Team
Scientific Director
Dr. Kaja Jasińska
Dr. Jasińska is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She is fundamentally interested in the neural mechanisms that support language (monolingual or bilingual, signed or spoken), reading, and cognitive development across the lifespan. Her research asks questions such as how early life experience changes the brain's capacity for learning. She uses MRI and fNIRS neuroimaging technology to gain new insights into the biological underpinnings of language, reading, and human cognition.
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Post-Doctoral Fellows
Dr. Henry Brice
Henry has a Ph.D. in Cognitive & Brain Sciences from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI). He holds an M.A. in Cognitive Science from the Language, Logic and Cognition Center at HUJI, and a B.A. in Linguistics and Cognitive Science. Henry is interested in how the structure of language, and of written language in particular, shapes the way we learn and process linguistic material, incorporating insights from the field of statistical learning. He has a particular interest in individual differences in these skills, and in cross-linguistic differences in how language encodes structure. His PhD thesis centred on a large-scale longitudinal fMRI project examining the neurocognitive underpinnings of second language literacy, in collaboration with Haskins Laboratories in New Haven.
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Graduate Students and Researchers
Mary-Claire Ball
Mary-Claire Ball is a Ph.D. student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She holds an M.A. in Linguistics and Cognitive Science from the University of Delaware and a B.S. in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University. Mary is interested in children’s literacy development in multilingual contexts, where children are learning to read in a language they may not speak at home. Her current doctoral research explores how disruptions in children’s schooling may impact their second language and literacy development.
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Hannah Whitehead
Hannah Whitehead is a Ph.D. student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at OISE. She holds an MA from OISE at University of Toronto and a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario. Hannah is passionate about using evidence-based approaches to improve academic outcomes in at-risk children. Currently, she is investigating the relationship between literacy and numeracy development in Côte d’Ivoire, where children are at high risk for illiteracy and innumeracy.
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Brooke Wortsman
Brooke is an M.A. student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at OISE. During her B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology at Queen's University, her research was focused on adolescent development. Her research in the BOLD lab started during her MEd and focuses on investigating educational outcomes in Côte d'Ivoire using a risk and resilience framework. Brooke spent six years teaching English as a Second Language to students in kindergarten and elementary school both in classroom and online settings. She is passionate about education, mental health, and child development.
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Angela Capani
Angela is a Ph.D. student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She also holds an M.A. in Psychology from York University in the area of Developmental Science. Angela’s research interests centers on bilingualism, biliteracy development, and social-emotional functioning. Her current project explores the impact of interrupted schooling on the language and literacy development of recently resettled refugee children.
Medha Aurora
Medha completed an M.Ed. in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at OISE. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Flame University in Pune, India. Following her undergraduate degree, she worked in research organizations focusing on behavioral economics, poverty, and educational assessments. Her research interests include social and emotional learning, mental health, and quality education, especially in underserved communities.
Joshua Lim 
Joshua Lim is a Ph.D. student in the Curriculum and Pedagogy program with a specialization in Comparative, International, and Development Education at OISE. He holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Pedagogy and an M.A. in Child Study and Education from OISE, and a B.ASc. (Hons.) in Interdisciplinary Studies from Lakehead University. Joshua’s research interests center on child development and the effects of poverty and child labour. His work with the BOLD lab involved investigating the impact of interrupted schooling on the development of neural systems for reading in resettled refugee children.
Mandana Jafarian
Mandana's research interests revolve around the intersection of psychology, education, and technology. She has a Bachelor’s (BSc) and a Masters of Applied Science (MASc) in Electrical and Computer Engineering with more than 15 years of diverse professional experience in various fields including software development. She also has published journal papers in the field of Computer and Electronics Engineering. She is interested in 1) studying how students’ emotions impact their learning and 2) utilizing assistive technology such as AI and Machine Learning to increase students’ focus and engagement to improve their learning experience. She is currently conducting a systematic review on misophonia. Her goal is to contribute to the development of strategies that can improve the academic experience for misophone students.
Breanna Liaki
Breanna is an M.Ed student in OISE’s Developmental Psychology and Education program. She received her B.A.Sc in Applied Psychology in Human Behaviour with a specialization in Autism and Behavioural Sciences from McMaster University. Her research interests include child development, disability studies, social-emotional development, and education. Her current work with the lab involves investigating the effectiveness of food insecurity scales and the impact of food insecurity on child development in a developing country.
Julianna Corbett
Julianna is a M.Ed. student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology and Biology for Health Sciences from the University of Toronto Mississauga. Julianna’s research interests center around a passion for child development, neuroscience, and mental health. She is enthusiastic about employing neuroimaging techniques in the BOLD lab to explore the biological underpinnings of child development.
