Connected Minds
@connectedminds.bsky.social
Connected Minds
Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society
Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society
Congratulations to Dr. Setareh Ghahari and Reshma Parvin Nuri on their new publication! Their research explores barriers and facilitators in school access for children with disabilities in Bangladesh, with key insights for inclusive education policy. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Barriers and Facilitators in Accessing Education in Mainstream Schools for Children with Disabilities in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Secondary Data Analysis
Promoting access to mainstream schools for children with disabilities has been highlighted in national and international legislative and policy initiatives. However, children with disabilities’ acc...
www.tandfonline.com
February 20, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Congratulations to Dr. Setareh Ghahari and Reshma Parvin Nuri on their new publication! Their research explores barriers and facilitators in school access for children with disabilities in Bangladesh, with key insights for inclusive education policy. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
We're proud to celebrate Connected Minds member Dr. Jamaica Cass, appointed to the Order of Ontario! Honoured for her transformative leadership in Indigenous health and medical education, she advances Truth and Reconciliation across Canada. Well-deserved!
February 20, 2026 at 2:39 PM
We're proud to celebrate Connected Minds member Dr. Jamaica Cass, appointed to the Order of Ontario! Honoured for her transformative leadership in Indigenous health and medical education, she advances Truth and Reconciliation across Canada. Well-deserved!
Exciting research from Dr. Maren Wehrheim! Her work reviews modeling dynamic computations in the primate ventral visual stream, moving beyond static snapshots to understand how the brain processes real-world vision through intrinsic dynamics and active sensing.
arxiv.org/abs/2601.12258
arxiv.org/abs/2601.12258
Modeling Dynamic Computations in the Primate Ventral Visual Stream
A major goal of computational neuroscience has been to explain how the primate ventral visual stream (VVS) transforms visual input into temporally evolving neural representations that support robust v...
arxiv.org
February 14, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Exciting research from Dr. Maren Wehrheim! Her work reviews modeling dynamic computations in the primate ventral visual stream, moving beyond static snapshots to understand how the brain processes real-world vision through intrinsic dynamics and active sensing.
arxiv.org/abs/2601.12258
arxiv.org/abs/2601.12258
New publication from Dr. Harrison Ritz! Published in Nature's Communications Psychology, this work challenges existing models of adaptive control in decision-making, revealing how misspecified models can create misleading findings. Important methodological insights
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Misspecified models create the appearance of adaptive control during value-based choice - Communications Psychology
In a new computational analysis of previous work, this study shows that a control-free mechanism better accounts for value-based decisions than an account that assumes top-down control invigorating th...
www.nature.com
February 14, 2026 at 10:41 PM
New publication from Dr. Harrison Ritz! Published in Nature's Communications Psychology, this work challenges existing models of adaptive control in decision-making, revealing how misspecified models can create misleading findings. Important methodological insights
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Exciting PhD opportunities! Dr. Xiaodan Zhu (Connected Minds affiliated Prof) is recruiting for fully funded positions in Large Language Models, NLP, and Machine Learning at Queen's U.
Start date: Sept. 1, 2026 or Jan. 1, 2027
Contact: GROUP-taml-recruiting@queensu.ca
Application: lnkd.in/eDA-K5w4
Start date: Sept. 1, 2026 or Jan. 1, 2027
Contact: GROUP-taml-recruiting@queensu.ca
Application: lnkd.in/eDA-K5w4
Xiaodan Zhu
www.xiaodanzhu.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Exciting PhD opportunities! Dr. Xiaodan Zhu (Connected Minds affiliated Prof) is recruiting for fully funded positions in Large Language Models, NLP, and Machine Learning at Queen's U.
Start date: Sept. 1, 2026 or Jan. 1, 2027
Contact: GROUP-taml-recruiting@queensu.ca
Application: lnkd.in/eDA-K5w4
Start date: Sept. 1, 2026 or Jan. 1, 2027
Contact: GROUP-taml-recruiting@queensu.ca
Application: lnkd.in/eDA-K5w4
Exciting PhD opportunity! Dr. Matthew Pan at Ingenuity Labs is recruiting for fully funded positions in Human-Robot Interaction & Assistive Robotics. Two projects: Expressive Robotics (Connected Minds-supported) & Intelligent Assistive Robotics. Deadline: Feb 28
Apply: matthew.pan@queensu.ca
Apply: matthew.pan@queensu.ca
February 13, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Exciting PhD opportunity! Dr. Matthew Pan at Ingenuity Labs is recruiting for fully funded positions in Human-Robot Interaction & Assistive Robotics. Two projects: Expressive Robotics (Connected Minds-supported) & Intelligent Assistive Robotics. Deadline: Feb 28
Apply: matthew.pan@queensu.ca
Apply: matthew.pan@queensu.ca
Congratulations to Dr. Matthew Pan and the Ingenuity Labs team on their paper acceptance to IEEE ICRA, one of the premier conferences in robotics and automation! Proud of the groundbreaking research coming out of our affiliated labs. Exceptional achievement!
