Hi there! I’m Jessica Qiu.
I always have an appetite for: learning new skills, making useful things, and a good bowl of noodles! Currently, I’m focused on further improving my research skills—I am especially drawn to research that has implications for improving people’s lives and the earth we share. When I’m not busy hustling as a student, you can find me tinkering away on R, Blender, or Photoshop CC.
Have a look at my complete résumé/CV .
- Researching EEG biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease @VisAge Lab.
- Updating this personal site using R.
- Building my second brain.
- Catching up on reading.
- Enjoying winter weather!
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy MSc(OT), 2025
University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (BSc.), 2023
McMaster University, Faculty of Science
Projects 🔨
Use the filter buttons below to sort projects by type!
Wilson Toxicology Lab Projects
Includes projects on the effects of metformin on zebrafish and investigating macromolecule content of lake whitefish. Page is under construction, more coming soon! 🚧
Social Ascension & Antioxidant Capacity in Cichlids (Graphical Abstract)
Designed a graphical abstract for a scientific paper. Page is under construction, more coming soon! 🚧
Simon Says; Leadership Behaviour in Redside Dace
My research on leadership behaviour in redside dace! This project was completed for PNB 2QQ3 and presented at the AOPUTC Conference.
Gotta Plot ‘Em All (An R Experiment)
So you’ve caught ‘em all…now it’s time to plot ‘em all! A data visualization experiment using Pokémon data.
Personal Website in R {blogdown}
I wanted to do 3 things during the summer of 2021; create a personal site, learn R, and begin a blog. This project checked all the boxes!
The Great Gestalt Rescue (TA Interview Presentation)
Luigi’s been kidnapped! Join Mario on his great rescue mission and and learn about the psychology behind the Gestalt Principles along the way.
Chaos & Order (Hamlet Video Project)
A video project on the themes of Order and Chaos in Hamlet.
Publications 📝
(Under Renovation 🚧) This section is being updated, thanks for your patience!
PDF Code Dataset Poster Slides Video Source Document DOI Custom Link
Experience 🧪
- Worked on several research projects investigating biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease and fall-prevention interventions in older adults, supervised by Dr. Eugenie Roudaia.
- Assisted with study visit procedures by using EEG (electroencephalogram) to collect patient data, administering & scoring neuropsychological tests, & consolidating data in REDcap survey software.
- Prepared research ethics board (REB) documents and used MATLAB to analyze EEG data.
- Professionally trained in effective teaching and science communication, taught 3 tutorials a week for introductory psychology classes and provided mentorship support to over 220+ students.
- Assessed students’ individual needs and adapted teaching approach to meet different needs.
- Received honourable mention for the “TA of the Year Award” based on student nominations.
- Responsible for the laboratory’s animal care program & proactively cared for 8+ fish species by completing tasks like feeding, water quality checks, water changes, and health checks.
- Communicated effectively with team of 25+ undergraduate and graduate students working on 10+ ongoing experiments to ensure smooth operation, & planned social events to foster community.
- Assisted field crew with long-term research projects monitoring local aquatic ecosystem health.
Project 1: Effects of metformin on larval & adult zebrafish. | Dr. Joanna Wilson & Dr. Oana Birceanu
- Collected tissue samples from fish (brain, liver, gill, kidney, gonad, intestine, and muscle).
- Imaged 300+ larval zebrafish at 5 life stages and completed morphometric measurements on images.
- Assisted in the laboratory’s animal care program for zebrafish, whitefish, and yellow perch, completing tasks like feeding, water quality checks, water changes, and water sampling.
Project 2: Protein, lipid & water content in lake whitefish tissue. | Environment & Climate Change Canada
- Used protein and lipid assays to determine % lipid, protein, and water in muscle tissue.
Project 1: Leadership behaviour in the endangered redside dace. | Dr. Sigal Balshine & Dr. Andy Turko
- Mastered new software (BORIS) to collect experimental data from video observations.
- Presented completed research at the Annual Ontario Psychology Undergraduate Thesis Conference (AOPUTC), placing top 10% out of 200+ undergraduate thesis presentations.
Project 2: The effects of caffeine & captivity on learning in fathead minnows. | Dr. Sigal Balshine
- Assisted with experimental assays and improved study methodology by using Excel knowledge to facilitate more efficient data collection.
- Developed team branding and marketing materials from scratch with creative team.
Let’s Connect. ✉️
Working on a project or want to chat about my experiences? Please reach out!