The Hynes Lab
Disrupting the neuroscience of addiction
Simon Fraser University
Juniper Quin
SFU Honours Student
Juniper is a fourth year undergraduate psychology student who brings both previous academic training and frontline experience to her research interest in the neurological processes underlying addiction. In particular, she’s curious about how CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, in vivo dual-colour fibre photometry, and chemogenetics can help us better understand the role of astrocytic and neuronal dopamine transporter (DAT) in the development, maintenance, and remission of compulsive behaviour in the context of opioid and social media addiction. Juniper draws inspiration from previous employment in community-based mental health and addiction recovery settings, and from collaborating with Indigenous and Iranian communities in developing culturally safe community-building and mental health services. She is committed to contributing to research that advances more effective and accessible interventions. In her free time you can find Juniper reading poetry, playing her daf, or hiking.
Chanelle Wong
SFU Honours Student
Chanelle Wong is a fourth-year Behavioural Neuroscience student at Simon Fraser University, also completing a Certificate in Forensic Sciences. Her research explores how learning and motivation processes in the brain influence addiction and guide patient-centered treatments. As a Research Assistant in the Azar Lab at Vancouver General Hospital, she has supported projects improving accessibility and patient experience in opioid use disorder care, gaining insight into the structural barriers and stigma shaping outcomes. In the Hynes Lab, she hopes to connect community-based findings with molecular and behavioural research on learning. Outside academics, Chanelle enjoys baking, horseback riding, paddle boarding, and teaching her dog new tricks.
Artemis Kohanfekr
SFU Undergraduate Researcher
Artemis is a fourth-year Behavioural Neuroscience student at Simon Fraser University with research interests in neuropharmacology and neurotransmitter systems. She is particularly interested in addiction models, learning processes, and the neurochemical mechanisms that influence behaviour across neurological and psychiatric disorders. She also works with Dr. Brianne Kent on projects that use mouse models in the context of Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on learning and memory paradigms and pharmacological interventions. Her broader goal is to better understand how alterations in brain chemistry contribute to disorders of brain function. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, long walks, and true crime documentaries.