February 13, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Congratulations to Dr. Matthew Pan and the Ingenuity Labs team on their paper acceptance to IEEE ICRA, one of the premier conferences in robotics and automation! Proud of the groundbreaking research coming out of our affiliated labs. Exceptional achievement!
Celebrating Dr. Effie Pereira's ORF support! Her research uncovers how attention shifts over time using neurophysiological and computational tools, insights that impact how we process information in laboratory, real-world, and digital environments. Fascinating work!
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
February 11, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Celebrating Dr. Effie Pereira's ORF support! Her research uncovers how attention shifts over time using neurophysiological and computational tools, insights that impact how we process information in laboratory, real-world, and digital environments. Fascinating work!
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Congratulations to Dr. Jianbing Ni on his ORF funding! His research develops secure, privacy-preserving edge-caching frameworks for next-generation mobile networks, protecting against cyber attacks while advancing network security and privacy. Critical work!
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
February 11, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Congratulations to Dr. Jianbing Ni on his ORF funding! His research develops secure, privacy-preserving edge-caching frameworks for next-generation mobile networks, protecting against cyber attacks while advancing network security and privacy. Critical work!
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Exciting news! Dr. Mariam Guizani secured ORF funding to use AI for sustainable open-source software development. Her work breaks down barriers for underrepresented groups while supporting developer productivity and wellbeing. Building more inclusive tech!
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
February 11, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Exciting news! Dr. Mariam Guizani secured ORF funding to use AI for sustainable open-source software development. Her work breaks down barriers for underrepresented groups while supporting developer productivity and wellbeing. Building more inclusive tech!
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Congratulations to Dr. Emily Oby on securing Ontario Research Fund support for her work on neural mechanisms of motor control and learning! Her NHP models research will advance rehabilitation strategies following neurological impairments. Incredible work! Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
February 11, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Congratulations to Dr. Emily Oby on securing Ontario Research Fund support for her work on neural mechanisms of motor control and learning! Her NHP models research will advance rehabilitation strategies following neurological impairments. Incredible work! Read more here: lnkd.in/ercZ_d89
Join our team! Connected Minds is looking for a Scientific Engineer to design, fabricate, and maintain specialized experimental systems. From electronics to software integration, support faculty and students doing groundbreaking human-technology research.
February 11, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Join our team! Connected Minds is looking for a Scientific Engineer to design, fabricate, and maintain specialized experimental systems. From electronics to software integration, support faculty and students doing groundbreaking human-technology research.
Exciting fellowship opportunity! Queen's Faculty of Arts and Science is now accepting applications for Pre-Doctoral Fellowships for Indigenous Students and Black Studies Students. $37,000 stipend + benefits + teaching opportunity. Apply by March 31. More detail on this www.queensu.ca/artsci/gradu...
February 10, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Exciting fellowship opportunity! Queen's Faculty of Arts and Science is now accepting applications for Pre-Doctoral Fellowships for Indigenous Students and Black Studies Students. $37,000 stipend + benefits + teaching opportunity. Apply by March 31. More detail on this www.queensu.ca/artsci/gradu...
Exciting research from our new postdoc member, Amin Jalali! His GEEGA method advances brain-computer interfaces through graph-based learning of EEG representations. Accepted to ICASSP 2026, validated across three datasets with significant improvements in BCI performance!
arxiv.org/abs/2512.07820
arxiv.org/abs/2512.07820
February 8, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Exciting research from our new postdoc member, Amin Jalali! His GEEGA method advances brain-computer interfaces through graph-based learning of EEG representations. Accepted to ICASSP 2026, validated across three datasets with significant improvements in BCI performance!
arxiv.org/abs/2512.07820
arxiv.org/abs/2512.07820
Exciting research from Dr. Xiaodan Zhu! His team developed a "Detect, Explain, Escalate" framework to manage dialogue breakdowns in LLM agents. Accepted to IEEE TASLP, advancing reliability and trust in conversational AI through resource-efficient solutions! ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/doc...
Detect, Explain, Escalate: Sustainable Dialogue Breakdown Management for LLM Agents
Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated substantial capabilities in conversational AI applications, yet their susceptibility to dialogue breakdowns poses significant challenges to deployment re...
ieeexplore.ieee.org
February 6, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Exciting research from Dr. Xiaodan Zhu! His team developed a "Detect, Explain, Escalate" framework to manage dialogue breakdowns in LLM agents. Accepted to IEEE TASLP, advancing reliability and trust in conversational AI through resource-efficient solutions! ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/doc...
Exciting research from Dr. Gavin Winston at Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies! New publication shows robotic assessment can identify distinct cognitive phenotypes in TLE and GGE through clustering methods, revealing meaningful patterns in how epilepsy affects cognition! lnkd.in/gs8tdJRQ
February 6, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Exciting research from Dr. Gavin Winston at Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies! New publication shows robotic assessment can identify distinct cognitive phenotypes in TLE and GGE through clustering methods, revealing meaningful patterns in how epilepsy affects cognition! lnkd.in/gs8tdJRQ
What an extraordinary visit! Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel laureate and "Godfather of AI," came to Ingenuity Labs. Their researchers had the privilege of engaging with one of the most transformative minds in artificial intelligence. Inspiring moment!
