Principal Investigator
Dr. Nick Brosowsky
Principal Investigator
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba, where I research attention, learning, music cognition, and skill acquisition.
Born and raised in Winnipeg (home to endless winters, the Jets, and John K. Samson — see also, Winnipeg Love/Hate), I completed my BA (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Manitoba under Dr. Todd Mondor, studying auditory attention and music perception.
I earned my PhD from The Graduate Center, CUNY, working with Dr. Matthew Crump in the Human Cognition and Performance Lab at Brooklyn College, focusing on visual attention and skilled performance. As a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University (2019-2021), I collaborated with Dr. Paul Seli and Dr. Tobias Egner on cognitive control, multi-tasking, and mind wandering research.
In 2021, I returned to Winnipeg to join the Psychology faculty at the University of Manitoba.
Current Lab Members
Liam Yeo
PhD - Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Liam graduated with his BSc (Hons.) in psychology from the University of Alberta in 2021 and an MA in 2024 from the University of Manitoba. He is currently pursuing his PhD.
Liam's research interests include how mind wandering impacts cognitive processes (learning, memory, perception, etc.) and the implications that arise from them. He is also interested in the underlying processes of mind wandering and other failures of attention. He plans to investigate these interests using various behavioral and computational methods.
Emma Dueck
MA - Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Emma is a master’s student in the Immersive Cognition Lab. She earned her B.A. (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Manitoba, where she developed an interest in applying computational approaches to the study of internally oriented cognition. Her current research focuses on the neural and physiological correlates of both spontaneous and deliberate internally oriented processes, such as mental imagery and mind wandering.
Outside of the lab, Emma enjoys her own wandering mind, using it to write poetry, play video games and occasionally getting lost in the woods.
Josie Nicholson
MA - Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Josie graduated with her BA (Hons.) in Psychology from Brandon University in 2025, and is now pursuing her MA in Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
Broadly, Josie is interested in attention, memory, and cognitive control and dysfunction. Josie plans to study how cognitive control can be assessed using virtual reality as a bridge between laboratory measures and real-world activity, particularly in relation to age-related cognitive decline. Josie also has interest in the link between ADHD and dementia, and the mechanisms underlying attentional dysfunction.
Reba Krahn
MA - Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Reba is pursuing her MA in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Reba is examining the relationship between sleep quality, executive functioning, and inattention.
Khushie Dagar
B.A. (Hons) - Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Khushie is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a BA Honours degree in Psychology at the University of Manitoba.
She is investigating the underlying mechanisms of attention and creativity, focusing on how attentional states and mind wandering influence creative processes. After completing her undergraduate studies, she plans to pursue further studies in clinical psychology, and work with people in improving their daily lives.
Outside of the lab, she enjoys creating art, spending time in nature, and watching movies!
Taylor Masson
B.A. (Hons) - Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Taylor is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a BSc Honours degree in Psychology. She is interested in the many ways that cognitive processes, such as attention and mind-wandering, shape mental health, particularly how stress and anxiety influence people’s ability to stay focused and regulate their thoughts. By connecting cognitive psychology with mental health, her aim is to better understand the everyday challenges individuals face when managing distractions and other persistent concerns. Taylor plans to pursue medical school after completing her undergraduate degree with the goal of becoming a psychiatrist.
Lab Alumni
Maddy Rempel
Former Honours student (2024-2025). Maddy completed her Honours project investigating the use of inner speech as a tool for facilitating attention and its relationship to ADHD. Maddy is pursuing an MA in School Psychology.
Emma Dueck
Former Honours student (2024-2025). Emma completed her Honours project investigating the relationship between mental imagery and mind wandering. Emma was accepted into the MA program at University of Manitoba, continuing her work in the lab.
Stephanie Souliere
Former MA student (2022-2024). Stephanie completed her M.A. on the relationship between cognitive control and emotion regulation strategies. Stephanie was accepted into the Ph.D. program at Western University.
Rachel Hay
Former Honours student (2023-2024). Rachel completed her Honours project on metacognitive strategies for reducing mind wandering and how beliefs about control influence the effectiveness of those strategies.
Enny Odeleye
Former Honours student (2022-2023). Enny completed her Honours project in 2023 on the effects of negative mood on inattention and mind wandering. Enny joined the Master of Physician Assistant Studies as a Clinical year two administrator,
Natalia Nguyen
Former Honours student (2022-2023). Natalia completed her Honours project in 2023 on executive functioning and acute physical exercise. Natalia was accepted into the Master's program at the University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Dan Bailis.
Emma Fernando
Former Honours student (2022-2023). Emma completed her Honours project on ADHD, subjective feelings of inattention, and mind wandering. Emma was awarded the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Institute of Manitoba’s Clinical Research Award in 2022.
Umer Bin Faiz
Former Honours student (2021-2023). Umer joined the lab in 2021, working on the metacognition of mind wandering before completing his Honours project in 2023 on age-differences in mind wandering. Umer joined the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy as Research & Repository Access Support.
Nathan Mathews
Former Independent Research student (2021-2022). Nathan completed an independent research project in 2022 on the metacognition of mind wandering and subjective feelings of inattention. Nathan was accepted into the PhD Psychology program at McGill University under the superivsion of Dr. Ross Otto.