Our Team

Anna is a PhD student in Psychology at UTM. She received her BSc in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University, where she completed her thesis on infant social bias in the Baby Lab. Before starting her PhD, she also worked as a Research Assistant in the Baby Lab in collaboration with Dr. Kang Lee's Development Lab at OISE. She is mainly interested in how diverse linguistic environments influence other aspects of child development. Outside of the lab, she enjoys translating Chinese media and playing the piano.

Emily is entering her second year at UTM studying psychology. Her experiences volunteering and working with children inspired her interest in child communication development. She has a strong interest in research and hopes to gain a greater understanding of how we process what we hear. In her free time Emily likes to read and spend time with her family.

Vashti recently received her BA in Psychology from the University of Ottawa. Throughout her time at the university she has taken a unique approach to her psychology degree so that she may be able to service minority communities with holistic treatments. Due to this, much of her research and literature reviews center around music (Musically Evoked Autobiographical Memories in those with Alzheimer's, Using Music to aid Second Language Teaching, Music-Intervention Improving Sleep Quality in Insomniacs, etc.). In her spare time Vashti enjoys travelling, baking and listening to music.

Ryan is an undergraduate student pursuing a specialist in Neuroscience at UTM. His interests include understanding how music influences neurocognitive development and exploring the clinical implications of music paradigms. He enjoys playing classical piano, volleyball, and reading philosophy. Aside from his research interests and hobbies, he teaches piano and works at a metabolic clinic.

Mia is entering her third year as an undergraduate student at UTM studying psychology. She has a strong interest in psychological research, specifically the study of interpersonal relationships and communication, as well as a long history in musical studies. She played the clarinet in her high school band and has also been a member of the musical theatre group in her hometown for 6 years. The LAMA Lab at UTM presented itself as a perfect opportunity for her to gain more experience doing research that combined two of her greatest interests.

​Myra is an undergraduate student at UTM completing a Neuroscience specialist. She is interested in perception and language development with the aim of bridging these interests at the LAMA lab. She has a keen interest in data analysis and hopes to learn more about what goes into designing and carrying out a study for perception research. In her free time, Myra enjoys knitting and studying languages.

Aalia Rangnekar recently completed her BSc Honours at UTM with a double major in Psychology and Biology for Health Sciences. Working as a piano and voice teacher for the past few years has sparked her interest in music cognition research. Particularly, she is interested in music acquisition in young children and how music training can benefit other cognitive domains. She is excited to gain invaluable research skills and experience at the LAMA Lab. In her spare time, she works at an urgent care clinic and plays piano at a senior lifestyles residence.

Anne is a first-year psychology graduate student at the University of Toronto. She recently completed her undergraduate studies at Toronto Metropolitan University with a minor in music and culture. She is interested in exploring the neural correlates underlying music and language processing as well as the effects of musical training on communication skills. Alongside her passion for research, Anne enjoys reading novels and performing music around the city.

Grace is currently a 3rd year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Mississauga! She is specializing in Neuroscience with a minor in Creative Writing. With the LAMA laboratory, Grace is enrolled and set to complete an ROP (Research Opportunity Program) for the 2022 summer session! She is currently interested in how brain activity and perceptual attention may differ when hearing voices of different emotions.

Meyha is a fourth-year BSc Honours student at UTM specializing in Neuroscience and majoring in Biology for Health Sciences. Her interests include a range of topics within cognitive and developmental neuroscience research. She is particularly interested in studying music and language acquisition in infants and young children at the lab. In her free time, Meyha enjoys singing, baking, teaching English to her students, and spending time with friends and family. 

Selina graduated from UTM with a psychology specialty degree. She is interested in pursuing research on children’s learning, with a focus on language development. She is enthusiastic about working on hearing-related projects in the LAMA Lab. Apart from her strong interests in psychology research, she currently works as a retail supervisor and a medical receptionist. She enjoys watching crime documentaries, trying out new food locations, and spending time with friends and family.

​Justin is an undergraduate student working towards a psychology and biology major. He loves teaching and tutoring and hopes to make it his career in the future, where he can educate children of all ages about the sciences. To forward this goal, he applied to the LAMA lab to better understand how children process music and language in the hopes of integrating what he has learned into his teaching skillset. Aside from occupational aspirations, his hobbies include learning to play new instruments, taking care of plants and fish, and playing tabletop games.

Natasha is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and she is completing a specialist in Neuroscience. At the lab, she is interested in understanding how the perception of various stimuli, such as voices and sounds, may vary in certain conditions or disorders. She is also interested in the neural mechanisms underlying these processes.