Principal Investigator

Loren Martin

Dr. Martin is currently an Associate Professor in Psychology at UTM and Canada Research Chair in Translational Pain Research. Dr. Martin received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (Institute of Medical Science) in 2009 where he studied synaptic plasticity and memory mechanisms in the laboratory of Dr. Beverley Orser. He then expanded his knowledge by undertaking postdoctoral training in the pain genetics laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey Mogil (McGill University). While at McGill, he studied growth factor genes important for the development of chronic pain, as well as how the environment changes pain behaviour in mice and humans. Since starting his faculty position in 2015, he has published >30 papers, reviews, and chapters (20 as first/senior author, and 12 with my trainees as the first author). These include Journal of Clinical Investigation, Current Biology [x2], Neuropsychopharmacology [1], Pain [6], Scientific Reports (x2), and Molecular Brain. These publications broadly cover the development of novel behavioural measures and brain mechanisms pertaining to the 1) social modulation of pain and 2) learning mechanisms of pain. The lab also has publications in other domains such as pain genetics, but these are primarily collaborative efforts. Dr. Martin was the 2019 Canadian Pain Society Early Career Award recipient and has received funding for his work through the CIHR, NSERC, CFI, and the Canadian Pain Society.

"If I had my own late-night talk show, the first guest I'd have on is Kurt Cobain for 3 reasons:

1. Nirvana was such a crucial part of my formative years, sparking my own garage band (of which we played many Nirvana covers) and expanding my musical horizons by introducing me to bands such as the Meat Puppets, Pixies, Black Flag, and Dead Kennedys.

2. He was a trailblazer and way ahead of his time. He was outspoken on gay rights, homophobia, and sexism. He once said he wished he'd been gay, just to annoy homophobic people, and often wore dresses to protest against sexism.

3. He was flawed in many ways, but he used these flaws to drive creativity and inspire countless people."

Postdoctoral Research Fellows

Seyed Asaad Karimi

Asaad is a research fellow studying how chronic pain shapes neural circuits and affects sensory, emotional, social, and cognitive processes. He specializes in techniques such as patch-clamp recording, engram technology, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and fiber photometry. Outside the lab, Asaad enjoys football, volleyball, Kurdish dance and music, and cherishes time with his family, especially as a father to his young son.

"If I were a late-night talk show host, I’d love to interview someone inspiring and impactful, like Naser Razazi, a legendary Kurdish singer, poet, and writer. His unique stories, dedication to Kurdish culture, and influence on the world would make for fascinating conversations."

Damien Boorman

I have always been curious to learn as much as I can about how the world works, and then to use this knowledge to improve the wellbeing of as many people as possible. My educational and professional careers both reflect this. After high school, I completed a BA in philosophy at the University of Sydney, which developed and honed my critical thinking and reasoning skills. Throughout this degree (and after) I worked as an events supervisor at several function centres across Sydney. After traveling abroad for a year, I returned to Sydney to complete a Bachelor of Science (Honours), majoring in neuroscience, receiving First Class Honours and the University Medal. I then completed my PhD at the Brain and Mind Centre, where I developed novel preclinical models of placebo analgesia in the context of chronic pain. I extended this work as a postdoctoral researcher in the Lab of Neural Structure and Function. During this time, I also discovered a love for teaching in my roles as an anatomy tutor and an educational designer. I have enjoyed this work immensely and plan to continue as a research neuroscientist/ academic in the years to come.

"First talk show guest would be Oliver Sacks"

Researchers

Research Associate

Khadijeh Esmaeilpour

Dr. Khadijeh Esmaeilpour is a neuroscientist specializing in learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and has extensive expertise in electrophysiology, including in vivo and in vitro field potential recording and patch-clamp techniques. Her postdoctoral research at the University of Waterloo focused on quantum neuroscience and multi-electrode array recordings. Currently, she is a Research Associate at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Research Assistant

Shivani Gami

Shivani is a Research Assistant in the Martin Pain Lab with a strong background in forensic and molecular biology . She joined the lab in 2025, where she conducts experiments exploring the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying pain modulation. Her work involves techniques such as genotyping, protein quantification, Western blotting, and other molecular assays that contribute to the lab’s broader investigations of neural pathways involved in pain processing.

She graduated with an HB.Sc in Biology, Chemistry, and Forensic Science from UTM, where she also conducted forensic DNA recovery and degradation studies as part of multiple research projects.

Shivani’s interdisciplinary experience bridges forensic and neurobiological approaches, reflecting her passion for understanding the biological signatures of complex human conditions.

