THE WiNTER LAB
Meet Our Team
The Hearts and Brains of the Lab
Gavin Winston is a clinician scientist and neurologist/epileptologist who leads the WiNTER Lab that he established at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in 2015 and moved to Queen's University from 2019. His research interests lie in the use of multimodal information and computational approaches including neuroimaging, neurophysiology, robotics and machine learning to the diagnosis and treatment of people with epilepsy, with a strong focus on clinical translation. He trained and worked in the UK (University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and University College London) for a couple of decades before moving over to Canada with his family. On the rare occasions he is not working, he is interested in music (including playing the organ), hiking, swimming and is perfecting his skating/skiing for the Canadian winters.
Karla earned her BSc in Nuclear Engineering, MSc in Medical Physics and PhD in Bioinformatics (Neuroscience) from the University of Havana, Cuba. Karla’s research involved computational modelling and analysis of multi-modal neuroimaging data. She joined the WiNTER Lab in 2023 as a postdoctoral fellow where her work focuses on brain connectivity, network analysis and neuroimaging biomarkers of cognitive dysfunction in people with epilepsy.
Maddie Hopkins is a student at Queen’s University enrolled in a combined BSc (Hons) in Life Sciences and MSc in Neuroscience. In her spare time, Maddie enjoys listening to music, going for hikes with her dog Billie, and spending time with her family and friends. Her research interests include clinical neuroscience, neuroimaging, and disorders of the nervous system such as epilepsy.
Maddie is currently working on a research project that involves neuroimaging in patients with epilepsy. This project is enhancing her understanding of functional MRI, and presurgical assessment before epilepsy surgery. In the future Maddie hopes to attend medical school with the aspiration of translating her research experience into clinical practice.
Matthew joined the lab in Fall 2024 as an MSc grad student. He previously completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology with an emphasis on Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at Western University. His undergraduate thesis focused on using EEG to investigate the real-time neural dynamics of speech comprehension.
Matthew's current research utilizes advanced neuroimaging techniques to enhance the pre-surgical assessment of patients with epilepsy. His project evaluates the utility of these techniques in the clinical decision-making process at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) District Epilepsy Centre. The goal is to develop a clinically useful pre-surgical protocol that increases the number of patients eligible for epilepsy surgery and improves surgical outcomes worldwide. Outside of research, Matthew enjoys playing soccer, running, and spending time with friends and family.
Aikam joined the WiNTER lab in the Fall of 2024 as an MSc student in the Department of Translational Medicine, supervised by Dr. Winston. She previously completed her BHSc (Hons) also at Queen's University. Aikam's research project focuses on the use of advanced neuroimaging technique to inform pre-surgical assessments of patients presenting with epilepsy. In her spare time, her hobbies include singing, dancing, and traveling. Among her accomplishments, she once traveled to nine countries in the span of three months.
Chris graduated from the University of Guelph in the Winter of 2007 with an MSc in Microbiology. He previously completed a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology (Co-op program) also from the U of Guelph.
Chris grew up exploring the beautiful Bruce Peninsula near Owen Sound, Ontario. He has lived in Saskatoon, SK, and in the States of Ohio and Minnesota in the USA. He spent 10 years working in an Alzheimer's Disease research lab at the University of Minnesota where he gained considerable experience in neurology. After a long absence from Canada, he moved to Kingston with his family in 2024 and joined the WiNTER lab as a Research Associate. His research project is focused on developing a multimodal predictive model of seizure recurrence to inform the treatment of patients after an unprovoked first seizure. Chris's research interests include cognitive neuroscience, neurology, and clinical neuropsychology. In his spare time, Chris enjoys nature walks and hikes, board games, building computers, and playing computer games.
Dhruv Patel is a first-year medical student at the Queen’s University School of Medicine. His research interests involve looking at medical applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence, with previous projects in medical imaging and genomics. Currently, Dhruv is working on designing clustering algorithms to distinguish between cognitive impairment subtypes in people with epilepsy, using cognitive assessment data collected from the KINARM robot. The main goal of this research is to provide an efficient method to determine cognitive impairment among epilepsy patients with robotic assessment, decreasing the need for pen-and-paper assessments. Outside of research, Dhruv enjoys playing racquet sports like badminton and table tennis, as well as reading books and watching movies.
​Danielle is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Queen's University. Her interest in neurology stems from working with patients in the transitional care unit at her local hospital and volunteering with the KFL&A Alzheimer's Society Peer Support Groups. These experiences fostered an interest in learning about the mechanisms impacting the progression of neurodegenerative disease. Currently, she is undertaking a role as undergraduate student researcher with the WiNTER Lab, where she will be working on a project focused on investigating the bidirectional relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. Danielle enjoys indoor cycling, teaching at the Kingston School of Dance, and trying new recipes.
Kristen Kyone joined the WiNTER lab in the Fall of 2024. Kristen is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Queen's University. She is pursuing a research project with Dr. Winston comparing cognitive-motor performance in people with epilepsy vs. healthy controls using the Kinarm robot. In her spare time, Kristen enjoys going to the gym, dancing, and spending time with her dog.
