The following is adapted from a nomination letter submitted by Monica Castelhano

Dr. Jeffrey Wammes has established a highly productive and independent research program that is internationally recognized for its rigor, innovation, and breadth. His research sits at the intersection of learning, attention, and memory, with a clear mechanistic focus on representational change in the brain and in behavior. A unique aspect of his work is the connection he draws between laboratory measures of basic cognitive processing and naturalistic cognition. Dr. Wammes integrates these two lines of work by combining behavioral measures, neuroimaging, and computational analyses.

A primary component of Dr. Wammes’ work addresses how experience reorganizes neural representational spaces. Working at the cutting edge of computational neuroimaging, Dr. Wammes applies manifold analysis and machine learning to fMRI data to reveal how learning reshapes the geometry of cortical representations. His most recent work in this area—a 2025 publication in the Journal of Neuroscience—provides a unique whole-brain perspective on the neural basis of statistical learning, demonstrating that statistical learning engages a far more distributed neural architecture than previously understood, with changes propagating across cortical and subcortical networks to reshape their low-dimensional structure. This was the first application of whole-brain manifold analysis to statistical learning, and it fundamentally advances our understanding of the spatial scale over which learning-related neural reorganization operates.

In a separate and equally impactful line of work, Dr. Wammes has conducted seminal studies establishing the role of drawing and motor enactment on memory performance. He has demonstrated repeatedly that drawing improves learning and retention relative to canonical study strategies—a finding anchored by his highly cited 2016 paper in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, which remains one of the most-read articles in that journal’s history. Dr. Wammes’ contributions to science are highly impactful, offering innovative ways to understand and bolster human cognition. As an early career researcher, he is already moving the field of cognitive neuroscience forward in unique and important ways. His growing stature is further reflected in his service as a nominated Early Career Researcher representative for the Canadian Brain Research Strategy (CBRS)—a recognition by the national neuroscience community that he is among the most promising voices of his generation.

In addition to his highly productive research career, Dr. Wammes has an individualized and student-centered approach to mentorship which makes him a highly sought-after supervisor. He has been particularly supportive of students who were struggling to complete their degrees for personal or professional reasons. Under his supportive mentorship thoughtfully tailored to each individual trainee, his students have won a remarkable array of competitive awards, including the D.O. Hebb Award for best student presentation, the CPA Certificate of Academic Excellence, and the Andrew McGhie Prize among others. One of his former students is now a McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Fellow— one of Canada’s most prestigious postdoctoral fellowships.

As an outstanding researcher and mentor and one of the most exciting cognitive neuroscientists working in Canada today, Dr. Wammes is a most-deserving winner of the Vincent Di Lollo Early Career Award.