Zahra Jafari

Dr. Zahra Jafari is an Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University's School of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Her research bridges cognitive neuroscience, auditory science, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on healthy aging, dementia biomarkers, and AI applications in healthcare. She holds multidisciplinary training including PhDs in Rehabilitation Sciences (University of Ottawa) and Cognitive Neuroscience (University of Tabriz), alongside clinical audiology qualifications from Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Her work investigates auditory processing deficits in aging populations, cognitive decline mechanisms, and the impact of environmental factors like air pollution and noise exposure. She leads the CANLab, fostering interdisciplinary research collaborations and supervising graduate students in audiology and speech-language pathology. Teaching responsibilities include courses on advanced audiological diagnostics and cochlear implant technologies.

Recent research highlights include machine learning models predicting tinnitus outcomes, systematic reviews linking air pollution to frailty, and studies on bilingualism's cognitive benefits. Dr. Jafari's lab actively explores neuroplasticity in multilingual individuals and Alzheimer's disease interventions using animal models.

Her publications span high-impact journals in neuroscience, audiology, and gerontology, reflecting her commitment to translating basic science discoveries into clinical applications. Current projects emphasize leveraging AI for early dementia detection and optimizing cochlear implant outcomes in pediatric populations.