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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. Meg's CV |
Post-Doctoral Fellows
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Xiaoping Fang
BS in Psychology, Beijing Normal University MS in Psychology, Beijing Normal University PhD in Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Xiaoping is a post-doc, working with both Meg and Katherine Duncan. Her previous research focused on language learning, in particular, how people learn new meanings for words they already know. In both labs, she is investigating the mechanisms underlying the integration of relevant memories and hoping to bridge the memory and language research areas. In her free time, she likes to go hiking, camping, climbing, and to explore the city. Xiaoping's CV Personal Website |
Graduate Students
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Tess Forest
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Sagana Vijayarajah
BSc in Psychology, York University MA in experimental psychology, University of Toronto Sagana is a PhD student in Dr. Schlichting’s lab. She 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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Merron Woodbury (they/she)
BSc in Neuroscience, Minor in Computer Science, McGill University Merron is a graduate student in Dr. Schlichting’s lab. They are interested in using various neuroimaging and computational techniques to study structural and functional changes in the brain underlying the development of memory processes. In Merron’s spare time, she loves to paint, read feminist science fiction and fantasy, and spend time outdoors. |
Lab Manager
Zahra Abolghasem (she/her)
BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto
Zahra recently graduated from the Psychology Research Specialist Program 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.
Contact info: manager.buddingmindslab@gmail.com
BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto
Zahra recently graduated from the Psychology Research Specialist Program 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.
Contact info: manager.buddingmindslab@gmail.com
Research Assistants
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Eric (Xingjian) Che
BSc in Physiology, Neuroscience and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Eric is a third-year undergraduate student with a double major in Physiology and Neuroscience along with a minor in immunology. He is interested in how mechanisms of plasticity influence learning and memory in the developmental setting. Outside of class, he is a member of the Varsity Blues Track and Field Team for long jump and enjoys watching Youtube videos, playing his clarinet, or cooking. |
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Catherine Clarke
BSc in Psychology and Human Biology, University of Toronto (in Progress) Catherine is a third-year undergraduate student at UofT, double-majoring in Psychology and Human Biology. She is passionate about cognitive psychology, and specifically how learning and memory develop and change across the lifespan, and is thrilled to dive into her research experience at Budding Minds. Outside of the lab, Catherine loves spending time with friends, advocating for increased mental health resources at UofT (you may have signed her petition), reading (and re-reading) her favourite novels, and going to Instagram-worthy cafes in the city. |
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Simran Dhir
BSc in Pharmacology and Biomedical Toxicology, Education and Society, University of Toronto (In Progress) Simran is a third-year student specializing in Pharmacology and Biomedical Toxicology and minoring in Education and Society. She is interested in Child Development and Psychology and in seeing how her programs can be interconnected, be it by studying the biological development of memory in children or by seeing how diseases affect different parts of the body, especially the brain. The creativity and understanding that goes into creating complex tools like the fMRI machine greatly intrigues her and she is excited to see and learn more about how upcoming technology will shape the future of many scientific fields. In her free time, she can be found binging the latest Netflix show, doodling and playing online Scrabble. |
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Oceana Ding
BSc in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Oceana is a third-year undergraduate student interested in the underlying cognitive mechanisms that make intelligent processes such as simulation, self-reflection and reasoning possible, as well as how psychological insight into affordances and perceptual elements can enhance the design of everyday objects. |
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Alyssa Ho
BSc in Neuroscience, University of Toronto (In Progress) Alyssa is going into her fourth year at U of T, specializing in Neuroscience. She is particularly interested in understanding the cognitive development of children. Outside of school, Alyssa can be found reading books or curled up watching her favourite shows. She is also a huge foodie. |
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Nicole Hung
BSc in Psychology and Urban Studies, University of Toronto (In Progress) Nicole is a fourth-year student pursuing a double major in Psychology and Urban studies. She loves working with kids, and is interested in cognitive and developmental psychology, especially in children’s learning. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching Youtube videos/Netflix, and going on walks to explore Toronto. |
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David Huynh
BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) David is a fourth-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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Nisha Klein
BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Nisha is currently in her second year, with an intended major in psychology, and hoping to purse a PhD in clinical psychology. She is particularly interested in abnormal psychology, as well as child psychology and development. In her free time, she enjoys running and baking. |
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Emma Laker
BSc in Cognitive Science and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Emma is a third-year student double majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology. They are interested in the intersection of childhood development with parenting style, especially in issues pertaining to behavioural disorders, sense of self, and adolescent development. In the future, they hope to attend graduate school and specialize in developmental behavioural disorders. In free time, Emma can be found painting, running or stressing out about school with friends. |
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Amy Pan
BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Research Opportunity Program (ROP) student Amy is an incoming third-year at U of T, double majoring in neuroscience and psychology. Having taught piano in Vancouver and English in Nicaragua, she is extremely interested in working with children, and in studying developmental neuroscience and how young minds integrate and recall knowledge. Outside of school, she enjoys baking brownies, running trails, creating playlists, and watching hockey. |
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Sarah Ripley
BSc in Psychology, Statistics, and Mathematics, University of Toronto (In Progress) Sarah is a fourth-year student pursuing a major in Psychology, along with minors in Statistics and Mathematics. She is interested in learning about how memory changes through development, as well as how memories are integrated. In her free time she enjoys teaching Pilates, coaching competitive trampoline, trying new restaurants, and watching basketball. |
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Rena Rivera
BSc in Nursing, University of Toronto (In progress) Rena is in her first year of nursing at the University of Toronto. She is interested in cognitive and developmental psychology, specifically in the changes that arise with memory formation due to the developing brain. In her spare time, she enjoys watching Netflix, baking, and spending time with her dogs Rocky and Robyn. |
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Riveea Satkunaratnam
BSc in Immunology and Physiology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Research Opportunity Program (ROP) student Riveea is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Immunology and Physiology. She is interested in exploring concepts regarding cognitive development of children in relation to innate learning behaviours. In her free time, she is usually reading, watching her favourite movies or hanging out with her family and friends. |
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Rena Seeger
BSc in Neuroscience, Art History, and Physiology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Rena is in her fourth year specializing in neuroscience, and is especially interested in how our experiences at an early age can shape our brains, and how those changes can in turn shape our thoughts and behaviors throughout life. 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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Nujhat Tabassum
BSc in Neuroscience, Physiology, and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Nujhat is set to graduate this year from 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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Tiffany Teng
BSc in Psychology and Biology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Tiffany is a third-year student at U of T pursuing a Psychology specialist and Biology minor. Having worked as an instructor to many children of different age groups, the relationship between memory and learning is an area of study about which she is passionate. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, travelling, and being with her friends and family. |
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Thurka Thillainathan
BSc in Psychology and Anthropology, University of Toronto Thurka graduated from the University of Toronto in 2019 as a Psychology specialist with a minor in Anthropology. Her research interests lie primarily in developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, so she is excited to be working with the Budding Minds Lab to learn more about ongoing research in the field! In the future, she hopes to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology. When she is not working, Thurka can be found re-reading her favourite books and spending time with her dog (ideally under the sun and by the water). |
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Mila Valcic
BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Mila is a third-year student doing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology. She finds learning about human memory to be very fascinating and hopes to pursue a career in researching the effects of diseases that cause memory loss. Outside of school she enjoys going to cafes with her friends and watching movies. |
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Xuan Zhang
BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Xuan is a third-year student pursuing Psychology Specialist and Statistics Minor. She is fascinated in cognitive and neuroscience study. Especially, she is interested in how memory encoding and consolidation effect the learning outcome. She hopes that she can conduct her own independent study on related topics in the future. Outside of school, she spends most of her time practicing dancing and enjoys reading. |
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Sophia Zhao
