Rate My Professor Jennifer Ryan

Professor Jennifer Ryan is a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She holds the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and serves as Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest. Dr. Ryan obtained her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001. She previously served as Director of Scientific and Academic Affairs at Baycrest and held the Reva James Leeds Chair in Neuroscience and Research Leadership from 2018 to 2021, as well as a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory from 2006 to 2016.

Dr. Ryan’s research examines memory systems and their representations, along with the influence of memory on other aspects of cognition and behavior, including the reciprocal effects of mental health on memory function. Her work investigates these topics in neurologically intact younger and older adults, neuropsychological patients, and individuals with neurodegeneration such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. She employs behavioral paradigms, eyetracking, neuroimaging techniques including magnetoencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, and computational modeling. The long-term goals of her research include developing early screening tools for neurodegeneration and cognitive strategies to help individuals overcome or circumvent memory deficits. Her research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.