Alisha is in the final year of her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto with a specialist in Health and Disease, a major in Cell and Molecular Biology and a minor in Music History and Culture. She has always had a passion for neuroscience, with a specific interest in early childhood cognitive and neurological development. In terms of research, Alisha has worked as part of investigative teams to help understand behavioural, cognitive and neural phenotypes of a number of neurodevelopmental disorders. Creative outlets such as language and music have been long-standing hobbies of hers, sparking her interest in characterizing the intersection of such outlets with brain development. After completing her undergraduate degree, Alisha looks forward to pursuing a medical career in paediatric neurology and to continuing her engagement in language and music learning. When she’s not studying or in the lab, you can usually find her signing, cooking or baking! 

Christine completed her Honours BSc. at the University of Toronto with a Specialist in Psychology and a Major in Neuroscience. Her honours thesis investigated the longitudinal cognitive, behavioural and academic outcomes in children born very preterm. She is currently a graduate student completing her MHSc. in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto. In the fall, she will be starting an Msc. in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Toronto with the hopes to pursue a PhD and work as a clinician-scientist. In the BAM lab, she is working on a project investigating sound-shape correspondents in monolingual and bilingual 12-month-old infants. Additionally, she is working on an online study investigating voice familiarity and spoken language processing in monolingual and bilingual adults. Her research interests include atypical speech and language development of children with developmental disorders and acquired brain injuries.

Sharmigaa Ragunathan obtained her master's degree in School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE), UofT. She received her Honours Bachelor of Science degree, with a double major in Psychology and Linguistics, at UTSC. In terms of research, her master’s thesis focused on the role of development, phoneme position and first language typology on second language spelling accuracy in elementary school English Language Learners coming from different home language backgrounds. In her spare time, Sharmigaa enjoys photography, writing poetry, trying new foods, and drinking Mocha Iced Capp.

Shumira has a BA from the University of Toronto in Cognitive Science (Language and Cognition) and Linguistics. Being born and raised in the linguistically diverse city of Toronto, Shumira is particularly interested in the cognitive development of multilingual children. She is also very interested in communication disorders and hopes to conduct research on the effects of multilingualism on children with developmental disorders. She aspires to obtain a graduate degree in speech-language pathology and further practice speech-language pathology. When she isn't pursuing her research interests, Shumira loves walking, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.  

Yash is in the  final year of his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto St. George and is pursuing a Neuroscience Specialist along with a double minor in Immunology and Bioethics. As someone who grew up in a multilingual household, the relationship between language acquisition and neural cognition has always fascinated him. In terms of research, Yash is particularly interested in the use for neural stem cells in treating neurodegenerative diseases and the affect of bilingualism on neural pathways. After completion of his undergraduate degree, Yash hopes to pursue a career in regenerative neurobiology and further understand the cellular mechanisms of injury and repair in the nervous system. Outside of academic and lab work, you can normally find Yash listening to music, skiing or enjoying walks with his dog!

Zanib graduated from the University of Toronto in 2022 with a Honors BSc studying Neuroscience and Molecular Biology and Disease Sciences and Psychology. From a very young age, she has been exposed to a Canadian and South Asian culture which has only furthered her interest and intrigue in contributing to the healthcare system, especially to overlooked communities and populations. Even before entering the academic life of university, she have been amazed by the innovative capacity of the human brain and hopes to pursue a career in medicine in her future.