About
I am a neuroscientist studying how injury, learning, expectation and social context shape pain—and why those effects differ between individuals.
CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow · Martin Pain Lab · University of Toronto Mississauga
Background
My early training in philosophy introduced me to questions about subjective experience and its relationship to biological activity. Those questions led me to experimental neuroscience and, in particular, to pain: an experience shaped not only by sensory input, but also by learning, expectation, stress and social context.
During my PhD at the University of Sydney, I developed preclinical approaches for studying placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia in chronic neuropathic pain. I now work as a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto, where I study individual differences in chronic pain using behavioural phenotyping, brain-wide activity mapping and circuit-level approaches.
A central aim of my research is to make comparisons between animal and human pain neuroscience more informative. I combine rodent studies with human neuroimaging where the underlying questions align, while treating meaningful species differences as scientific results rather than inconveniences.
Research training & appointments
2023–Present
CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow
Martin Pain Lab, University of Toronto Mississauga
Research on chronic pain, individual differences, placebo and nocebo mechanisms, and pain-related social behaviour using behavioural, brain-wide and circuit-level approaches.
July 22–August 12, 2025
Imaging Structure & Function in the Nervous System
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Three-week intensive residential course combining lectures and hands-on training in modern optical approaches for studying nervous-system structure and function.
2022–2023
Postdoctoral Researcher
Lab of Neural Structure and Function / Neural Imaging Laboratory, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney
Worked with Professor Kevin Keay, Professor Luke Henderson and Dr Lewis Crawford on human pain neuroimaging and fMRI, including cross-species questions arising from preclinical placebo and nocebo research.
2019–2022
PhD in Neuroscience
University of Sydney
Thesis: Developing Preclinical Models of Conditioned Placebo Analgesia in Rats with Neuropathic Pain
2014–2018
Bachelor of Science (Honours), Neuroscience
University of Sydney
First Class Honours and University Medal
2008–2011
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy
University of Sydney
Teaching, education & mentoring
At the University of Sydney I taught undergraduate neuroscience, anatomy and medical science, as well as neuroanatomy within the postgraduate Doctor of Medicine program. My teaching included laboratory practicals, tutorials, demonstrations and assessment across large and smaller-group courses.
Selected courses
NEUR3005 — Functional Neuroanatomy
Tutor and demonstrator · 2019–2023
~400 students/year
ANAT2011 — Fundamentals of Human Anatomy
Tutor and demonstrator · 2019–2022
~200 students/year
NEUR3004 — Integrative Neuroscience
Tutor · 2019–2021
~90 students/year
ANAT3888 — Anatomy and Histology Interdisciplinary Project
Tutor · 2022–2023
~60 students/year
MEDS2005 — Human Anatomy and Histology
University of Sydney
200+ students/year
Sydney MD Year 1 Neurosciences / neuroanatomy
Postgraduate medical teaching
~300 students/year
Mentoring and research training
I have mentored over 20 students and trainees across undergraduate, MSc, PhD and research-assistant levels. Day-to-day supervision has included experimental design, behavioural neuroscience, histology and microscopy, image and data analysis, troubleshooting, interpretation and scientific communication. I also participated in formal mentor–mentee programs at the University of Sydney across multiple years from 2019 to 2022.
I have also delivered technical training within and across laboratories, including stereotaxic surgery training for researchers from other laboratories at the request of University of Toronto Mississauga vivarium and veterinary staff.
Educational design
Curriculum Manager and Educational Designer · 2017
School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney
I developed teaching materials, learning activities and curriculum-aligned content for medical-science education.
Collaborators
Martin Pain Lab
Current lab · University of Toronto Mississauga
- Professor Loren MartinPrincipal investigator
- Researches the neural and behavioural mechanisms of pain, pain modulation and chronic pain.
- Dr Seyed Asaad KarimiResearch Fellow
- Investigates oxytocin and signalling in the hippocampus and their roles in chronic pain and pain modulation.
- Julia KrimbergPhD candidate
- Investigates the neuroscience of maternal stress and its effects on offspring in mice and rats.
- Dr Khadijeh EsmaeilpourResearch Associate
- Investigates how learning and memory shape pain.
- Shivani GamiResearch Assistant
- Uses molecular and cellular techniques including genotyping, protein quantification and Western blotting to investigate the mechanisms underlying pain modulation.
- Fatama ZahraPhD student
- Investigates how learning and memory influences pain using mouse models.
- Maryam FaziliMSc student
- Investigates CCK signalling in the Edinger–Westphal nucleus and its role in pain processing and pain-related behaviour.
- Farhada KhaledUndergraduate researcher
- Investigates individual differences in chronic pain-related social behaviour, including relationships between pain sensitivity, social interaction and ultrasonic vocalisations.
- Gurleen HansUndergraduate researcher
- Simon MortensenUndergraduate researcher
Lab of Neural Structure and Function
PhD lab · University of Sydney
- Professor Kevin KeayPhD supervisor and collaborator
- Researches the neural mechanisms of chronic pain, stress and pain-related behavioural adaptation.
- James KangCollaborator
- Investigates the development of chronic pain and neural and neuroimmune responses to peripheral nerve injury, including longitudinal preclinical models of individual pain outcomes.
Neural Imaging Laboratory
Postdoctoral research · University of Sydney
- Professor Luke HendersonCollaborator and academic mentor
- Uses human neuroimaging to investigate brain and brainstem mechanisms underlying acute and chronic pain and pain modulation.
- Dr Lewis CrawfordCollaborator
- Uses human fMRI and high-field neuroimaging to study pain modulation, including placebo-related brain and brainstem mechanisms.
Selected presentations
2026
Invited webinar · recording available
Can Rodents Teach Us Anything About the Brain Mechanisms of Placebo Analgesia and Nocebo Hyperalgesia in Humans?
Australian Pain Society Connect & Learn Webinar · July 1, 2026
Email to request access to the recordingPlacebo and nocebo from the lab to the hospital: State of the field and implementing procedures to drive therapeutic benefits
Australian Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting · Invited topical-session speaker · Adelaide, Australia
2023
Learning pain in context
Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS) · Oral presentation · Duisburg, Germany
Learning pain in context
Australian Pain Society · Oral presentation · Canberra, Australia
2022
Placebo and nocebo from the lab to the hospital
Australian Pain Society · Chair and speaker for invited topical session · Hobart, Australia
Animal models of placebo and nocebo
Australian Pain Society · Oral presentation · Hobart, Australia
2019
Placebo-induced analgesia in rats with chronic neuropathic pain
Australian Pain Society · Oral presentation · Gold Coast, Australia
2018
The role of the locus coeruleus in regulating responses to acute stress in rats with neuropathic pain
Australian Pain Society · Oral presentation · Sydney, Australia
Posters and the complete presentation record are available in the full academic CV.
NeuroBriefer
I founded NeuroBriefer, a free platform that creates personalized neuroscience literature briefings and helps researchers organize relevant papers.
Contact
For research, speaking and scholarly collaboration enquiries, email damienboorman@utoronto.ca.