Meet our Team

Principal Investigator

 

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Justine Cléry is a neuroscientist. In her research, she is interested in how sensory information and social cognition are encoded in the brain and uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in non-human primate models to better understand these brain mechanisms. 

She is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University, and the head of the SSBM Lab. She is a member of the Azrieli Centre for Autism Research. She completed her Ph.D. in Neurosciences in 2017 at the University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1, under the supervision of Dr. Suliann Ben Hamed, at the Institut des Sciences Cognitives, Lyon, France.

From 2017-2021, she was a postdoctoral associate, working with Pr. Stefan Everling in the Laboratory for Neural Circuits and Cognitive Control, at Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Maëva Gacoin, Postdoctoral Researcher

Maëva Gacoin is a post-doctoral McGill researcher in Cognitive Neurosciences. She completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neurosciences in 2023 at the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, under the supervision of Dr. Suliann Ben Hamed, at the Institut des Sciences Cognitives, Lyon, France. There, she studied the enhancement of long-term plasticity in the adult macaque visual cortex by behavioral and pharmacological manipulations using fMRI.
She is now interested in social interactions in primates, the brain development and its plasticity. Her project in the SSBM team focuses in the neurodevelopment of marmoset in a social context by using fMRI to document social interaction patterns across the marmoset lifespan and relate them to human, studying brain functional connectivity, behavior and myelin mapping.
Outside of the lab, Maëva enjoys growing plants, attending concerts and exploring food specialities.

Hildelith Leyser, PhD student

Hildelith Leyser is a PhD student studying multisensory integration in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. Following an unconventional trajectory, she completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Oxford, in History in 2021, and after experiences in humanitarian aid work then went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Applied Neuroscience at the University of London, at Royal Holloway, in 2023. Hildelith’s project at the SSBM lab focuses on the neurodevelopment of the brain networks subserving multisensory integration across the early lifespan in marmoset models. Hildelith is excited about combining ultra-high field fMRI and machine learning analysis tools like DeepLabCut to understand the interplay between cognitive functions and motor movements which sheds light on how sensory experiences influence our perception of the world and interactions with others.
Outside of the lab Hildelith enjoys skating, skiing, and dancing, or very enthusiastic (but slightly tone-deaf) karaoke attempts.

Tyler Cook, PhD student

Tyler Cook is a McGill PhD student and cognitive neuroscientist working to uncover the neural systems of sensory integration and social cognition. He completed his Bachelor’s of Cognitive Science with a concentration in the Biological Foundations of Cognition and a minor in Linguistics at Carleton University in 2022.  He started his master in the SSBM lab on September 2022 and successfully fast-tracked to PhD in Summer 2024.
Tyler is interested in how sensory information is encoded in the brain, what can hinder or improve sensory encoding, and how these changes might be initiated. He also has an interest in the roles of neural immunology and neuropharmacology on brain development and their ultimate cognitive effects. 
Outside of the lab, Tyler enjoys the iterative process of brewing good espresso, appreciates quality game design, and loves taking walks with his goldendoodle, Leo.  

Jiayue Yang, PhD student

Jiayue Yang is a PhD student working on developing Parkinson’s Disease biomarkers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral analyses. She has completed her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience at McGill in the Winter of 2023 and joined the lab as an undergraduate student from January to June 2023. She then started her master in the SSBM lab on September 2023 and successfully fast-tracked to PhD in Fall 2024.
Jiayue is interested in the dynamics of brain networks in disease models, the relation of neurophysiology to specific behaviors, and the implementation of machine learning in neuroscience research. Before starting her master, she has completed an undergraduate research course within the SSBM lab using machine learning (DeepLabCut) to detect and analyze animal behaviors.
Outside of the lab, she can be found cooking new recipes.

Constance Dollet, PhD student

Constance Dollet is a PhD student, co-supervised by Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang (MGH). She obtained a master in engineering of biotechnologies in 2019, from SupBiotech (Engineering School of Biotechnologies, Paris, France). During her last year, she was also a research student in Neuroscience at Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan). She then joined the Central Institute for Experimental Animals (CIEA, Kawasaki, Japan) where she worked as a research assistant until 2023. There, she discovered marmosets’ research under the supervision of Dr. Erika Sasaki. She joined ou lab in Fall 2024 as a research assistant, putting her expertise to contribute to the growth of the SSBM lab. 
She also became interested in learning about social interactions and the development of theirs mechanisms from childhood, especially involved in vocal communication. She is interested in understanding how these mechanisms are or could be disrupt in mental health disorders, and autism spectrum disorder, shen then start her PhD in January 2024 to tackle those questions. 
Outside the lab, she enjoys hikes, skiing, and hanging out with friends.

James Wang, Master Student

James Wang is a McGill master’s student working on the neurodevelopment of multisensory integration networks using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral analyses. Having completed his bachelor's degree in Neuroscience at McGill in the Winter of 2024, he began working in the SSBM lab in the Winter of 2025. James’ main research interest is how different senses are encoded and combined in the brain and how these functions are disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Outside of the lab, James enjoys reading books, rewatching the same show for the hundredth time, hanging out with his friends, and just general tomfoolery and/or shenanigans.

Dominique Bédard, Research technician

Dominique Bédard is a research technician with over 24 years of experience. She worked for different biotechnology companies before starting at McGill 10 years ago. She has worked with various animal species and in different research field (diabetes, cancer, neurological disease). She is also doing bench work for the lab. Dominique joined the lab in January 2026, still working for another researcher. 
Outside of the lab, Dominique enjoys skiing with her family, having diners with friends and travel with her kids.

Katie Bos, Undergraduate student/Research Assistant

Katie Bos is a 4th year Honours Cognitive Science student in the interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts and Science program at McGill. With MRI analysis software she will be working at identifying regions of interest involved in social cognition and development. Throughout her degree, Katie has had the opportunity to be a Research Assistant at various labs in neuroscience and psychology, spanning from UBC (Vancouver, BC) to Trinity College Dublin (Dublin, Ireland). She completed her Honours thesis in the Fall of 2024 in Dr. Ross Otto's lab at McGill, examining the cost of changes in cognitive effort intensity. She loves interdisciplinary research and investigating topics with the hope of contributing to improving quality of life for people. Outside the lab, Katie loves to spend her time singing, playing the piano, viola or guitar, or adventuring in the outdoors.

Past trainees

Jason Ausmann, Undergraduate student, May 2024-April 2025
Jiayue Yang, Undergraduate student, Jan 2023-August 2023