Alice is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences at Queen's University. She joined Dr. Winston's lab for an independent research project that will evaluate factors affecting EEG. Alice will be collecting patient EEG requisitions and reports to analyze which clinical factors most significantly impact the utility of EEGs. This analysis will guide the development of an improved EEG requisition form or request process, optimizing healthcare resources.
Her interests include dancing at Queen’s and Kingston School of Dance and swimming at the pier. Alice is also the Outreach Director for WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) where she organizes events to promote inclusivity in STEM for girls in the Kingston community.
Shaniya is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Science, Life Sciences program doing a Neuroscience specialization. She joined the WiNTER lab in Fall 2024 to pursue a NSCI 499 research project with Dr. Winston. Shaniya will be working along side fourth-year student Alice Smith on the EEG efficacy project to evaluate EEG requisition forms and reports. Shaniya's hobbies include exercising and solving puzzles, and she serves as a Social Program Coordinator where she helps facilitate social programing for adults with exceptionalities in the Kingston community.
Our Alumni
Queen's University
ADAM FALAH
MSc Neuroscience, Centre for Neuroscience Studies
(Sept 2022 - Aug 2024)
ANDREA ELLSAY
MSc Neuroscience, Centre for Neuroscience Studies
(Sept 2022 - Aug 2024)
BROOKE BEATTIE
Research Assistant, Center for Neuroscience Studies
(May 2022 - May 2024)
MADELINE HOPKINS
BSc (Hons), Arts and Sciences - Life Sciences, LISC595 Independent Research Project (May 2022 - Jun 2023)
THEODORE ALIYIANIS
MSc in Neuroscience, Centre for Neuroscience Studies
(Sep 2021 - Aug 2023)
GAVIN HUGHES
BHSc (Hons) - Health Sciences, Research Volunteer
(Sep 2021 - Jun 2023)
VISHAL CHOTARA
Masters of Biomedical Informatics, School of Computing
(Sep 2021 - Jun 2022)
MADELEINE FALBY
BSc (Hons) Arts and Sciences – Life Sciences, NSCI499 Project (Sep 2021 - Jun 2022)
LAUREL CHARLESWORTH
Sleep Fellow (Jul 2021 - Jun 2022)
SIMON BESHARA
Neurology Resident (Apr 2021 - Present)
MAHSA AGHAEEAVAL
Masters of Biomedical Informatics, School of Computing
(Sep 2020 - Jun 2021)
RICHARD LIU
Neurology Resident (Jul 2020 - Jun 2021)
NINA (XINYU) WANG
Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence, Smith Business School (Jun 2020 - Sep 2020)
JERRY LIU
Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence, Smith Business School (Jun 2020 - Sep 2020)
NATHANIEL BENDAHAN
Neurology Resident (Jan 2020 - Jun 2021)
ANDREA PERERA-ORTEGA
Bachelor of Computing (Hons) – Computing, School of Computing (Jan 2020 - Apr 2020)
JONAH ISEN
Bachelor of Computing (Hons) – Biomedical Computing
(Jan 2020 - Apr 2020)
SPENCER FINN
MSc in Neuroscience, Centre for Neuroscience Studies
(Sep 2019 - Jun 2021)
LAYLA YAGI
BSc (Hons) Arts and Science – Life Sciences
(Sep 2019 - Apr 2020)
ANDREW KAO
BSc (Hons) Arts and Science – Life Sciences
(Sep 2019 - Apr 2020)
University College London
Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Faculty of Brain Sciences
BARIS KANBER
Post-Doc in Machine Learning (June 2018 - Dec 2020)
CLIO HARMAN
Research Nurse (Feb 2018 - Apr 2019)
MAHA ELBADRI
MSc in Clinical Neurology (Oct 2017 - Sep 2018)
ERNO LASZLO
MSc in Clinical Neuroscience (Oct 2016 - Sep 2017)
ROMINA SANCHEZ HERNANDEZ
MSc in Clinical Neuroscience (Oct 2016 - Sep 2017)
SAMIRA KASHEFI
MSc in Advanced Neuroimaging (Oct 2016 - Sep 2017)
SUMIT DEY
MSc in Clinical Neuroscience (Oct 2016 - Sep 2017)
MONIKA CZECH
Research Nurse (Aug 2016 - Sep 2017)
ZANIB IAYAZ
MSc Advanced Neuroimaging (Oct 2015 - Jan 2017)
SILVANA SOBRAL DOS SANTOS
MSc in Advanced Neuroimaging (Oct 2015 - Sep 2016)
LORENZO CACIAGLI
PhD in Neuroscience (May 2015 - Jul 2019)
Medical Physics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences
CRISTIANA-EUGENIA TISCA
MSc Natural Sciences (Neuroscience and Medical Physics) (Jun 2017 - Jul 2017)
30 / MEI IOK CHIANG
MSc Physics & Engineering in Medicine (Oct 2015 - Sep 2016)
ANNELINDE BUIKEMA
MSc Medical Physics (Jun 2015 - Oct 2015)
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Medical Imaging
OSCAR BENNETT
MRes in Medical Imaging (Sep 2015 - Jun 2017)