Dr. Behrang Keshavarz

Biography

Dr. Behrang Keshavarz is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and a Senior Scientist at the KITE Research Institute, the research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network (KITE-UHN). He is also the Lead of the Neurorehabilitation and Neuroscience Team at KITE-UHN. Dr. Keshavarz completed his Diplom (MA equivalent, 2007) and PhD (2012) in Psychology in at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. After a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at KITE-UHN, he was appointed as a Scientist in 2015 before being promoted to Senior Scientist in 2023. He joined TMU in 2016.      

Dr. Keshavarz’s research program focuses on human perception and performance in virtual environments. Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have tremendous potential and offer exciting possibilities in the context of rehabilitation, research, training, and education. As part of the Challenging Environment and Assessment Laboratories (CEAL), KITE-UHN houses various VR laboratories, ranging from single screen projection systems to highly complex, large field-of-view dome-projection setups with integrated motion cues, in order to take full advantage of the benefits that VR technologies offer. Dr. Keshavarz’s research has a strong applied component and treats VR as a tool to improve health and safety, while also exploring the cognitive and behavioral processes of various VR phenomena. In his research program, Dr. Keshavarz uses CEAL’s VR laboratories to focus on three main areas: 1) create a compelling sensation of self-motion (vection) and presence in VR, (2) while minimizing adverse side-effects related to motion sickness, and (3) investigate realistic behaviours such as driving performance and driving-related applications in VR. 

Selected Publications

Andrievskaia, P., Berti, S., Spaniol, J., & Keshavarz, B. (2023). Exploring neurophysiological correlates of visually induced motion sickness using electroencephalography (EEG). Experimental Brain Research, 241(10), 2463–2473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-023-06690-x (external link) 

Kooijman, L., Berti, S., Asadi, H., Nahavandi, S., & Keshavarz, B. (2023). Measuring vection: A review and critical evaluation of different methods for quantifying illusory self-motion. Behavior Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02148-8

Keshavarz, B., Murovec, B., Mohanathas, N., & Golding, J. F. (2023). The Visually Induced Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (VIMSSQ): Estimating Individual Susceptibility to Motion Sickness-Like Symptoms When Using Visual Devices. Human Factors, 65(1), 107–124. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208211008687 (external link) 

Murovec, B., Spaniol, J., Campos, J. L., & Keshavarz, B. (2022). Enhanced vection in older adults: Evidence for age-related effects in multisensory vection experiences. Perception, 3010066221113770. https://doi.org/10.1177/03010066221113770 (external link) 

Keshavarz, B., Peck, K., Rezaei, S., & Taati, B. (2022). Detecting and predicting visually induced motion sickness with physiological measures in combination with machine learning techniques. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 176, 14–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.03.006 (external link) 

Keshavarz, B., & Golding, J. F. (2022). Motion sickness: current concepts and management. Current Opinion in Neurology, 35(1), 107–112. https://doi.org/10.1097/WCO.0000000000001018

Campos, J. L., El-Khechen Richandi, G., Coahran, M., Fraser, L. E., Taati, B., & Keshavarz, B. (2021). Virtual Hand Illusion in younger and older adults. Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering, 8, 20556683211059388. https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683211059389 (external link) 

Cha, Y.-H., Golding, J., Keshavarz, B., Furman, J., Kim, J.-S., Lopez-Escamez, J. A., Magnusson, M., Yates, B. J., Lawson, B. D., Staab, J., & Bisdorff, A. (2021). Motion sickness diagnostic criteria: Consensus document of the classification committee of the Bárány society. Journal of Vestibular Research: Equilibrium & Orientation, 31(5), 327-344. doi:10.3233/VES-200005

Golding, J. F., Rafiq, A., & Keshavarz, B. (2021). Predicting Individual Susceptibility to Visually Induced Motion Sickness by Questionnaire. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 2, 1-11. doi:10.3389/frvir.2021.576871

D’Amour, S., Harris, L. R., Berti, S., & Keshavarz, B. (2021). The role of cognitive factors and personality traits in the perception of illusory self-motion (vection). Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 83(4),1804-1817. doi:10.3758/s13414-020-02228-3