My name is Marcos E. Domínguez Arriola. I am a PhD Candidate at the McGill University School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, working under the supervision of Dr. Marc Pell at the Neuropragmatics and Emotion Lab. I am interested in human communication, the brain, and interpersonal coordination. My current research explores the contextual factors and neurocognitive mechanisms that shape how we perceive and value social interactions. You can read more about my research here.
My background
I grew up in the beautiful city of Guadalajara, Mexico — the cradle of mariachi, tequila, and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. I earned my degree in psychology from the University of Guadalajara, where I conducted a dissertation on the cognitive processing of cute stimuli (e.g., kittens). After that, I discovered a passion for teaching and spent two years as a second-language instructor, teaching Spanish, English, and German in various academic and corporate settings. However, my longing for research remained strong.
In 2019, I was accepted into the Institute of Neurobiology (INB) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to pursue a master’s degree in neurobiology. I worked under the supervision of Dr. Fernando Barrios to look at the brain structural correlates of emotion regulation and empathic skills in psychotherapists using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). I developed a passion for neuroimaging, coding, and data analysis during this time.
Immediatly after obtaining my master’s degree, I joined the PhD program at McGill University’s School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, along with the complementary Language Acquisition Program. The program’s structure and the opportunity to delve into speech and communication, combined with the fascinating research by Dr. Pell’s team, strongly influenced my choice. Moving forward, I aim to leverage my background in psychology, neurobiology, and communication sciences to investigate the neurocognitive principles that shape social interaction.
Teaching
I’m also very passionate about teaching and have served twice as a Teaching Assistant for the course Research Methods and Laboratory in Human Perception (PSYC 353) at McGill. There, I was responsible for the practical component of the course, where I taught students how to use MATLAB to code perceptual experiments and test psychophysical hypotheses. By the end of the course, students were able to apply their knowledge to program their own experiments. I have also been a guest lecturer for Introduction to Speech Science (LING 210) at McGill. This academic year, I am co-supervising an undergraduate student as they work on an honors research project aligned with my thesis. The project explores brain processing of engaging speech through event-related potentials.
Beyond academia
When I’m not in the lab, I enjoy rock climbing, percussion instruments, learning languages, and reading. I also enjoy video games and trying international cuisine. Living in Montreal, I’ve been fortunate to join a diverse community of international friends, which has allowed me to explore the region with them and learn about their cultures.