BSc in Psychology and Physiology, University of Toronto (In Progress) Sophia is a fourth-year student pursuing a double major in Psychology and Physiology. She is interested in cognitive psychology and how different environmental factors can change the brain during development. In her free time, Sophia enjoys playing tennis and finding new restaurants with her friends. |
Lab Programmer
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Eryk Brol
BSc in Computer Science, University of Toronto (In Progress) Eryk is a 4th year Computer Science student specializing in Artificial Intelligence. He is particularly interested in Computer Graphics and Computer Vision. He is excited to join the lab and help create interactive apps for the lab's various studies. In his free time, Eryk likes to bake, visit coffee shops, and hang out with his friends. |
Lab Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
Anna Blumenthal
Research Assistants/Lab Managers
Mrinal Anagal - BSc in Nursing (BScN), University of Toronto (In Progress)
BSc in Neuroscience, Physiology, and Immunology, University of Toronto
Sasha Arnett - BSc in Life Sciences, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Hailey Benedict - MSc in Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BA in Psychology, McGill University
Sarah Berger - MSc in Psychology, University of Western Ontario (In Progress)
BSc in Psychology and Biology, Queens 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
Freeman Chan - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Nathan Chen - BSc in Neuroscience and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Sua Cho - BSc in Human Biology, Physiology, and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Andrew Chun - BSc in Psychology and Sociology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Natanela Dain - BSc in Psychology and English, University of Toronto
Brad Dalgleish - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Carissa DeMarinis - Juris Doctor, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BSc in Neuroscience, Psychology and Physiology, University of Toronto
Ashiana Dhanani - BSc in Human Biology and Psychology, 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 and Neuroscience, University of Toronto
Zosia Gontarz
Isabelle Vanasse Grosdidier - BSc in Psychology, Sociology, and Physiology, University of Toronto
Zachary Johnson - BSc in Psychology Specialist, Linguistics Minor, Buddhism/Psychology/Mental Health Minor, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Sherry Li - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Tianyu Lu - BSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Specialist, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Eilidh McAlister - BSc in Psychology and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Julia Pearce
Cheryl Quan - BSc in Psychology, Biology, and Anthropology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Valeria Sarangova
Katarina Savel - BSc in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Spanish, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Chuyun Shen - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto
Hasaan Sobaan
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
Mia Vucurovic - BSc in Psychology and Philosophy, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Wangjing Yu - PhD in Psychology at Columbia University (In Progress)
BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Toronto
Cindy Zhou
Anna Blumenthal
Research Assistants/Lab Managers
Mrinal Anagal - BSc in Nursing (BScN), University of Toronto (In Progress)
BSc in Neuroscience, Physiology, and Immunology, University of Toronto
Sasha Arnett - BSc in Life Sciences, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Hailey Benedict - MSc in Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BA in Psychology, McGill University
Sarah Berger - MSc in Psychology, University of Western Ontario (In Progress)
BSc in Psychology and Biology, Queens 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
Freeman Chan - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Nathan Chen - BSc in Neuroscience and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Sua Cho - BSc in Human Biology, Physiology, and Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Andrew Chun - BSc in Psychology and Sociology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Natanela Dain - BSc in Psychology and English, University of Toronto
Brad Dalgleish - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Carissa DeMarinis - Juris Doctor, University of Toronto (In Progress)
BSc in Neuroscience, Psychology and Physiology, University of Toronto
Ashiana Dhanani - BSc in Human Biology and Psychology, 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 and Neuroscience, University of Toronto
Zosia Gontarz
Isabelle Vanasse Grosdidier - BSc in Psychology, Sociology, and Physiology, University of Toronto
Zachary Johnson - BSc in Psychology Specialist, Linguistics Minor, Buddhism/Psychology/Mental Health Minor, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Sherry Li - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Tianyu Lu - BSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Specialist, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Eilidh McAlister - BSc in Psychology and Immunology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Julia Pearce
Cheryl Quan - BSc in Psychology, Biology, and Anthropology, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Valeria Sarangova
Katarina Savel - BSc in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Spanish, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Chuyun Shen - BSc in Psychology, University of Toronto
Hasaan Sobaan
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
Mia Vucurovic - BSc in Psychology and Philosophy, University of Toronto (In Progress)
Wangjing Yu - PhD in Psychology at Columbia University (In Progress)
BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Toronto
Cindy Zhou
Our lab is 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.
