Principal Investigator

Massieh Moayedi completed his PhD at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Karen Davis. He then did his postdoctoral fellowship at University College London, UK. He is currently a Tenured Associate Professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry, and holds a University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain Scientist title. He holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Pain Neuroimaging. He is co-Director of the Centre for Multimodal Sensorimotor and Pain Research, supported by the Canada Fund for Innovation (CFI).

 He is a basic scientist with training in pain neuroimaging, Dr. Moayedi has 15 years of research at the interface of clinical and basic sciences. Dr. Moayedi’s approach is to study basic scientific questions in both healthy participants and in clinical populations. This allows patients’ experience to shape the focus of the research, allowing Dr. Moayedi to develop clinically meaningful research questions in order to improve the quality of life of patients. He has expertise in quantitative sensory testing, multimodal brain imaging, including structural and functional MRI, and working with vulnerable populations. He holds grants from CIHR, NSERC, NFRF, Ontario ERA, CFI and NIH. He is also on the Editorial Boards of PAIN and PAIN Reports and an Associate Editor at Frontier in Pain Research Methods. He founded the international Human Pain Seminar Series, and is a founding chair of the IASP Neuroimaging of Pain SIG.

Associate Professor and UTCSP Pain Scientist
Canada Research Chair in Pain Neuroimaging (Tier 2)
Co-Director, Centre for Multimodal Sensorimotor and Pain Research
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto

Massieh Moayedi, Ph.D.

Graduate Students

  • PhD CANDIDATE

    Georgia Hadjis is the final year of her PhD at the Faculty of Dentistry under the supervision of Dr. Massieh Moayedi. Her thesis focuses on the mechanism underlying the interference of pain on cognition using quantitative sensory testing, cognitive tasks, and electrodermal activity. Georgia completed her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Physiology at the University of Toronto. Georgia is the Director of Marketing & Communications at UofT’s Graduate Management Consulting Association, the trainee editor of the monthly UofT Centre for the Study of Pain newsletter, and a Junior Fellow at Massey College.

  • PhD CANDIDATE

    Pedram Mouseli completed his Master of Science in engineering at the K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Iran. He is currently a PhD student at the Faculty of Dentistry with a specialization in Neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Iacopo Cioffi and Dr. Massieh Moayedi. His thesis focuses on identifying a novel neuromuscular biomarker signature of chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD) using functional and structural brain imaging and muscle recordings. He is developing machine learning models that capture biomarker patterns associated with TMD and can be used for a more personalized diagnosis and treatment.

  • PhD CANDIDATE

    Batu Kaya graduated from McGill University's interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts and Science Cognitive Science (Honours) program in 2019. Batu started their MSc. training in September 2022 in pain neuroscience and transferred to the PhD program in 2024. Their project focuses on the interplay between gender identity, body image changes and post-surgical pain. Some of the methods they use in their research includes multimodal MRI, quantitative sensory testing, and qualitative interviews. They have an additional interest in affective pain pathways and brainstem-subcortical white matter circuitry. In their spare time, Batu is busy rock climbing, reading, volunteering, and studying in the Massey College library. To follow Batu's research, check out their Twitter page at @b2_kaya

  • MSc CANDIDATE

    Nathaniel is a first year MSc student at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Massieh Moayedi. He started his research journey as a research assistant at the Moayedi Lab investigating non-invasive pain management modalities. Currently, his research focuses on the salience of orofacial and body pain. Outside of the lab, you can find Nathaniel at a concert, playing video games, or reading a book.

  • MSc. CANDIDATE

    Spencer is an MSc student at the University of Toronto under Dr. Massieh Moayedi. He was previously a research assistant in the faculty of Dentistry under Dr. Massieh Moayedi, and his current studies involve neuroimaging and neuromodulation of pain. Additionally, he has interests in the chronification of pain, clinical pain management, and digital health technologies. When not working, you can find Spencer enjoying a book, going on bike rides around the city, or playing Magic the Gathering!

Undergraduate Trainees

  • Undergraduate Trainee

    Clizia is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, specializing in psychology and majoring in global health. She is a research assistant in the Faculty of Dentistry under Dr. Massieh Moayedi, assisting with the avoidance and reward learning study. In her free time, Clizia enjoys traveling, playing with her cat, and trying new restaurants.

  • Undergraduate Trainee

  • Undergraduate Trainee

Staff

Christine Sexton, HBA., MSc.

Clinical Research Coordinator

Previous Graduate Students

  • MSc

    Matthew obtained his Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour from McMaster in 2015. He works as an MSc student under the supervision of Dr. Moayedi studying signatures for pain recovery in pediatric musculoskeletal pain, as well the effect of the endocannabinoid system on pain sensitivity. When he's not in the lab, he's practicing his German, lounging at the beach, or DJing clubs and parties around Toronto.

  • MSc

    Matthew obtained his Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience, with minors in Psychology and Physiology, from the University of Toronto in 2023. Matthew is in the first year of his MSc, under the supervision of Dr. Moayedi, studying the cortical processing of pain. Matthew previously worked in the Moayedi Lab during his undergraduate degree as a research assistant. During his time he studied the connectivity of the insula and cingulate, two key regions of the salience network and cortical pain processing. Matthew has an interest in Neuroimaging, especially fMRI and DTI imaging. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys cycling and volunteering. Matthew is currently obtaining his MD/PhD at UofT.

  • MSc

    Omar earned his Honours BSc in Neuroscience and Human Physiology from the University of Toronto in 2022. In September 2023, Omar started his MSc studies in pain and cognition while specializing in Neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Massih Moayedi. His research focuses on investigating how the effects of acute pain on reward-based learning vary when pain is applied at different timepoints using Bayesian computational modeling. Concurrently, Omar is a research analyst at the McAndrews Neuropsychology Lab, located at Toronto Western Hospital. There, he utilizes behavioral data and various MRI modalities to study the development of the language network and the cognitive abilities of healthy controls and medial temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Omar is currently obtaining his MD from Western University.

Previous Undergraduate Trainees

  • Undergraduate Trainee (2023-2024)

    Ariel was an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Toronto, in the Faculty of Dentistry under Dr. Massieh Moayedi. Ariel assisted with studies related to how sounds and magnetic stimulations can influence pain sensation. Ariel has now since graduated with a dual Major in physiology and psychology.

  • Undergraduate Trainee

    Wanda is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, majoring in neuroscience with minors in physiology and immunology. She is a research assistant in the Faculty of Dentistry under Dr. Massieh Moayedi, where she assists with a study on the endocannabinoid system and pain. Outside of the lab, Wanda enjoys skiing, playing badminton, or trying out new delicious recipes.

  • Undergraduate Trainee