Marni Goldstein

Research Area: Applied Cognitive Neuroscience

Marni studies in Dr. Karl Szpunar's Memory Lab.

"Growing up as an autistic, I always wondered how other people think. As an adult, I've come to learn that autism research is largely lacking studies carried out by actual autistics. With that in mind, my goal is to be one of a growing number of autistic researchers researching our population, for our population. Having closely-knit research and clinical streams, Ryerson University stands out to me as an opportune place for me to gain both the experimental and clinical research skills needed to study both neurotypical and neurodiverse populations." #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs 

By developing her expertise in cognitive psychology in Dr. Karl Szpunar's Memory Lab, Marni is gaining the fundamentals to carry out future research in learning and memory. Karl, like the rest of the department, is so passionate about his work. In addition, he's very open to studying cognition from new angles. Currently, Marni and Karl are working on a couple OGS- and NSERC-funded projects investigating the effects of testing on learning through changes in proactive interference and context integration in the adult classroom. In the future, they can extend this research to fidgeting and mind wandering in academia.

"Being registered with Academic Accommodation Support at Ryerson, I feel like my neurodiverse needs are understood and supported by my supervisor and department. In general, I'm really satisfied with my decision to study here."