About

I am a psychology researcher and clinician, and currently work as a Clinician Scientist at Springboard Clinic. I also hold secondary affiliations with Baycrest Hospital (Canada) and Ashoka University (India).

Before this, I held postdoctoral positions at the Brain and Mind Institute in the University of Western Ontario, where my work was supported by a BrainsCAN fellowship, as well as the University of Toronto and Baycrest Hospital. I have a doctoral degree in psychology from the University of Toronto (Canada), which I received after a master’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of Oxford (U.K.), and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Christ University (India).

My scientific research involves studying artistic (especially musical) engagement and cognitive development and change across the lifespan, i.e., all the way from early childhood to late adulthood. I am interested in arts, cognitive development and change in real-world contexts, such as early arts education, communication in multicultural settings, ADHD symptom management, and aged- or dementia-care settings. I also explore ways to improve access to the arts using well-designed technology to understand if such interventions can improve people’s ability to live meaningful and flourishing lives regardless of cognitive status and age. I use a combination of behavioural and neuroscientific research methods, along with a good deal of interdisciplinary and community collaboration. Ultimately, I hope this research will give us a better understanding of how the arts, mind and brain together contribute to how we live our lives.

As a clinician, my work is focused on managing cognitive development, change and aging in the context of conditions that impact memory, attention, speech, and language skills, and the emotional difficulties that often accompany such chronic challenges with regulating one’s cognition. Needless to say, my clinical work strongly informs my research interests, and my work as a researcher in turn informs my clinical practice.

I regularly teach undergraduate, graduate and general-audience courses on the psychology and neuroscience of music, statistics and research methods, cognitive and developmental psychology, and psychology instruction. Much of my teaching work has taken place at the University of Toronto (Canada) and Ashoka University (India).

For a list of my current research projects, see the Projects page. A list of my published contributions is available in the Research Contributions page. In addition to my scientific and clinical interests, music and community work have been constant avenues for personal learning and I describe my background in these areas in the Other Interests section of this website.