About us

From left to right: John Paul Minda (PI), Deandre Williams (Indepedent Study Student), Benny Zucchet (Honours Thesis Student), Bandna (Indepedent Study Student), Anthony Cruz (PhD Candidate), Lavine Amin-Zadeh (Honours Student), Isaac Withers (MSc Student), Ghala Abu Jayyab (Honours Thesis Student), Olivia Hanham (Research Assistant), Chelsea McKenzie (PhD Candidate). Photo taken September 23, 2026.

The Minda Lab is a cognitive science research laboratory that is part of the Department of Psychology, the Western Institute for Neuroscience, and the Centre for Brain and Mind at Western University (AKA University of Western Ontario). The lab is directed by Dr. John Paul Minda and currently consists of graduate students, honours thesis students, independent study students, and research assistants.

With its research, the lab seeks to understand how people learn about categories and concepts, and how conceptual structures influence thinking and decision-making. Visit the lab’s publications page for a select list of peer-reviewed publications on the main themes of category and concept learning; memory systems, rules, and executive function; mindfulness, mood, and wellbeing; applied and clinical cognition; and social cognition and COVID-19.

Dr. Minda will be accepting new graduate students for the 2027–2028 academic year. Please see the opportunities page for more information.

The Minda Lab lab is currently funded by NSERC, SSHRC, and by Mitacs.