Graduate Student

43 Vassar Street, Office: 46-4033D
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
Email: anique27@mit.edu
Connect: LinkedIn

Ph.D. Student, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, present
B.A., California State University, Los Angeles

Kanique is a doctoral candidate in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Program at MIT and an NSF GRF Fellow utilizing neuroimaging techniques to investigate variability in neural circuit dynamics and their influence on perception, cognition, and affective symptoms. Her research aims to identify modifiable neural signatures associated with mental well-being and develop non-pharmacological interventions targeting attentional regulation that support flexible neural functioning and advance predictive, precision therapeutic strategies.

Kanique earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles. She subsequently conducted post-baccalaureate research at the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke under Dr. Avi Nath and Dr. Govind Nair, focusing on identifying distinct clinical and neurobiological markers in aviremic HIV to improve diagnostic characterization. She also worked at the National Institute of Mental Health with Dr. Carlos Zarate and Dr. Nadia Hejazi in the Sleep and Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branches, assessing the effects of pharmacological interventions on major depressive disorder and sleep states.

Kanique also serves as a federal advocate through the MIT Graduate Student Council (GSC), contributing to Congressional support for the restoration and expansion of National STEM Bridge Programs. In addition to her research and policy work, she finds joy in dance, animals, and community-building, bringing these passions into her role as a Graduate Resident Advisor, mentoring MIT undergraduates alongside her sweet doggie, Daisie.