Research Assistant (Extrernal)

Carolina

Hi, I’m Carolina! I studied Anatomy & Cell Biology at McGill University, where I researched neuroinformatics and computational modelling. After gaining experience in the biotech industry through clinical research, I’m now pursuing a Master’s in Global Health at McMaster. My interests focus on pediatric health and how social factors (like the placebo effect, language, and environmental cues) can shape care. If I could invite anyone to a talk show, it would be J.S. Bach. I’m a huge classical music fan, and I love how his music shows that something seemingly intangible can still have a powerful effect on the brain and body.

Research Assistant (Extrernal)

Raha

Raha is a psychology masters student at UofT who got her bachelors in psychology and cognitive science. Her main research interests lie in flourishing and how children and adolescents can develop in a way that sets them up for meaningful lives in the future. This includes attachment and identity, as well factors that can impede this development such as cannabis use and cell phone addiction. “If I could invite someone to my talk show, it would ALSO be Anthony Bourdain. He’s just so cool and it says a lot that two other people at the Martin Pain lab already invited him before me :’)

Graduate Students

Crystal Mui

Crystal is a PhD student in Psychology, specializing in the study of pain and social behaviour. She earned her BSc at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where she completed an honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Loren Martin. Her undergraduate research focused on understanding the impact of empathy for pain on working memory capacity in human populations. Currently, Crystal’s doctoral research explores the social modulation of pain. She investigates how social interactions with individuals experiencing pain vary based on social relationships, such as siblings versus strangers. Her work also delves into the underlying neural pathways and receptor mechanisms that drive these behaviours, contributing to a deeper understanding of the intersection between social dynamics and pain processing

"Considering that I am a small geek and used to live off of Disney channel as a kid, the guest that I would bring on my talk show would be Ashley Johnson!"

X.E.

X.E. is a PhD student in the Psychology program who recently joined the lab. In her PhD she is focusing on the electrophysiology of pain-related neural peptides and how they influence the ion actions and synaptic transmission of brain structures involved in pain modulation, such as the periaqueductal gray.

"If I had my own talk show it would involve a lot of current positive science or out-of-the-ordinary science, so Cleo Abram or Lindsay Nikole would be my first guests."

Fatama Zahra

Fatama is a neuroscientist driven by curiosity and a pursuit of knowledge. She embraces uncertainty and understands that true insight lies in the questions we ask, not just the answers we find. She believes that knowledge should be shared and that collaboration fuels progress. An introverted extrovert, Fatama is happiest when surrounded by nature and wilderness, especially in the mountains and under endless skies, that’s where she feels most alive. She’s no statistician, but agrees that p-values are often misunderstood. No, they don’t tell you the probability that the null hypothesis is true or false.

"My first guest would be Anthony Bourdain because he had a rare talent for connecting with people. His authenticity and genuine curiosity, not just about the food, but about the stories, culture, and people behind it would’ve made it a great conversation."

Maryam Fazili

Maryam is an MSc Cell & Systems Biology student, specializing in Neuroscience and the study of pain. She is a UTM survivor who graduated with an Honors Bachelor of Science, specializing in Neuroscience and Minoring in English & Sociology. Her MSc thesis focuses on investigating the role of cholecystokinin in chronic pain, by finding new CCK+ neural pathways within the brain and manipulating them to understand their role in pain modulation.

“If I had to invite a guest for a talk show, I would invite Anthony Bourdain, Hayao Miyazaki, or Maya Angelou - in fact put em in one room and we’ll get some answers to life!!”

Harashdeep Deol

Harashdeep completed her Honours Bachelor of Science at UTM followed by her MA in 2021. Her current PhD thesis examines the psychosocial effects of cohabitation with a chronic morphine administered partner.

"If I had my own talk show my first guest would be: Rupaul. Love him, love the show, would love the vibes"

Zahra Siddiqi

Zahra completed her HBSc degree at UTM and is currently a PhD candidate. Her project focuses on using predator odour in an environmental stress model to investigate the neural mechanisms of defensive behaviours in mice. She is also in the process of training DeepLabCut to code videos for different behaviour assays.

"I’d probably have to do some serious necromancy but my ideal talk show guest would be Steve Irwin or Robin Williams because they were a huge part of my childhood and I miss them.”

