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Meg Schlichting, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology PhD in Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin BA in Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania Meg is the Principal Investigator of the Budding Minds Lab at U of T. She is interested in how the episodic memory system (especially the hippocampus and its surrounding medial temporal lobe cortex) interacts with prefrontal brain regions to update our stored memories with new information. Her work aims to characterize how these neural operations happen in healthy young adults, as well as how they might change as the brain develops across childhood and adolescence. In her spare time, Meg loves to cook, try new restaurants, and explore all that her new city of Toronto has to offer. |
Post-Doctoral Fellows
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Anna Blumenthal
BA in Psychology, Minors in Classical Studies & Philosophy, Drew University MS in Cognitive Science University of Trento & SISSA, Italy PhD in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario I am a new postdoc, co-supervised by Meg and Michael Mack. I grew up in Colorado and New Jersey, and did my graduate work in cognitive neuroscience in northern Italy and then in Ontario at Western. Broadly, I am interested in how the hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal lobe structures contribute to perception, learning, and memory. At UofT I am excited to combine neuroimaging and computational modeling to understand the link between episodic and semantic memory in the developing brain. In my free time I love going hiking and camping with Alfred (the handsome fellow in the photo), reading fantasy/sci-fi, and traveling. |
Graduate Students
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Sagana Vijayarajah
BSc in Psychology, York University MA in experimental psychology, University of Toronto Sagana is interested in exploring the developmental changes in memory that occur from childhood to adulthood and how they impact decision-making and learning strategies. In her spare time, she likes to bike, paint, and spend time with family and friends. |
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Tess Forest
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Lab Manager
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Isabelle Vanasse Grosdidier
BSc in Psychology, Sociology, and Physiology, University of Toronto Isabelle graduated from the University of Toronto in 2018 as a Psychology specialist, Sociology major, and Physiology minor. She is interested in understanding how children and adults use existing knowledge to encode novel information. Outside of the lab, she enjoys volunteering in other labs, jogging through the 6ix, and watching Anna's dog Alfred. Contact info: manager.buddingmindslab@gmail.com |
Research Assistants
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Zahra Abolghasem
BSc in Psychology and Physiology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Individual Project Student and Mini-thesis Student Zahra is a third year undergraduate student who is specializing in Psychology and minoring in Physiology at the University of Toronto. She is passionate about many of the different branches of psychology, but her main interest lies within the field of developmental psychology, and she has a particular fascination for cognitive development. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking/baking, hiking, and painting. Sasha Arnett
BSc in Life Sciences, University of Toronto (In Progress) Sasha is a first year Life Science student at U of T. She is interested in pursuing psychology and loves discovering new research that has anything to do with the human mind. In her spare time, Sasha loves playing sports and bugging her friends.
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Andrew Chun
BSc in Psychology and Sociology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Andrew Chun is a second year U of T student pursuing a Psychology Specialist & Sociology Minor. He was born in Toronto, but has lived in several other places including Vancouver, Kazakstan, LA, and Seoul. His favorite sport is American Football and his hobbies include watching/playing sports, watching TV shows, and learning how to cook. Natanela Dain
BSc in Psychology and English, University of Toronto (In Progress) Natanela is in fourth year double majoring in Psychology and English. She is particularly interested in the developmental trajectory of learning in children and adolescents, and the formation of memories. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology and to work with children in a therapeutic setting. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching documentaries, and exploring downtown. Brad Dalgleish
BSc in Psychology Specialist, University of Toronto (In Progress) Individual Project Student Brad is a third year student specializing in Psychology. His future career ambition involves working with children and adolescents with learning disorders like ADHD. The research opportunities at Budding Minds Lab are particularly relevant with their developmental focus on memory formation which is an important factor implicated in many learning disorders. In his spare time, Brad enjoys building websites, reading good books, and going for long hikes. Carissa DeMarinis
BSc in Neuroscience, Psychology and Physiology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Research Opportunity Program (ROP) student Carissa is entering her third year at U of T and completing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology along with a minor in Physiology. She is broadly interested in neural development and hopes to pursue graduate studies in the field in the future. Outside the lab, she enjoys teaching and playing the piano and trying out different food spots in the city. |
