On June 18, Xiyue Zhang, a neuroscience PhD student in the lab, reached a major milestone in her doctoral journey: the thesis defense!

Entitled “The Effect of Musical Activities on Neurocognitive Aging: Evidence from Behavioural and Brain-Imaging Data”, her thesis, submitted in March 2025 for evaluation, offers an innovative exploration of the influence of amateur musical activities on resting-state brain functional connectivity and its links to neurocognitive aging.

Friends, colleagues, and lab members gathered to attend this significant event. The thesis defense is indeed the final step in a doctoral journey that typically spans 3 to 6 years.

Following the positive evaluation of her manuscript by a jury of four professors-researchers, Xiyue presented her work in a clear, rigorous, and accessible manner, demonstrating both the scientific relevance of her findings and her deep mastery of the subject. For nearly two hours, she answered the jury’s questions with precision. The committee was composed of:

  • Pascale Tremblay, head of the lab and Xiyue’s thesis supervisor
  • Philippe Albouy, professor at the School of Psychology, UniversitĂ© Laval
  • Simon Duchesne, professor in the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, UniversitĂ© Laval
  • Simona Maria Brambati, professor in the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, UniversitĂ© de MontrĂ©al

The defense concluded with rich and stimulating exchanges with the jury, followed by the announcement of her success after the jury’s closed-door deliberation. The entire team then gathered around a cake to celebrate this decisive milestone.

In the following weeks, Xiyue made the corrections requested by the jury and submitted the final version of her thesis on August 12.

đź‘Ź Congratulations to Dr. Xiyue Zhang for all the work accomplished throughout her PhD! The entire lab team is extremely proud of you and wishes you success and happiness for the future.

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