Ian Charest

Dr. Ian Charest is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Université de Montréal, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on understanding how the human brain processes visual information through neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and MEG, combined with machine learning and psychophysical experiments. His work emphasizes individual representational idiosyncrasies and computational modeling of cognition.

He leads the Charest Lab, which explores visual perception, consciousness, memory, and decision-making using advanced neuroimaging and computational tools. Key projects include analyzing natural scene semantics through machine learning (funded by NSERC), developing infrastructure for computational neuroscience (FCI grant), and investigating face recognition variability (SPIIE grant).

Dr. Charest has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate students, contributing to open-source tools like pyRSA, pyGLMdenoise, and pyslicetime. His research has been supported by prestigious agencies including the Fonds de recherche du Québec and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.