Julia Krimberg

Julia is a PhD candidate in Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto, studying how the body adapts during pregnancy. She’s particularly interested in the molecular and epigenetic shifts that influence stress and pain responses. With a background in Clinical Psychology and an MSc in Neuroscience, Julia has worked with both human participants and animal models, giving her a broad perspective on research. She’s passionate about rigorous, transparent science and enjoys applying creativity to develop new tools and approaches that make research more reliable—and more fun

Maya Sunda

Maya completed her Undergraduate in Psychology at U of T. As a current PhD student, her work looks to explore engrams of positive valence experiences. She is particularly interested in integrating this work with the study of pain. Maya is driven by a passion to explore the mechanisms underlying chronic pain and hopes to leverage her findings to develop novel pain relief interventions.

Undergraduate Students

Jacob Burek

Jacob is a second year undergraduate student pursuing a molecular biology specialist. In his spare time he likes to learn new songs to play on the piano and enjoys playing soccer. He is interested in research about the placebo and nocebo effect and studying how they are both connected.

"My first guest would be Messi because he'd be fun to talk with."

Isabella Tomanelli

Isabella is a fourth year undergraduate specializing in neuroscience with a minor in biology. She is currently working with Crystal on her undergraduate honours thesis examining oxytocin’s role in the social modulation of pain. Outside of school, Isabella enjoys her “grandma-hobbies” such as baking, reading, and crocheting.

Andrew Boyce

Andrew is a fourth year Neuroscience specialist undergraduate student and is fascinated by behavioural psychology and translational neuroscience. Ultimately, he is aspiring to pursue research and clinical practice in neuropscyhology. Aside from academics, Andrew loves guitar, hiking, and reading.

"My first talk show guest would be Andrew Huberman, that would be a great discussion."

Lovleen Gill

Lovleen is an undergraduate Honours Bachelor of Science candidate, double majoring in Biology for Health Science and Psychology. She is curious about how pain is shaped by molecular pathways and social experiences. Beyond her academics and extracurriculars, Lovleen cherishes staying active and indulging in a variety of different art forms.

Lara Ramadan

Lara is a third year undergraduate student pursuing a psychology and biology for health sciences double majors. She is currently working on the Raspberry Pi project where she troubleshoots, codes and test behavioural recordings. Outside of the lab, Lara loves to learning about new things endlessly to the point of chaos.

Victoria Baran

Victoria is a third-year undergraduate majoring in psychology with minors in sociology and forensic science. She is passionate about understanding behavior, with a focus on the cognitive processes and environmental factors that influence it.

Outside of academics, Victoria enjoys staying active at the gym, discovering new music, and indulging in the occasional deep-cleaning spree.

"If I hosted a late-night talk show, my dream first guest would be Frank Ocean—so I could finally know when he’s dropping his next album."

Farhada Khaled

I am a third-year undergraduate student specializing in Neuroscience with a minor in Biology. I started working in the lab from Summer 2025 and am currently working with Dr. Damien Boorman on the CCI Susceptibility project. What I enjoy most in the lab is getting to handle the cute mice :)

If I ever had my own talk show, my first guest would be Wong Kar Wai because I’m a bit of a pretentious movie watcher.

Lab Alumni

Post-Doctoral Fellows:

Chulmin Cho, Ph.D
Marcia Roy, Ph.D
Roshanak Vesali, Ph.D

Graduate Students:

Jennet Baumbach, Ph.D
Sandra Poulson, Ph.D
Navdeep Lidhar, Ph.D
Soroush Darvish-Ghane, Ph.D
Simran Rehal, M.Sc.
Vassilia Michailidis, M.Sc.
Claire Chan, M.Sc.
Erinn Acland, M.A.
Sivaani Sivaselvachandran, M.A.

Undergraduate Students:

Abiram Chandiramohan
Ahmed Aldarraji
Aishwarya Nair
Amanda Leonetti
Amirah Farooq
Andrew Jiang
Antonietta Mandatori
Areej Fatima
Ashley Mutasa
Batul Presswala
Daina Wilkialis
Dure Khan
Elvea Candera
Erica Winks
Fatima Safi
Fatima Wassif
Fiona Ramanaraign
Harsukh Sidhu
Hyun Been Park
Iqra Arain
Keza Motlana
Loay Moharram
Maria Malik

Martha Pokrawski
Mary Loka
Matthew Danesh
Meruba Sivaselvachandran
Mina Boshra
Mona Moshin
Nafia Mirza
Natalia Dziekonski
Nirlap Brar
Nirushi Kuhathasan
Pawandeep Sandhu
Precia Christian
Rachael Stubits
Racheal Lui
Rachel Riley
Ruchi Shah
Sally Abdallah
Sana Khan
Sara Rosen
Simran Kanda
Sophia Munir
Wanning Cui
Zainab Zakaria