About Annemarie
I am a CanNRT Postdoctoral Fellow at l’Université de Montréal et CHU Sainte-Justine and a member of IEEE Brain, where I develop normative models for biomarkers of Neurodevelopmental disorders and investigate neural dynamics in social interactions. My research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying feelings of disconnection from the environment, examining how disruptions in sensory processing, temporal precision, and neural activity during social interactions contribute to these experiences across psychiatric conditions and neurodevelopmental differences.
My fascination with cognitive processes began with a childhood gift of ‘A Kid’s Guide to the Brain’, sparking a scientific journey that has taken me across three countries. This early interest led through science fair wins and a formative co-op placement at the Ottawa Hospital’s Cancer Centre, ultimately guiding my path toward neuroscience.
After completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, I pursued graduate studies in Germany, earning my MSc in Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Regensburg. My thesis work took me to Dublin, where I investigated the proteomics of schizophrenia at the Royal College of Surgeons.
My PhD at the University of Ottawa explored neural dynamics in healthy individuals using EEG, work that earned me the Governor General's Academic Gold Medal and resulted in multiple publications. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Mental Health Research, I applied these methods to psychiatric populations, identifying theta phase variability as a potential biomarker for schizophrenia. This research led to several high-impact publications, another award, and contributions to medical technology development.
My commitment to this work stems from both scientific curiosity and personal understanding. As a female scientist with lived experience of Neurodevelopmental disorders, I bring unique insight to research on diversity of neural activity in the brain and the importance of advancing our knowledge of neurological variations.
Currently, with funding from Centre UNIQUE and FRQNT, and as a member of IBM Quantum’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Working Group, I am exploring the transformative potential of quantum computing for neuroscience research. My work at the Precision Psychiatry and Social Physiology (PPSP) lab of Prof. Guillaume Dumas bridges computational psychiatry, social neuroscience, and cutting-edge technology to better understand how the brain processes environmental information and maintains our all important connection to our surroundings.