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Tina Farokhifar
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Zosia Gontarz
BSc in Psychology Specialist, University of Toronto (In Progress) Individual Project Student Zosia is in her fourth year of the psychology specialist program. Her main interests within the field are cognitive and social psychology, especially where they relate to childhood and development, so a joint project between the Mack and Budding Minds Labs looking at semantic development across childhood and adolescence is the perfect opportunity! Outside of the lab, Zosia loves hiking with her dog, playing music, and exploring food spots in the city. |
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David Huynh
BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) David is a second-year student pursuing the Psychology Specialist Program. He is fascinated about cognitive and social development of infants, particularly the impact of social cues and environmental information on memory development and their problem solving abilities. He hopes to broaden his knowledge in the field from the experience gained as an RA in the Budding Minds lab. In his free time, he enjoys going for a walk, hanging out with friends, binging Netflix, playing games or trying out new cooking recipes. |
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Zachary Johnson
BSc in Psychology Specialist, Linguistics Minor, Buddhism/Psychology/Mental Health Minor, University of Toronto (In Progress) Zach is a returning 4th year student specializing in Psychology. He is particularly interested in the development of executive function in infants and young children, and how this knowledge can inform educational methods and early self-regulation interventions. Specifically relevant are opportunities in the Budding Minds Lab to investigate memory formation and recall in young populations. Zach has worked with competitive tennis players for the past ten years, has recently begun teaching adapted mindfulness-based techniques to children, and spends his personal time reading science fiction, playing hockey, and enjoying music. |
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Eilidh McAlister
BSc in Psychology and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Eilidh is a third year student pursuing a major in Psychology and minors in Immunology and Physiology. She is particularly interested in the realm of cognitive psychology and the brain. She was born in Ottawa, but grew up in Alberta. In her free time she enjoys cycling, travelling, and spending time with friends and family. She is looking forward to developing her research experience at the Budding Minds Lab! |
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Julia Pearce
BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto Julia is a non-degree student following the completion of her undergraduate degree. She is hoping to pursue a career in child and adolescent clinical psychology in the future. Outside the lab, she enjoys baking, reading, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with family/friends. |
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Cheryl Quan
BSc in Psychology, Biology, and Anthropology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Cheryl is currently a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto, completing her B.Sc in Psychology, Biology, and Anthropology. She is very excited to be working with the Budding Minds Lab to research the ways children and adults form and retrieve memories and how they may differ as a result of developmental differences in the brain. Cheryl is an advocate for diversity in STEM and passionate about breaking down the barriers to education and success in academia. In her spare time, she is getting involved in advocacy efforts, playing badminton, practicing photography, reading, or — most likely — taking a nap. |
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Rena Rivera
BSc in Pharmacology and Health and Disease, University of Toronto (In progress) Rena is a fourth year undergraduate student and is completing a double major in Pharmacology and Health and Disease at the University of Toronto. Throughout her academic career she has taken psychology and neuroscience courses, which has helped her discover her interests in neural and cognitive processes in the brain. She is interested in the changes that arise with memory formation due to the developing brain. In her spare time, she enjoys watching Netflix, spending time with her friends, family, and her dog Rocky. |
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Katarina Savel
BSc in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Spanish, University of Toronto (In Progress) Katarina is a third year student double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology and minoring in Spanish. She is interested in the intersection between Neuroscience and the law, and how concepts in developmental neuroscience and psychology can be applied to the sentencing and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. In her spare time Katarina enjoys listening to podcasts, skating, and exploring Toronto. |
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Rena Seeger
