QUEEN'S NEUROECONOMICS LABORATORY

Dr. Anita Tusche – I completed my Ph.D. in Psychology in Berlin (Germany) and continued my research as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Germany) and at Caltech (USA). My research lies in the emerging field of neuroeconomics, with the goal of building neurally informed computational models of human decision-making to explain individual differences in choices, such as dietary decisions, consumer behavior, and altruism. I draw on methods from psychology, neuroscience (especially fMRI), and behavioral economics, using computational models—including machine learning-based multivariate pattern analyses and drift-diffusion models—alongside computer experiments, eye-tracking, and functional and structural brain data to understand the mechanisms driving decision differences. Download CV (PDF-File, ~250kB)

Dr. Fredrik Bergström (Senior Research Fellow) – I obtained my Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience at Umeå University (Sweden), where I studied unconscious working memory, and later held a research fellowship in Coimbra (Portugal), beginning my exploration of neuroeconomics. I am fascinated by how the brain computes subjective value—both consciously and unconsciously—and how these processes shape risk-, intertemporal-, and effort-based decisions. Using functional and structural neuroimaging (MRI), neurostimulation, computational modeling, psychophysics, and advanced multivariate analyses, my research aims to uncover the neural principles underlying value-based decision-making.

Dr. Remi Janet (Associate) – I obtained my Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience in Lyon (France), where I studied social and dietary decision-making. With a background in physiology, I am fascinated by the neural substrates of social behaviors, including competitiveness and hierarchy learning. My research also examines how goals and attention shape decision-making and self-regulation, processes whose dysfunction can affect well-being and daily functioning. I use neuroimaging (fMRI and PET), computational modeling, psychological approaches, and virtual reality to investigate these questions. After time at Queen’s University, I am now back in France as a postdoc, while remaining affiliated with the Queen’s Neuroeconomics Lab to collaborate on projects exploring the neural basis of social and dietary choice.

Tavneen Sandhu (Ph.D. candidate) – I earned a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Mental Health with a minor in Psychology from Carleton University. My previous research explored how visual mental imagery affects cognitive tasks and subliminal perception. For my master’s and PhD in cognitive neuroscience, I use EEG and computational modeling to investigate the role of emotions and hunger in self-control failures.

Natalia Castro Gonzalez (Ph.D. candidate) – I earned my B.Sc. in Psychology at the Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogotá, Colombia, and an M.Sc. in Neurocognitive Psychology at the University of Oldenburg, Germany. There, I worked as a research assistant, supporting statistical training, conducting text-data mining, and developing a statistics teaching app. My research examines the neural and psychological bases of prosocial behavior, focusing on how empathy, perspective taking, and oxytocin shape altruistic decisions. I am especially interested in how long-term stress and social threat affect cognition, using behavioral experiments, physiological measures, fMRI, and computational modeling.

Karen Chisica Obando (M.Sc. candidate) – My passion for neuroscience and decision-making began during my undergraduate studies in Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Toronto. Drawing on my experience in the private wealth sector, I am particularly interested in financial decision-making and consumer behavior. My ongoing research examines how unconscious (subliminal) information guides value-based decisions, using computerized tasks and neuroimaging (fMRI). Outside the lab, you’ll most likely find me at a concert (Bad Bunny, Karol G, or The Weeknd), hunting for hidden gem restaurants, or spending time with my mischievous tuxedo cat, Robin.