Student in the Graduate Program in neuroscience. Anjana has completed her BSc in Behavioural Neuroscience and English Literature at the University of British Columbia. Her interest in disorders impacting the nervous system began with her involvement in investigating the ketogenic diet in mice models of multiple sclerosis at ICORD during her undergraduate degree. Seeing Dr. Lara Boyd’s work investigating how individual, neurobiological differences affect recovery, specifically using imaging, drew her to the lab. Anjana hopes to continue exploring how we can tailor stroke recovery to match an individuals neurological profile through her Master’s degree. When not in the lab you can find her singing with her a cappella group or exploring coffeeshops in Vancouver.

  • Bev Larssen MSc

    Bev Larssen is currently a student in the MPT/PhD program at the University of British Columbia. Bev completed her BHK and MSc under the supervision of Dr. Nicola Hodges in the School of Kinesiology, also at UBC. During her undergraduate and MSc programs, Bev studied the role of feedback and observational practice in adaptation learning. After completing her physical therapy training, with the supervision of Dr. Lara Boyd, she plans to study the use of robotic devices in upper-limb training interventions, and how they can be used as a tool to facilitate motor performance and learning.

  • Christy Jones MSc

    Christy is a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences. Christy completed her undergraduate training in Kinesiology at UBC and at the Queensland University of Technology and her Master’s degree in Neuroscience at McMaster University. Her past research has looked at neuroplasticity in healthy and clinical populations using non-invasive brain stimulation as well as balance and gait in Parkinson’s disease. Currently, she is interested in using neurotechnology and portable devices for rehabilitation of individuals following stroke. Her thesis is focused specifically on how we can use EEG-based biomarkers as objective measures of motor function. She is currently completing a Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship with a Surrey-based health technology company, HealthTech Connex.

    When not in the lab, you can find her in the mountains, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking and skiing and is always happy to share her love of these activities with anyone who is interested!

  • Cristina Rubino MSc

    Cristina Rubino is investigating how the visual system supports learning of novel motor skills. Specifically, she is using the KINARM robot with integrated eye-tracking to uncover how eye and hand movements work together. She is also using functional and structural neuroimaging to discover how brain networks that support visuomotor function shift after motor learning. Cristina’s goal is to enhance our understanding of visuomotor dysfunction after stroke, and promote visuomotor recovery for people living with stroke. Outside the lab, Cristina likes to explore new places through road biking, hiking, snowboarding, and playing Ultimate Frisbee.

  • Justin William Andrushko PhD

    Justin Andrushko is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Brain Behaviour Laboratory. Justin completed his Ph.D. in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan where he worked with Dr. Jonathan Farthing. Justin’s previous research focused on the inter-limb transfer of unilateral motor training to the opposite untrained limb, often termed cross-education, and understanding how the brain and nervous system adapt to motor training and disuse. Justin has held visiting researcher appointments at Deakin University in Melbourne Australia and at the University of Oxford in Oxford England where he worked with Dr. Ashlee Hendy (Deakin) and Professor Charlotte Stagg (Oxford). For his postdoctoral research Justin is interested in determining the role of non-primary descending motor pathways in post-stroke motor recovery in individuals with severe hemiparesis.

  • Negin Motamed Yeganeh PhD

    Negin Motamed Yeganeh is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Tehran, Iran. During her Ph.D. program, she worked with Dr. Rachel Weber and Dr. Lara Boyd on the Arrowsmith Brain imaging study at the University of British Columbia. The goal of this research was to improve the understanding of learning disabilities and develop better educational interventions for children. After earning her Ph.D., Negin returned to UBC to continue her work in the field of learning disabilities and neuropsychological assessments. For her postdoctoral research, she is investigating whether opera training can sculpt the brain to enhance learning. She is working with a team of interdisciplinary experts at UBC to determine if intensive language practice through opera can result in changes in brain structure and function that improve learning, memory, and executive function. This work will further the knowledge in the field of music and language psychology.

    Research Interests

    Neuropsychology and Neuropsychological Assessment,  Cognitive Development, Executive Functioning, Learning Disability, Psycholinguistics

  • Ronan Denyer BA

    Ronan Denyer completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, where his final year thesis project investigating the neurophysiological basis of interlimb transfer using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was supervised by Dr. Richard Carson. Ronan moved to Vancouver in 2017 to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience at The University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Lara Boyd. His PhD thesis research in the Brain Behaviour Lab aims to better understand the neural control of simple and complex bimanual movements by combining neuroimaging, brain stimulation, and behavioural methodologies.

  • Shie Rinat MSc

    Shie is a PhD student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program. She completed her BOT at Tel Aviv University, and her MSc at UBC. Her graduate work with Dr. Jill Zwicker investigated neural correlates of Developmental Coordination Disorder. Shie’s passion for stroke research began while working as an occupational therapist in an inpatient neurological rehabilitation unit in Tel-Aviv. Her doctoral work aims to investigate stroke in women, and specifically, the effect of sex hormones and past pregnancies on stroke risk and recovery in women. Although women account for 60% of stroke-related deaths, they are often under-represented in stroke research. As a result, the unique risk factors affecting women’s stroke risk and recovery are largely understudied and poorly understood. The outcomes of Shie’s research will help close this gap in knowledge, and promote care for women with stroke.