BSc in Neuroscience and Art History, University of Toronto (In Progress) Research Opportunity Program (ROP) student Rena is a second-year student specializing in neuroscience and minoring in art history at U of T. Outside of school she can be found taking dance classes, practicing the cello or piano, or painting. In the future she hopes to work in a hospital setting, using her knowledge in medicine as well as the arts to help treat her patients. |
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Chuyun Shen
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Hasaan Sobaan
BSc in Psychology and Semiotics, University of Toronto (In Progress) Hasaan is a second-year student pursuing a specialist degree in psychology and a minor in semiotics, and is extremely excited to be joining the Budding Minds lab! He is passionate about psychology and psychological research generally, but, takes a special interest in how differences in neurodevelopmental pathways give rise to changes in cognitive functioning. In his spare time, Hasaan can probably be found either with his nose in a good book, out on a hike, or busy cafe-hopping around Toronto. |
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Nujhat Tabassum
BSc in Neuroscience, Physiology, and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Nujhat has just finished her third year at U of T, and is extremely excited to be joining the Budding Minds Lab! She is highly interested in learning about the neurodevelopmental physiology and pathophysiology behind various aspects of cognition and cognitive disorders, and hopes to pursue graduate studies in this field. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, creative writing, watching TV, and spending time cuddling her cat, Mia. |
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Jared Van Reet
BSc in Neuroscience, University of Toronto (In Progress) Jared is currently in his third year of university, but first at the University of Toronto, studying neuroscience. He spent his first two years in Ottawa at Carleton University, but grew up in Massachusetts. He is interested in the differences between cognitive processes at various points throughout the lifespan. In his spare time, he enjoys rock climbing, longboarding, learning new sports, and exploring the city. |
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Mia Vucurovic
BSc in Psychology and Philosophy, University of Toronto (In Progress) Mia is a second year double majoring in psychology and philosophy, hoping to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. She is particularly fascinated with developmental and cognitive psychology in children. In her spare time, she enjoys being with family and friends, exploring downtown Toronto, and searching for the best pho place. |
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Wangjing Yu
BSc in Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Toronto (In Progress) Individual Project Student Wangjing is a third-year student in U of T, taking a psychology and neuroscience double major. She is very interested in cognitive and developmental psychology and plans on pursuing graduate studies in related areas in the future. During her leisure time, she likes to watch movies and TV shows. |
Lab Programmer
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Tianyu Lu
BSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Specialist, University of Toronto (In Progress) Tianyu is a second-year student specializing in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. He is particularly interested in computer simulations of biochemical systems and the applications of mathematics to biology. He is also interested in learning more Chinese and is writing an app to help him do that. Outside of his studies, he can be found cycling on one of Toronto's trails, attempting to play Rachmaninoff, or enjoying a warm bowl of pho. |
Lab Alumni
Hailey Benedict - MSc in Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BA in Psychology, McGill University
Samantha Bray Kingissepp - M.Ed. in Counselling and Psychotherapy at OISE, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BA in Honours Specialization Psychology, University of Western Ontario
Nathan Chen - BSc in Neuroscience and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Lana Duan - MSc in Medical Science at the University of Toronto and SickKids Research Institute (In Progress)
BSc in Psychology Specialist and Neuroscience, University of Toronto
Hannah Tarder-Stoll - PhD in Psychology at Columbia University (In Progress)
BMus in Classical Voice Performance, University of Toronto & BSc in Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Toronto
Cindy Zhou - BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BA in Psychology, McGill University
Samantha Bray Kingissepp - M.Ed. in Counselling and Psychotherapy at OISE, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BA in Honours Specialization Psychology, University of Western Ontario
Nathan Chen - BSc in Neuroscience and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Lana Duan - MSc in Medical Science at the University of Toronto and SickKids Research Institute (In Progress)
BSc in Psychology Specialist and Neuroscience, University of Toronto
Hannah Tarder-Stoll - PhD in Psychology at Columbia University (In Progress)
BMus in Classical Voice Performance, University of Toronto & BSc in Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Toronto
Cindy Zhou - BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Our lab is small, but growing - join us!
We are recruiting students for the work study program at UofT. We are also still looking for postdoctoral fellows to join our team!
Visit the Get Involved page for more information.
We are recruiting students for the work study program at UofT. We are also still looking for postdoctoral fellows to join our team!
Visit the Get Involved page for more information.
