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​High School Committee 2021-22
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​Zoë WARD - Co- President
Zoë is currently an MSc student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. She is researching how the effects of a combined treatment of sildenafil and hypothermia may secure better neurologic futures for babies that suffer from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Zoë has worked for over ten years with neurodiverse groups of children in Canada and the United Kingdom. She is looking forward to bringing her experience and enthusiasm to Brain Reach in this next chapter. In her free time, Zoë can be found cooking elaborate meals, cycling on Mount Royal or knitting yet another sweater. ​
Alexa MEILLEUR - Co-President
​Alexa is a third year PhD student in clinical psychology at UQAM. Her research focuses on autism and special interests, under the supervision of Dr. Isabelle Soulières. She is also interested in neuropsychology and her previous research was aimed at understanding sensory integration in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and dyslexia. Her involvement in BrainReach began as a volunteer presenter during the 2018-2019 school year, and she is now involved as a co-president. In her spare time, she loves to play volleyball, dance and hang out with friends!

​Neus Ballester - Prison team 
Neus is a PhD student in Neuroscience at Université de Montréal. She investigates the biological basis of sleep and internal rhythms of the body. She works registering the brain activity of sleeping mice and analyzing changes in their brain connections. This year she will contribute to BrainReach being English School and Volunteer Coordinators! In her free time, she sings in a choir, reads about the world and loves spending weekends in nature doing kayak or hikes.

​​Samantha Maltezos - School & Volunteer coordinator (ENG)
Samantha’s currently studying at Université de Montréal in the Ph.D. program in clinical neuropsychology (research and intervention). Her research is focused on dementia prevention, particularly through cognitive training, in older adults. She is currently researching the effects of cognitive training on brain activity over time, under the supervision of Dr Sylvie Belleville. Samantha has previously worked as a Brain Reach volunteer instructor in 2018-2019. This year, she is helping out Brain Reach as a coordinator. When her nose is not in the books, she enjoys spending time outdoors and with family, painting, and constantly re-watching her favourite TV shows.

​Prakriti Gupta - Social Media Manager
Prakriti is PhD student in Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill university. She studies the effect of sleep on motor memory consolidation using techniques like EEG and functional MRI. She discovered her passion for cognitive neuroscience during her time as a bachelor's student studying psychology. She further pursued M.Sc. in clinical neuropsychology from the Netherlands to dig deeper to understand the relationship of brain and behaviour. In her free-time she likes to spend time with nature, cook and create healthy recipes, read and travel the world. 
Zeeshan HAQQEE - External Events Coordinator & Content Creation
Zeeshan is a Neuroscience PhD student at McGill University. He uses miniature microscopes to study the neural activity of learning and memory in mice while they complete cognitive tests on a touchscreen. Previously, he completed his Masters in Psychology studying the sound localization properties of auditory neurons in echolocating bats. Zeeshan began volunteering in high schools and local events for BrainReach last year, and is now working as the External Events Coordinator as well as being a member of the updating material team. When he gets the chance, Zeeshan enjoys nature, biking, and practicing various musical instruments.

​Marie-Eve Picard - School and Volunteer Coordinator (FR)
Marie-Eve is a master student in psychology at Université de Montréal under the supervision of Professor Pierre Rainville. Her research project aims to identify a brain signature of the facial expression of pain using functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Her involvement in BrainReach began two years ago as a volunteer and continued this year as the french volunteers and school coordinator. Outside the lab, Marie-Eve’s interests include reading, training, and spending time with her dog!​

​​Juliette - Communications Manager
Juliette is a second year MSc student in cognitive neuroscience in the IPN at McGill University. Within the Fellows lab, her research is focused on multi-attribute decision making, aiming to better understand how we construct the value of options when we make a decision in the real world. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking intricate pastries and cross-country skiing in the winter.
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​Lyna Siafa - School & Volunteer coordinator (FR)
Lyna is currently in her 3rd year of medical school at McGill University. She discovered an interest in Neurology and Neurosciences during her training, and has always had an interest in Education. This year, she will contribute to BrainReach as a French School and Volunteer Coordinator! During her free time, she can be found running or exploring the outdoors with friends.

​Aliyah Zaman - School & Volunteer Coordinator (ENG)
Aliyah is an MSc student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. Her research is focused on microRNA dysregulation in neurodegenerative disorders. She is currently investigating extracellular vesicle microRNAs as biomarkers for neurodegeneration and disease progression in multiple sclerosis. Aliyah began volunteering as a BrainReach educator in 2020 and is excited to join the team as an English School and Volunteer Coordinator! In her free time, she can be found spending time outdoors with friends.

Hiba Daghar - UdeM committee manager
​Hiba is a PhD student in neuroscience at Université de Montréal in Dr. Parker's lab. Her project concerns the characterization of rare congenital diseases in different animal models. Therefore, she studies neurodevelopmental disorders in C. elegans.  Beyond her studies, Hiba is also interested in the popularization of science and mental health issues. In her free time, she likes reading, traveling and hiking. 

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