Omran K. Safi

About Me

I am a PhD student in Cognitive Psychology at the University of British Columbia. My research interests include time in memory, episodic recall and simulation, and more broadly the (re)constructive processes underlying these phenomena.

I enjoy exploring a number of topics in an interdisciplinary and diverse environment. I believe that diversity of thought and diversity of representation in unison with interdisciplinary work is a formula for success in any field. Some topics that interest me are Time, Memory, Imagination, Consciousness, and Artificial Intelligence. While my main area of research is Cognitive Science, I also love reading and learning about evolution, astrophysics, and ecology.

When I am not pursuing my academic goals, I enjoy spending time outdoors and can often be found cycling, hiking, or jumping into a lake.

My Research

My research focuses on elucidating the threads which weave and bind our sense of subjective time. As such, my current work examines how we remember elapsed time for the varying events we experience in our lives. I am currently conducting this research at the Memory and Imagination lab located in the Department of Psychology at UBC. I use a combination of traditional laboratory studies, virtual reality and a variety of statistical analysis and modeling approaches to investigate this.

During my master's I focused on the effects of negative emotion on recalled duration, using virtual reality to provide emotional and neutral events in a naturally-unfolding and life-like way while retaining experimental control. Prior to this, my work spanned three laboratories where I was involved in fMRI, virtual reality, and EEG research.

At the Motivated Cognition lab, I explored a novel method of fMRI analysis seeking to compare and track connectivity pattern components across brain regions. At the Behavioral Sustainability lab my research focused on examining the consequences of affect generated from the overview effect on climate change attitudes and behaviors using virtual reality. Lastly, at the Behavioral Reward Affect & Impulsivity Neuroscience (BRAIN) lab my work focused on using a portable EEG headband called the Muse to assess implicit craving in clinical populations with concurrent stimulant use and mental disorders.

Select Publications

For complete list of publications please see my Google Scholar

Safi, O.K., Shi, Y., Lin, T., Yu, T., Wilson, I.S., Madan, C.R., Palombo, D.J. (under revision). Evaluative Conditioning Using Virtual Reality Event. Cognition and Emotion.

Bontkes, O.R., Safi, O.K., Lacusta, S., Wilson, I., & Palombo, D.J. (under review). Emotion Differentially Modulates Phenomenological Ratings and Narrative Descriptions of Mental Imagery in Episodic Future Thoughts. Emotion.

Safi, O. K., Shi, Y., Madan, C. R., Lin, T., & Palombo, D. J. (2023). The effects of emotion on retrospective duration memory using virtual reality. Psychological Research, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-023-01909-6

Petrucci, A.S, McCall, C, Schofield, G, Wardell, V, Safi O.K., & Palombo, D.J. (2024). The relationship between environmentally induced emotion and memory for a naturalistic virtual experience. Cognition and Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2024.2333067

Ballance, B. C., Tuen, Y. J., Petrucci, A. S., Orwig, W., Safi, O. K., Palombo, D., & Madan, C. (2022). Imagining Emotional Events Benefits Future-Oriented Decisions. Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218221086637

Safi, O. K. , Tommasi, M., Sun, B., Thornley, J., & Dodani, A. (2020). Carbon Footprint Information Promotes Sustainable Food Choices. https://bit.ly/2UVyGcm

Consulting

I offer specialized consulting services in Cognitive Science, with a deep focus on memory, memory for time, and statistical modeling and analysis. With these areas of expertise, I can help you tackle a wide variety of challenges, whether you're working on cognitive research, developing data-driven solutions, or designing systems that rely on understanding human memory and cognition. My approach is grounded in evidence-based techniques, ensuring that your projects are informed by the latest scientific insights.

Additionally, I offer expertise in Virtual Reality (VR), helping you design immersive, engaging experiences grounded in cognitive principles. I also bring expertise in UX design through guidance on creating intuitive, user-centered interfaces that optimize engagement and effectiveness by leveraging insights from cognitive science.

I am eager to leverage my knowledge and expertise to help you gain actionable insights and create solutions that drive success within your projects!

For all consulting inquires please email omranksafi@gmail.com

Elements

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