I was born in Bucharest, Romania, in the summer of 1982. I was lucky enough to learn English while still very young and spend most of my vacations, as a teen, visiting wonderful parts of the world with my parents. After three years of high-school in Romania, I finished my high-school education in Carbondale, Illinois, and then moved to Toronto, Canada, to pursue higher education.

I started out at the University of Toronto with an interest in mathematics and computer science. However, a cognitive science course taken in my first year (as a computer science writing prerequisite) revealed a previously unsuspected world of scientific inquiry. I became fascinated with the mind (how it is realized in the brain, how it develops, how it is consciouss) and tailored my education and research pursuits accordingly.

education:

2001 - present

      Hon. BSc. with High Distinction, University of Toronto. Graduation date: June 2006.

      Specialization: Psychology Research
      Thesis: Attentional Demand Effects on Working Memory
      Supervisor: Dr. Anthony R. McIntosh, Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre and               Department of Psychology.

      Specialization: Neuroscience
      Thesis: Cognitive Function Correlates of Age-Related Changes in EEG Power Spectra
      Supervisor: Dr. Phillip D. Zelazo, Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry.

      Minor: Mathematics
     

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research experience:

Sept. 2005 - present
      Research Technologist, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute.
      Supervisor: Dr. Douglas O. Cheyne.
      Focus Areas:

• Applications of MEG to presurgical mapping of motor cortex in epilepsy.
• MEG studies of sensorimotor control.

Summer 2005
      Summer Student, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute.
      Supervisor: Dr. Douglas O. Cheyne.
      Focus Areas:

• Applications of MEG to presurgical mapping of motor cortex in epilepsy.

Sept. 2004 - Mar. 2005
      Research Assistant, University of Toronto Psychiatric Service.
      Focus Areas:

• Entry and management of clinical data.
• Statistical evaluation of clients' satisfaction surveys.

Sept. 2002 - Aug. 2004
      Research Assistant, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
      Supervisor: Dr. Nancy L. Kocovski.
      Focus Areas:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy of social anxiety.
• Rumination and coping.

Summer 2004
      NSERC Summer Student, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
      Supervisor: Dr. Philip D. Zelazo.
      Focus Areas:

• Working memory in preschool children.
• Stereotype development in children.
• Effects of mindfulness meditation on emotion regulation.

2003 - 2004
      Research Specialization Practicum, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
      Supervisor: Dr. Philip D. Zelazo.
      Focus Areas:

• Working memory in preschool children.

Summer 2003
      Independent Research Project, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
      Supervisor: Dr. Philip D. Zelazo.
      Focus Areas:

• Working memory in preschool children.

2002 - 2003
      Research Opportunity Program, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
      Supervisor: Dr. Philip D. Zelazo.
      Focus Areas:

• Preschool children's reasoning in the context of affective stimuli.

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awards:

2005
      Canadian Psychological Association Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award.

2005
      G. L. Burton Open Scholarship (partial tuition scholarship for academic achievement), University College, Univeristy of Toronto.

2005
      Samuel Lunenfeld Summer Research Scholarship, Hospital for Sick Children.

2004
      National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA).

2002, 2003, 2004 (x2)
      University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts and Science Dean's List Scholar

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memberships:

• Cognitive Neuroscience Society
• Golden Key International Honours Society

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training:

• MEG/EEG Brain Mapping Course, Human Brain Mapping Annual Meeting, June 2005, Toronto.

• Multivariate Analysis of Neuroimaging Data Workshop, Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, April 2005, Toronto.

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skills:

• Brain imaging systems used (data acquisition, processing, and analysis):
  • Magnetoencephalography (MEG): CTF 151-channel MEG system.
  • Electroencephalography (EEG):
    • EGI 128-channel geodesic net.
    • ANT 64-channel system.
  
  
• Computer experience and familiarity with:
  • Operating systems: (Red Hat) Linux, Microsoft Windows.
  • Statistical analysis software: SPSS, SAS, LISREL.
  • Programming languages: Matlab, Pascal, Delphi, Visual Basic.
  • Stimulus presentation software: E-Prime, SuperLAB, Presentation.
  
  
• Languages:
  • Fluent in English.
  • Fluent in Romanian.
  • Working knowledge of German.

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other experience:

2004       Volunteer, Jean Piaget Society Annual Meeting.

2002       Volunteer, Geneva Centre for Autism, Toronto.

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