Hard-working, Perseverant, Creative

"Dr. Gacoin is a talented postdoctoral researcher with a strong commitment to advancing nonhuman primate research, in particular marmoset research, and methods to study the brain and related behavior. Her work aligns very closely with my own to advance knowledge on the development of social cognition across the lifespan and its impairments such as observed in some individuals with autism. She is an excellent, extremely dedicated and motivated candidate. Since she joined the lab, a little more than 1 year ago, she works hard to setup all the neuroimaging, and thanks to her strong involvement, we have been able to scan animals and start collecting longitudinal data. Some of those data are the first images acquired in marmosets in Quebec, in young marmosets in Canada and even in young marmosets while doing a task in the World, so it is a huge contribution from Maëva to the field. In addition to the neuroimaging, she is also collecting behavioral data through touchscreen system to correlate with the imaging. Overall, Maeva is conducting high risk high reward projects, and she has the full capacity to do it successfully. She is also a role model in the lab, by training and mentoring students, helping on their projects and fellowships applications. She is a crucial element of the lab for its dynamic, collaborative spirit and leading breakthroughs research. I have thus decided to nominate her for the Lab Heroes Awards 2024 as she clearly holds this status in my team."

Nominated by Justine Clery, Sensory and Social Brain Mechanisms, McGill University, Canada