HELLO, I'M
Nadine Charanek
PhD Cognitive Science, Researcher and University Instructor
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Nadine Charanek
PhD Candidate
Cognitive Science
Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
About
MY BACKGROUND
I am a cognitive neuroscientist interested in a deceptively simple question: why do people think and perform so differently, even when faced with the same task?
My research moves beyond average performance to study cognition as it unfolds within individuals. I combine behavioural experiments, neuroimaging, and computational approaches to uncover the dynamic patterns that distinguish how people learn, adapt, and solve problems.
At the heart of my work is the idea that variability is not merely noise to be averaged away. It can be meaningful information about the individual. By studying moment-to-moment changes in behaviour and brain activity, I aim to develop richer ways of characterizing human cognitive differences and understanding the mechanisms that produce them.
I am also an experienced university educator, with a decade of teaching and formal training in university pedagogy. Research and teaching are complementary parts of how I think about cognition: one asks how the mind works, while the other continually tests how clearly we can explain it.
Passion & Interests
My Research Interests
My research investigates why people who face the same cognitive challenge can arrive at remarkably different patterns of performance. Rather than treating variability as noise around an average, I study its structure: how accuracy, speed, strategy, and brain activity change from moment to moment and from person to person.
By combining behavioural experiments, neuroimaging, and computational approaches, I aim to uncover distinct cognitive trajectories and understand the mechanisms that produce them.
The goal is not simply to explain human performance. It is to explain human differences.
My Teaching Aspirations
Have you ever sat in class and thought, “So what?” That question has shaped the way I teach and the way I do research. Live experiments, active participation through educational technologies, and humor are some of the learning methods you will experience in my classes! I want every concept to feel connected to real life, not just something students memorize and forget. With today’s fast-moving technology and constant information overload, I ground my lessons in neuroscience—showing students how their brains actually learn, remember, and make sense of the world.
Education
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
2021-2027
Carleton University – Ottawa, ON; Class of 2027
PhD Cognitive Science
2018-2019
Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL
First Class Honours 1:1
2012-2015
Lebanese International University, Lebanon, Class of 2015
Distinction and Dean's Honorary Recipient
GPA: 3.87/4.00
DEGREES
CERTIFICATES
Certificate in University Teaching, Carleton University (2025)
Certificate in Teaching Assistant Skills, Carleton University (2021)
Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, Cambridge University Examinations (2016)
Experience
WHERE I’VE WORKED
RESEARCH
2021-2027
Carleton University, Research Assistant, Linguistic Neurodiversity Lab
2023-2026
Department of National Defense, Canada, Research Assistant
2023-2024
National Research Council of Canada, Research Assistant
2021-2022
Carleton University, Research Assistant, Cognition and Neuroscience of Aging Lab
TEACHING
2022/2024-2025/2026
Carleton University, Instructor (Mysteries of the Mind, Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience, Language and Cognitive Science)
2021-2022/2023-2024/2025-2026
Carleton University, TA, Department of Cognitive Science
2019-2021
Nibras International School, Dubai, EAL and Special Education Teacher
2016-2018
Nibras International School, Dubai, Classroom Teacher
What I Bring
Research and Teaching Expertise
Quantitative & Computational Methods
Mixed-effects modelling · Generalized mixed models · Bayesian modelling · Multivariate analysis · Time-series analysis · Clustering & behavioural phenotyping · Longitudinal and individual-differences modelling
Neuroimaging & Neuroscience
fNIRS · EEG · Functional connectivity · Time-varying neural dynamics · Neuroimaging preprocessing & analysis · Experimental cognitive neuroscience
Programming & Research Computing
R · Python · MATLAB · SPSS · PsychoPy · E-Prime · Experiment Builder
Experimental Methods
Cognitive task design · Behavioural experimentation · Psychophysics · Online experimentation · Individual-differences research
Research Synthesis & Open Science
Reproducible analysis workflows · Scientific visualization · Literature synthesis · Zotero · Git/GitHub
Teaching & Curriculum
University teaching · Curriculum design · Active learning · Educational technology · Assessment design · Inclusive teaching
Languages
English (native) · Arabic (native)
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Supervisors
"You have excellent research skills, are conscientious, hard worker, have excellent writing skills, and creativity. I'm sure you will do great as a researcher." — Alla Skomorovsky, DND
"You have excellent research skills, are conscientious, hard worker, have excellent writing skills, and creativity. I'm sure you will do great as a researcher." — Alla Skomorovsky, DND
StudentS
“This course was by far the most engaging one I had throughout my entire first year. None of my eight other classes even came close to matching its levels of energy and participation.”
“I had no idea what to expect going into this course… I didn’t have much interest. Luckily, I can say that I have been very pleasantly surprised… Every week I would look forward to your course.”
“The prof had a unique ability to make the content enjoyable, which a lot of profs lack, so I would even say I hope one day she teaches other profs how to become profs.”
“This course was by far the most engaging one I had throughout my entire first year. None of my eight other classes even came close to matching its levels of energy and participation.”
ColleagueS