February 6, 2026 at 5:51 PM
What an extraordinary visit! Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel laureate and "Godfather of AI," came to Ingenuity Labs. Their researchers had the privilege of engaging with one of the most transformative minds in artificial intelligence. Inspiring moment!
Congratulations to Dr. Vijay Mago! His team combines administrative data, community surveys, and AI analysis to understand how digital environments impact mental well-being for people experiencing homelessness. Co-designed with communities, equity-driven research that responds to reality.
February 3, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Congratulations to Dr. Vijay Mago! His team combines administrative data, community surveys, and AI analysis to understand how digital environments impact mental well-being for people experiencing homelessness. Co-designed with communities, equity-driven research that responds to reality.
Dr. Poonam Puri new Seed Grant examines the mental health impacts of cryptocurrency fraud in Canada, documenting anxiety, shame, and isolation experienced by victims. Combining law, psychology, and finance to inform prevention and policy that reflects lived experience. Learn more: lnkd.in/erfxeazj
February 3, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Dr. Poonam Puri new Seed Grant examines the mental health impacts of cryptocurrency fraud in Canada, documenting anxiety, shame, and isolation experienced by victims. Combining law, psychology, and finance to inform prevention and policy that reflects lived experience. Learn more: lnkd.in/erfxeazj
Congratulations to Dr. Gavin Winston and Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies! Their research using Kinarm robotic assessment reveals that TLE patients show impaired reaction time, processing speed, and accuracy, while basic motor function remains preserved. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Comparing the cognitive-motor performance of individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy versus healthy controls using robotics
Cognitive impairments are common in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Interactive Kinarm robotic systems provide a novel approach to quan…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Congratulations to Dr. Gavin Winston and Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies! Their research using Kinarm robotic assessment reveals that TLE patients show impaired reaction time, processing speed, and accuracy, while basic motor function remains preserved. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New Seed Grant! Dr. Jonathan Michaels and co-PIs are developing a wireless neural implant that records thousands of neurons across brain regions for months. This breakthrough enables long-term observation of how the brain learns, advancing for neuroscience, BCIs! More about this: lnkd.in/erfxeazj
January 31, 2026 at 4:49 PM
New Seed Grant! Dr. Jonathan Michaels and co-PIs are developing a wireless neural implant that records thousands of neurons across brain regions for months. This breakthrough enables long-term observation of how the brain learns, advancing for neuroscience, BCIs! More about this: lnkd.in/erfxeazj
Congratulations to Dr. Benedict Weobong and co-PIs on new Seed Grant! Their project combines LLM and non-verbal robotics to create emotionally responsive support for young adults. Co-designed with participants, human-centred AI that prioritizes trust and comfort. More detail on this lnkd.in/erfxeazj
January 31, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Congratulations to Dr. Benedict Weobong and co-PIs on new Seed Grant! Their project combines LLM and non-verbal robotics to create emotionally responsive support for young adults. Co-designed with participants, human-centred AI that prioritizes trust and comfort. More detail on this lnkd.in/erfxeazj
New Seed Grant! Dr. Hossein Kassiri and co-PIs are developing Predictive Adaptive Neurostimulation, an intelligent system using personalized digital twins to make brain stimulation safer and more responsive. Starting with epilepsy, this could transform treatment for stroke and chronic pain.
January 28, 2026 at 8:14 PM
New Seed Grant! Dr. Hossein Kassiri and co-PIs are developing Predictive Adaptive Neurostimulation, an intelligent system using personalized digital twins to make brain stimulation safer and more responsive. Starting with epilepsy, this could transform treatment for stroke and chronic pain.
Celebrating Dr. Erez Freud's Seed Grant! His team uses markerless motion tracking and AI to study natural movement patterns for earlier, more accessible autism identification. Co-created with clinicians and neurodivergent communities, inclusive tech that reflects lived experience!
January 27, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Celebrating Dr. Erez Freud's Seed Grant! His team uses markerless motion tracking and AI to study natural movement patterns for earlier, more accessible autism identification. Co-created with clinicians and neurodivergent communities, inclusive tech that reflects lived experience!
Celebrating our latest Seed Grant recipient! Dr. Achala Rodrigo's project uses accessible ML integrating behavioral and brain data to improve mental health risk identification for post-secondary students, centering equity and collaboration. Read more about this project: www.yorku.ca/research/con...
January 27, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Celebrating our latest Seed Grant recipient! Dr. Achala Rodrigo's project uses accessible ML integrating behavioral and brain data to improve mental health risk identification for post-secondary students, centering equity and collaboration. Read more about this project: www.yorku.ca/research/con...