Our Team

Anna Czepiel is a postdoctoral researcher in the LAMA lab, at the UTM, exploring how the brain tracks real-world speech and song. She gained a Bachelor’s in music (University of York) and a Master’s in Music, Mind, and Technology with Cognitive Neuroscience (University of Jyväskylä). After an internship at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Anna completed her doctoral work in 2023 on responses to music in real-world contexts at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics and Maastricht University. In her spare time, Anna enjoys baking, playing piano and violin, and singing.

Anne is a graduate student in the Psychology department at the University of Toronto. Her work explores how we develop knowledge specific to music and language, particularly through observing children's vocal production. She is also interested in how children conceptualize the impact of music on emotions, aiming to better understand how we develop the ability to use music for emotion regulation in everyday life. Outside of research, Anne enjoys listening to podcasts and playing music with her friends.

Saghar recently received her HBSc in Psychology specialist and Biology for Health Science major. Her professional experience working with children and youth (with and without disabilities) inspired her to join the LAMA lab. She first became involved with the lab as an independent research project student and later received the University of Toronto Excellence Award. Currently, she serves as the lab manager and contributes to various developmental projects. In her free time, Saghar enjoys spending time with friends and family, going on hikes, and listening to mental health podcasts.

Bashar is a fourth year Neuroscience specialist at the University of Toronto Mississauga, currently working at the LAMA lab as an ROP student. He is interested in studying how neurological disorders may influence speech and language, as well as how EEGs and other brain imaging techniques can be used to study this. As a part of his ROP project, he is currently investigating how ADHD may influence speech and language processing. In his spare time, Bashar plays the guitar, practices mixed martial arts and goes on long road trips.

Vashti is a graduate student in Developmental Psychology and Education at OISE- University of Toronto. She completed her B.A. (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Ottawa and her M.Ed in Developmental Psychology and Education from OISE. Vashti is interested in alternative approaches to “traditional” education, using music as a learning aid. In her spare time,  she enjoys travelling, karaoke, baking, and listening to music.

Lina is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UTM, specializing in Neuroscience and majoring in Biology for Health Science. She is passionate about exploring the relationship between brain structure and function, and how this influences our experiences and behaviors. Lina is deeply fascinated by language development, especially how children acquire language through interactions with their environment. At home, she enjoys sharing scientific knowledge with her family, which has inspired her to learn how to make science accessible and engaging for broader audiences. In her free time, Lina enjoys reading, baking (not cooking!), and spending time with her family and friends.

Ginnie is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UofT pursuing the Neuroscience and Psychology Specialist programs. She joined the LAMA Lab as an ROP student in 2024, supporting a project investigating neural tracking of song and speech in noisy conditions. She also further explored how musical training could influence this process. Ginnie is particularly interested in learning about imaging techniques such as EEG and hopes to gain more skills in programming and statistics. In her free time, she enjoys watching sitcoms and trying new foods around the city.

Arousha is a fourth-year undergraduate student double majoring in Chemistry and Health Sciences at UTM. She is passionate about understanding brain development and how it varies in children with different health conditions and disorders. In particular, she would like to explore how such conditions impact speech formation and language recognition. Outside of the lab, Arousha can be found baking up something in the kitchen, enjoying iced coffee (or her new favourite, matcha), and spending time with friends and family.

Reva is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UTM, specializing in Neuroscience with a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology. She was drawn to the LAMA Lab after coming across the IDoLS project, which looks at how infants start to tell the difference between speech and song during their first year. She was excited by how the study connects early experiences to how we learn and process the world, which ties into her interest in behavioural epigenetics and how the environment can shape developmental and behavioural outcomes over time. In the lab, Reva helps with participant recruitment lists, data collection, and behavioural coding. Outside of research, she assists at a knee rehabilitation clinic and is Communications Director for PAUSE. She loves listening to music, exploring cafés, and spending time with friends and family.

Anna is a graduate student in Psychology at the University of Toronto. She received her BSc in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University. She is mainly interested in how bilingualism and other diverse linguistic environments influence our perception and development. Specifically, her work explores the experiential factors that drive our attention towards speech. Outside of the lab, she enjoys songwriting, drawing animals, and spending time with friends and family.

Meyha is a graduate student in Psychology at the University of Toronto, co-supervised by Drs. Christina Vanden Bosch der Nederlanden and Laura Cirelli. She received her HBSc in Neuroscience from UofT in 2023 and has been at the LAMA lab since its opening in 2022. Meyha is interested in the intersection between language development, social-emotional development, and music, particularly in infants and children. She hopes to use both neural and behavioural measures to answer such questions in the lab. In her free time, Meyha enjoys singing, playing the harmonium, teaching English to her students, and spending time with friends and family. 

Anhthu is entering her third year at UTM, with a major in Biology for Health Sciences, and double minors in Psychology and Chemistry. She particularly loves research in developmental psychology, especially connecting her background in music to infant development. Outside of the lab, she volunteers at her church to help teach choreography to the community youth and occasionally attends drop-in choreography classes for fun. She loves spending time with her loved ones, getting sweet treats (strawberry iced matcha lattes!), shopping, and travelling!

Maya is a fourth-year Psychology Specialist student at the University of Toronto, with a strong interest in developmental and abnormal psychology. She is passionate about research involving children, cognition, neurodivergence, music, and language development, and is especially interested in how these areas intersect and can be applied in practical, real-world settings. As an ROP student in the LAMA Lab, she assists in running experiments and analyzing data. She currently volunteers at ErinoakKids supporting children on the autism spectrum as they transition into school. During her free time, she also enjoys drawing, reading, playing video games, crocheting and knitting, and spending time with animals, preferably with an Iced Capp in hand!

Susana is a fifth-year undergraduate student at UTM, specializing in Neuroscience and majoring in Psychology. She is curious about attention and flow states, particularly how they differ in individuals with OCD and ADHD. Her interests also extend to the emotional and cognitive power of music, as well as the brain’s capacity for change through neuroplasticity and epigenetics. Outside the lab, Susana is a passionate singer and performer who finds joy in Latin American culture and music, animals, badminton, and long-distance running.

Joscelyn is a third-year student at UTM, pursing a Psychology specialist and a Physics minor. She is particularly interested in psycholinguistics, musical cognition, and developmental psychology. Joscelyn is a part time gymnastics coach passionate about working with children. Outside of academics, she enjoys crocheting and playing the piano.

David is a psychology specialist and former ROP student from the LAMA lab who is currently volunteering. He is interested in the neural background in the perception of everyday sounds and how this pertains to cognitive phenomena such as language. In his spare time David loves to read and travel.

Razan is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Mississauga, pursuing a double major in Biology for Health Sciences and Psychology. She began her academic journey studying medicine abroad for two years before transferring to UTM, where she developed a strong interest in the cognitive foundations of human communication. Razan is curious about how language and music are processed in the brain and is eager to deepen her understanding of speech pathologies especially the developmental and neurological factors that can disrupt typical language acquisition in children and adults. Through her extensive clinical and volunteer experiences supporting children and patients across diverse healthcare settings, she has developed a growing commitment to exploring these areas further. In her free time, Razan enjoys spending time in nature, exercising, and reading!

Ashwini is an undergraduate student in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. She is particularly interested in biomedical applications of signal processing and is currently exploring how engineering can support our understanding of the human body. Outside of her studies, she enjoys listening to music, kayaking, and trying new restaurants.