Andrea De Bartolo
Andrea is a Ph.D. student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at OISE. With an HB.Sc. in Neuroscience and Mental Health from the University of Toronto, she has centred her research on neurodevelopment, educational enhancement, and social connectedness. Andrea is using fNIRS neuroimaging technology in the BOLD lab to investigate longitudinal changes in the brain in response to displacement among Afghan refugee youth.
Gairan Pamei
Gairan is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and currently, an international visiting graduate student in the BOLD lab. Her research focuses on literacy and educational attainment of multilingual children across contexts. Specifically, her doctoral dissertation examines reading and language experiences of primary school students in the Indo-Burma border region. Gairan interested in measurement and methodological practices in (developmental) psychology and education research.
Sarah Akkad
Sarah is an MA student in the Developmental Psychology and Education Program at OISE. During her BA&Sc (Hons.) in Cognitive Science at McGill, her research looked at reading cognition in Primary Progressive Aphasia and the development of novel reading tasks for this population. She also has two years of experience delivering psychoeducational support to children and adolescents with learning disabilities. Her research at the BOLD lab looks at cross-linguistic transfer in bilingual Syrian refugee youth.
Jerry Barfi Owusu-Agyemang
Jerry is currently pursuing a M.Ed in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at OISE. His educational background includes a Diploma in Basic Education and a B.Ed in Psychology and Foundations of Education from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Jerry has worked with students from grade 7 to 9 for over a decade. He is passionate about the pivotal role that education plays in child development.
Yuying Huang
Yuying is a M.Ed student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at OISE. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mental Health and Linguistics from the University of Toronto. Her diverse research experience spans psychological assessment, data collection and analysis, and curriculum development. Yuying’s research interests include language development, mental health interventions, and educational psychology. She has also contributed to research projects on adolescent psychological interventions and language acquisition among students in China.
Zainab Razaiy
Zainab Razaiy is a Ph.D student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at OISE. She holds an MEd in Developmental Psychology and Education from OISE and a HBSc in Psychology from the University of Toronto. Zainab’s research interests center on innovative tools and strategies to enhance Knowledge Building within educational environments. She is currently examining how poverty and education quality influence children’s learning in rural Côte D’Ivoire.
Undergraduate Students
Sara Qadoumi
Sara is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto studying Neuroscience and Physiology. She is interested in socio-emotional well-being and academic performance & reading abilities in refugee children. She is interested in learning about the neuroscience underlying learning in critical years of development and is excited to integrate this with her passion for refugee advocacy and educational barriers.
Sophia Galoushchak
Sophia is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, dual majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology. She is passionate about mental health and educational equity. She is interested in exploring how the interrelated fields of psychology, neuroscience and linguistics can be applied to real-life scenarios where there have been barriers to education, such as in cases of refugee children and in developing countries.
Hamza Qayumi
Hamza is a specialist student at the University of Toronto studying Health Studies. He is interested in how diverse childhood experiences, such as bilingualism and the challenges faced by refugee children, influence cognitive development and learning outcomes. Hamza aims to integrate his research with efforts to address educational barriers and promote equity for children in vulnerable communities.
Victoria Santos
Victoria is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto studying Neuroscience and Health Studies. She is interested in exploring child development across diverse social conditions, aiming to inform interventions that address language-learning barriers and promote child well-being. She is particularly excited to apply her passion for education advocacy to families in Côte d’Ivoire and refugee populations.
Mousa El-Sururi
Mousa is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto studying Physiology and Health & Diseases. He is interested in understanding how poverty and adversity affect child development and cognition. He is passionate about exploring the social and financial barriers refugees face in accessing healthcare and education, with the aim of learning how to best mitigate these challenges.
Dr. Fabrice Tanoh
Research Coordinator for the Ivorian Team
Fabrice is an Assistant Professor in Economic Sociology in the UFR of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, at University Péléfero Gon Coulibaly de Korhogo. His research focuses on issues related to children’s education in rural areas. His work on the Promoting Literacy Development in Rural Cocoa-Producing Communities project centers around the sociological and socioeconomic context of child literacy development. He is the country manager for Allô Alphabet and he also leads the Science Capacity Building collaboration with research partners in Côte d'Ivoire.
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Dr. Hermann Akpé
Hermann has a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Human Capital Development from the Institute Development and Anthropology (ISAD) at Félix Houphouët Boigny University (UFHB). He holds M.A. and B.A. degrees in developmental economy. His research focuses on education, and he has worked on projects concerning the quality of professional development at private institutions of higher education. His research interests also include professional integration strategies. He is a member of the National Committee for Early Childhood Integrated Development (CNDIDJE) and has a special interest in young children’s learning abilities.
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